CONCLUSION 479 



affecting at one time a large proportion of the inhabitants of 

 a country— appreciably retard progress. It is never in the true 

 sense a cause of progress. In thus relegating the direct effect 

 of the environment to a very subsidiary place among the factors, 

 we are not dismissing the environment as of little account in 

 human history or in the lives of individual men and women. 

 Though the direct effect of the environment on the germinal 

 constitution is seldom clearly distinguished from its effect in 

 moulding tradition, yet it is wholly distinct ; and in fact, while 

 attributing to the former httle importance, we have found the 

 latter to be of increasing importance until it comes altogether to 

 dominate germinal change. 



Nevertheless when this distinction is realized and an unbiased 

 effort made to estimate the relative importance of these factors, 

 it seems that the position is often curiously misunderstood. It 

 is frequently suggested that the achievement of our race in the 

 future and of mankind in general will somehow depend principally 

 upon the course of germinal change, and that it is in the lives 

 of men at the present day or at any given time that environment 

 in its bearing upon tradition is of importance. But this is a 

 misconception of the position. Bearing in mind the discussions 

 in former chapters as to what is inherited and as to the direct 

 influence of the environment, let us ask wherein the importance of 

 germinal differences is to be sought, first as between men at the 

 present day and afterwards in history as a whole. With regard 

 to physical characteristics it is clear that, disease apart, men are 

 what they are owing principally to their native endowment. 

 Whether a man is tall or short, dark or fair, has blue or brown 

 eyes, or what is, apart from the possibihty of a correlation between 

 these and more valuable characters, of more importance, whether 

 he is healthy, vigorous, strong, endowed with good eyesight and 

 hearing, in short with a sound constitution — this is a matter 

 principally of native endowment, supposing- the differences in 

 the environment not to exceed those which now on the average 

 occur. And the same applies to mental characters with an 

 allowance made for the marked degree of susceptibility which 

 temperament exhibits to changes in the environment. Whether 

 a man has more than the average degree of intellect, is markedly 

 assertive, pugnacious, or inquisitive, is capable of withstanding 

 or recovering from fatigue, depends upon his native endowment. 



