326 SOCIAL HEREDITY AND SOCIAL EVOLUTION 



forcibly than ever, since we realize that human social 

 evolution has been built up chiefly from what men 

 have done, and, secondarily, from what they have 

 received from their parents by the laws of organic 

 heredity. Of course those who advocate the modern 

 views of eugenics will admit all this, for no one ques- 

 tions the influence of environment. But the danger 

 is that, in the discussion of the laws of inheritance 

 and the interest that is aroused by the principles of 

 modern eugenics, the effect of social inheritance will 

 be overshadowed, until this side of the question will 

 be quite lost from sight. But we should not lose 

 sight of the fact that the life of the man counts as 

 well as his heritage. In trying to build up an en- 

 vironment for our children or for posterity, we may 

 thus have the decided satisfaction of feeling that it 

 will not be in vain, for the social inheritance is even 

 more sure than the organic. The result of the agita- 

 tion in the problem of eugenics is surely of inestim- 

 able value, though under the complex conditions 

 of society the prospect of improving the race along 

 these lines is not very great. But as an offset to 

 this rather unpleasant conclusion, we may rejoice in 

 the fact that whatever is acquired by one generation 

 in human society, it is sure to be acquired again by 

 the next ; and thus, by using our intelligence, we may 

 build up a social heritage that is greater and more 

 far-reaching than is our organic heritage. The 

 actions of one generation of men are not lost upon 

 the race, as are the actions of a race of buffaloes; 

 but they remain to have their influence upon poster- 

 ity. The buffalo influenced posterity only through 

 his offspring; man influences posterity through his 

 acts. 



