74 



HEREDITY AND CHRISTIAN PROBLEMS 



— the bite of a serpent — before her child's 

 birth. The daughter was, of course, utterly- 

 passive and irresponsible at the time ; how far 

 was she responsible as she grew up ? How far 

 was her conduct under her control ? Was there 

 any power within her that could say to those 

 tendencies reaching back to the time before birth, 

 " Thus far shalt thou come, and no farther " ? 

 As developed by Dr. Holmes, no room is left 

 for an affirmative reply. Choices, no doubt, are 

 usually according to the motives presented ; but 

 motives have power, not according to any inher- 

 ent force, but according to the response awak- 

 ened in the one upon whom they act. One is 

 born of sensual parents, with a strong animal 

 nature ; another is almost free from animal ten- 

 dencies. It needs no argument to show that 

 while one will respond readily and naturally to 

 the seductions of sensuality, the other will turn 

 with little or no effort to the contemplation of 

 intellectual or spiritual beauty. Each naturally 

 goes to his own place. If desire, or aptitude, 

 has anything to do with the determination of 

 choices, then the probability is that men will 

 choose according to their desires. We may go 

 further, and say that, unless the prospect of 

 some higher good is introduced, men will always 



