THE PROBLEM OF THE HOME 



103 



fact that men compose one great family and are 

 sharers in a common vital heritage, is a doctrine 

 that few deny. Socialism rests on it, as do all sys- 

 tems of government, from the autocracy of Russia 

 to the republic of America. The honour shown 

 to the family in the past is, in part at least, justified 

 by the influence of families on the development 

 of events. The de' Medicis, Bourbons, Hohenzol- 

 lerns, Stuarts, Napoleons, and many others have 

 from generation to generation not only exhibited 

 the same traits, but acted an important part in 

 the world's development. Proverbs seldom lie. 

 " Blood will tell " is one of the oldest and most 

 familiar of these universal witness-bearers. 



In this chapter we are to consider the relation 

 of Heredity to the Home, or the problems of 

 the family, — problems that are among the most 

 pressing and practical of our time. Before there 

 can be a home, there must be marriage. Promis- 

 cuous mingling of the sexes is the destruction of the 

 family ; and yet it is neither the only nor perhaps 

 the most common cause of domestic demoraliza- 

 tion. The men and women who, in one direc- 

 tion, have performed such good service in the 

 cause of Divorce Reform often approach the sub- 

 ject on the side of a priori theory rather than on 

 the side of actual human nature and the causes 



