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HEREDITY AND CHRISTIAN PROBLEMS 



moral characteristics which tend toward pau- 

 perism. Mr. Dugdale's studies in this field are 

 well known. With most minute care he has, 

 by examinations running through six genera- 

 tions, found pauperism hereditary ; and as the 

 result of an inductive study he makes the state- 

 ment that the heredity of the tendency to pau- 

 perism is quite as indisputable as that to crime 

 or disease. This, of course, is only the natural 

 presumption from the general law of heredity. 

 If, through many generations, the Bourbon family 

 is distinguished by the Bourbon nose, and the 

 Bach family by talent for music, we should 

 expect to find the descendants of Margaret Juke 

 both criminals and paupers. It may be doubted 

 whether pauperism is not more a disease than 

 a crime. Laziness is easily denounced ; it is not 

 so easily understood. It results largely from lack 

 of vitality. Where there is abundant vitality the 

 individual either ceases to be a drone or becomes 

 a criminal. Hence Mr. Dugdale says : " Crime, as 

 compared to pauperism, indicates vigour." But 

 what does lack of vitality signify .■* Plainly, 

 defective parentage. As men are born with 

 physical deformity, so are they born with mental 

 and moral deformity. A child of intemperance 

 comes into the world diseased. So of the off- 



