CHAPTER X 



THE PROBLEM OF VICE AND CRIME 



We have seen that while the tendencies of a 

 man are fixed at his birth, yet what he is actually 

 is determined by an "infinite number of influences 

 which have a powerful effect upon his ultimate 

 constitution for good or evil ; " and we have con- 

 sidered briefly the bearing of these truths upon 

 the problem of pauperism. It remains to be said 

 that a large part of intemperance, also, and of 

 licentiousness and crime, is produced by heredity 

 and induced by environment ; and that conse- 

 quently all intelligent and successful effort for 

 the removal of these evils must begin with a study 

 of the relation of these agencies to the facts. 



Heredity, Environ7nent, aiid Intemperance. — In 

 a previous chapter the general fact that a tendency 

 to intemperance is very often inherited has been 

 pointed out ; it is my purpose here to add the tes- 

 timony of a few specialists too honoured to allow of 

 a suggestion of partisanship, and then to consider 

 the relation of the fact to the problem of reform. 



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