406 EVOLUTION OF MENTAL CHAEACTERS 



capacity. But to the question as to how far the happenings 

 within the period since the origin of primitive society are connected 

 with the further evolution of innate capacity we can at present 

 return no answer. We may note the striking fact that within 

 this period progress in skill has been immense and has latterly 

 gone on at a greatly increased speed, whereas changes in the 

 germinal constitution have been relatively small. This clearly 

 suggests that there has been but little connexion between the 

 course of history as usually understood and changes in the 

 germinal constitution. But before we can pass any judgement, 

 we must gain some idea as to the manner in which tradition 

 contributes to the shaping of history. Only then shall we be 

 in a position to estimate the part played by such changes in 

 innate characters as have occurred, and to this task we may 

 now turn. 



