88 THE FAMILY AND THE NATION 



separate characters at least — religious feeling and 

 instability. These characters may be transmitted inde- 

 pendently. If once more they chance to coincide in a 

 child, the complete parental type is reproduced ; but 

 if they be separated, one son may possess religious feel- 

 ing of a steady normal type, while another, inheriting 

 instability unchecked by religion, and finding of neces- 

 sity the home environment uncongenial, may go to 

 support the common idea that the sons of extremely 

 religious parents are apt to run to excess in riotous 

 living. 



As the nations of modern Europe crystallized out 

 of the mediaeval chaos, the inheritance of military and 

 political ability in certain families originated and main- 

 tained aristocracies of the sword and of statecraft. In 

 our own early history who can overlook the ability 

 manifested from generation to generation by the families 

 of Alfred, of Godwin, of Warenne, of Clare, of de 

 Montfort .? 



In later times arose an aristocracy of the law, in 

 which Lord Keepers and Lord Chancellors are found 

 as the descendants or the ancestors of lesser legal 

 luminaries. As each special type of ability became of 

 paramount importance to the nation or the race, repre- 

 sentatives of that ability, rising from all ranks, forced 

 their way to the front, and left offspring to maintain or 

 expand the benefit of their qualities to mankind. Cases 

 illustrating this point will be treated in the next 

 chapter. 



In our own times, superposed on the ever- living 

 need to defend our homes and interpret our laws, came 



