Acquired Characters 17 



be no doubt that children resemble their par- 

 ents, but do they resemble parents in those 

 characters which have been modified by use? 

 The answer will depend upon the observer. If 

 he thinks of the general adjustment of each 

 race to its special environment, he perceives 

 that it has developed those qualities, aptitudes, 

 and traits that are of special use in that environ- 

 ment. It would seem, therefore, from this gen- 

 eral resemblance of son to father, that the 

 qualities of the father have reappeared in the 

 son; but how this has been done remains 

 unanswered. Selection may have displaced 

 those not inheriting the useful modifications, 

 or the organism of the child may have been 

 directly modified by the changes that took 

 place in the parent. 



Although there is little direct evidence to 

 support either theory, there is indirect evidence 

 which seems decisive. If children inherited 

 the acquired qualities of parents, they would 

 naturally and cheerfully do those acts and 

 establish those relations that the parents have 

 found useful in their struggle for survival. 

 Parents have to teach children what they have 



