150 Heredity and Social Progress 



natural one part of them is also primitive. I 

 shall call those organs natural, which have cor- 

 responding organs of outer expression, and 

 those primitive which, having no external organs 

 of expression, necessarily use organs over which 

 they must acquire control through mental asso- 

 ciations before they can express themselves. 

 When discipline, through a surplus, creates a 

 bodily emotion, it makes the natural organs 

 of inner expression more plastic and breaks 

 up the associations that permit the primitive 

 organs to dominate their activity. Strong emo- 

 tions will do even more: they regenerate the 

 primitive organs, and force them to receive 

 concepts which shall be useful in the present 

 environment rather than concepts which were 

 natural in the earlier conditions upon which 

 these organs developed. The concepts evoked 

 by this regeneration we call ideals, and deem 

 their acquisition of prime importance in the 

 uplifting of individuals or of society. 



My contention is that ideals are not acquired 

 directly through the senses, but are the indirect 

 effects of that bodily discipline which creates 

 surplus energy. An ethical impulse does not 



