170 Heredity and Social Progress 



less developed types. The education of men 

 and the growth of their vices are simultaneous 

 because vice is indecision and a result of the 

 same causes that clarify thought. So long, 

 then, as we attempt progress through the action 

 of elimination upon men, we lose as much as 

 we gain, for if we eliminate the anabolic we 

 gain decision and morality, but we lose clear 

 thought. If, on the contrary, the katabolic is 

 eliminated, thought becomes strong and clear, 

 but the evidences of indecision and resulting 

 vice spring up on all sides. We see that elimi- 

 nation is no aid to progress, and that while it 

 continues there is a mere shifting of qualities 

 with no gain. 



This difference leads, though not by the 

 usual method, to a well-known biological dis- 

 tinction. It has been shown that some quali- 

 ties are natural and come by inheritance, while 

 others have to be acquired by the men of each 

 age. According to the theory I am advocating, 

 this difference in characters is retained, but put 

 into a new form. A natural character is the 

 strong side of each mental unit. An acquired 

 character is the attempt to implant in a being 



