INTRODUCTION. 25 



in its aggregation made Rome mistress of the 

 world. Later on, when capital had consolidated 

 in high places, Roman society no longer recog- 

 nized the sacredness of wedlock nor the sanctity 

 of maternity. Dissipation reigned in high places, 

 children received an unfortunate inheritance and 

 'the nation was thereby robbed of its physical 

 strength, mental vigor, moral courage and social 

 purity. Rome fell, because depravity had shorn 

 the nation of its strength. 



Various methods have been suggested, from 

 time to time, for the application of the laws of 

 heredity to the improvement of the human family. 

 Plato in his "Republic" proposed certain arrange- ' 



ments for marriage and the bringing up of chil- 

 dren intended to improve the race. Among other 

 things he forbade the use of wine by the newly 

 married, and required that the best of either sex 

 should be united with the best as often, and the 

 inferior with the inferior as seldom, as possible. 

 Plato's idea was carried into practice by Lycurgus 

 in his government of Sparta. Lycurgus consid- 

 ered children not so much the property of the 

 parents as of the State; and, therefore, he could 

 not have them begotten, of ordinary persons, but 

 by the best men in it. He instituted laws calcu- 

 lated to favor the selection of the best and the 

 rejection of the inferior. 



At present we have but little legislation that.. 



V- j. Modern Students 



bears directly upon heredity, nevertheless there O f Heredity. 

 is widespread and rapidly increasing interest in 

 the subject; not only among biologists but among 

 the laity as well. The able contributions of Dar- 

 win, Wallace, Tyndall, Huxley, Spencer, Brooks, 



