234 ROUGH WAYS MADE SMOOTH. 



An illustration of the policy at least (we do not say the 

 justice) of preventive measures in such cases, is shown in 

 the case of a woman in America, of whom the world may 

 fairly say what Father Paul remarked to gentle Alice Brown ; 

 it * never knew so criminal a family as hers.' A young 

 woman of remarkably depraved character, infested, some 

 seventy years since, the district of the Upper Hudson. At 

 one stage of her youth she narrowly, and somewhat unfortu- 

 nately, escaped death. Surviving, however, she bore many 

 children, who in turn had large families, insomuch that there 

 are now some eighty direct descendants, of whom one-fourth 

 are convicted criminals, whilst the rest are drunkards, luna- 

 tics, paupers, and otherwise undesirable members of the 

 community. 



With facts such as these before us, we cannot doubt that 

 in whatever degree variability may eliminate after awhile 

 peculiar mental or moral tendencies, these are often trans- 

 mitted for many generations before they die out. If it be 

 unsafe to argue that the responsibility of those inheriting 

 special characteristics is diminished, the duties of others 

 towards them may justly be considered to be modified. 

 Other duties than the mere personal control of tendencies 

 which men may recognise in themselves are also introduced. 

 If a man finds within himself an inherent tendency towards 

 some sin, which yet he utterly detests, insomuch that while 

 the spirit is willing the flesh is weak or perchance utterly 

 powerless, he must recognise in his own life a struggle too 

 painful and too hopeless to be handed down to others. As 

 regards our relations to families in which criminal tendencies 

 have been developed, either through the negligence of those 

 around (as in certain dens in London where for centuries 

 crime has swarmed and multiplied), or by unfortunate 

 alliances, we may * perceive here a divided duty.' It has 

 been remarked that l we do not set ourselves to train tigers 

 and wolves into peaceful domestic animals ; we seek to 

 extirpate them/ and the question has been asked, ' why 

 should we act otherwise with beings, who, if human in form, 



