MEMORIES OF MY LIFE 



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intellect might be bred with little, if any, sacrifice 

 of fertility or vigour." 



" Many forms of civilisation have been peculiarly 

 unfavourable to the hereditary transmission of rare 

 talent. None of them were more prejudicial to it 

 than that of the Middle Ages, when almost every 

 youth of genius was attracted into the Church and 

 enrolled in the rank of a celibate clergy." 



This argument was largely developed in Here- 

 ditary Genius. 



" Another great hindrance to it is a costly tone of 

 society, like that of our own, where it becomes a folly 

 for a rising man to encumber himself with domestic 

 expenses, which custom exacts, and which are larger 

 than his resources are able to meet. Here also eenius 



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is celibate, at least during the best period of manhood. 



" A spirit of clique is not bad. I understand that 

 in Germany it is very much the custom for professors 

 to marry the [sisters] or daughters of other professors, 

 and I have some reason to believe, but am anxious 

 for fuller information before I can feel sure of it, that 

 the enormous intellectual digestion of German literary 

 men, which far exceeds that of the corresponding class 

 of our own countrymen, may, in some considerable 

 degree, be due to this practice." 



I have not even yet obtained the information 

 desired in the last paragraph, the correspondents who 

 partly promised to give it not having done so. As 

 many members of our House of Lords marry the 

 daughters of millionaires, it is quite conceivable that 

 our Senate may in time become characterised by a 



