4 HEREDITY AND SOCIETY 



their parents were applied confidently to the pheno- 

 mena of social evolution. The comfortable and 

 optimistic doctrine was preached that we had only 

 to improve one generation by more healthy surround- 

 ings, or by better education, and, by the mere action 

 of heredity, the next generation would begin on a 

 higher level of natural endowments than its pre- 

 decessor. And so, from generation to generation, 

 on this theory, we could hope continually to raise 

 the inborn character of a race in an unlimited progress 

 of cumulative improvement. 



Much of the impetus given to educational and 

 philanthropic work during the past century seems 

 to have been due to the spread of this belief, which 

 had been put aside by most men of science almost 

 before its effects were felt among the general public. 

 A multitude of workers arose who were inspired by 

 a zeal for social service and unselfish travail and 

 endeavoured to realize the vision of universal well- 

 being which the discredited doctrine had dangled before 

 their eyes. 



But, half a century ago, Lamarck's explanation of 

 evolution was replaced by that of Darwin ; and, of 

 recent years, the work of Weissmann and others has 

 led biologists to doubt more and more whether 

 characters acquired during life by the action of the 

 environment are inherited at all by the offspring. 

 Yet, deceived by their hopes and aspirations, and led 

 astray by incorrect elementary knowledge, our philan- 

 thropists, and still more our politicians, continued to 

 talk and act as though improvement in the mere 

 material surroundings of life would, of itself and 



