26 Heredity and Child Culture 



as such and the evolution of society proceed 

 according to laws that are widely divergent, 

 but the higher traits in human evolution and in 

 civilization itself depend on social and not on 

 organic inheritance. 



While some lower forms of life, as bees and 

 ants, show organization in a remarkable degree, 

 it is due to instinct that plays only a minor part 

 in human development. Instincts are due 

 entirely to organic inheritance and function ow- 

 ing to a certain definite structure of nerve cen- 

 tres and ganglia. These ganglia always give 

 the same automatic response to all stimuli with 

 changeless uniformity. It is thus the structure 

 of the nervous system that accounts for the 

 wonderful phenomena often exhibited by the 

 instincts and these do not depend on learning 

 or experience. While the lower animals are 

 guided by their instincts, man exhibits an ini- 

 tiative power drawn from acquired knowl- 

 edge. 



It is thus seen that a broader view of all the 

 conditions surrounding heredity makes for a 

 more hopeful outlook for human beings as dis- 

 tinguished from lower animals. At first view. 



