222 HEREDITY AND EUGENICS 



conferred in the first instance as a recognition of 

 exceptional ability or initiative, ^xt the inheritance 

 of that abilit}' will probabl}' follow different rules in 

 different cases, and eldest sons are as likely as not 

 to receive other qualities from their father, but not 

 his abilit}'. Ability, like genius, is probably often 

 due to a fortunate concatenation of favourable 

 elements, and if these are independently inherited 

 the chances of their reappearance in the offspring are 

 small. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that the 

 exceptional individual has a much better chance of 

 transmitting his qualities, or some of them, than the 

 average individual can possibh^ have. Yet titles, 

 no doubt, often long survive any expression of 

 exceptional qualities in their holders. And once the 

 quality is gone, through having failed to be inherited, 

 cross-breeding alone can bring it back. Would it not 

 seem, then, that societ}' founded upon ability and 

 quality, and not upon wealth, in which there was 

 also a measure of latitude in intermarriage, would 

 be in consonance with the eugenic ideal ? 



While, therefore, intermarriage of diverse strains 

 is important, both from the point of view mentioned 

 above and on account of the increased vigour resulting 

 from a heterozygous condition, yet there are important 

 limitations to the width of the crosses which are desir- 

 able. In the newer countries, such as North and 

 South America and parts of Africa, the cross-bred 

 races which have sprung up through miscegenation 

 between Europeans and more backward peoples are 

 at a disadvantage from almost every point of view. 

 Physical disharmonies result, such as the fitting of 

 large teeth into small jaws; or as Davenport (igiyb) 

 points out, large men with small internal organs, or 

 inadequate circulator}^ s^'stems, or other disharmonies 

 which tax the adjustability of the organism, and may 

 lead to earl}- death. (But see p. 29.) Segregation 



