78 Evolution of Intelligence 



matter cannot be determined by anything so su- 

 perficial as ordinary tabulations. 



It is well established, but not yet widely known, 

 that the age of the parent at conception of the 

 child has a profound influence upon the natural 

 intelligence of the child. The superior children 

 come from the older parents and not from the 

 younger ones. Those persons who, a few years 

 ago, denied this fact, are now reduced to the 

 point of trying to find some explanation which 

 is not inconsistent with their preconceived ideas. 



Passing by all explanations, we have the defi- 

 nite fact that superior children come from older 

 parents, and when we have old parents for two 

 or three generations in succession, we get stock 

 which is much superior to the normal stock. 

 There is also the fact that increased longevity, 

 as well as increased intelligence, follows increase 

 in time between generations. 



When a person exerts himself he expends cer- 

 tain foot-pounds of energy, and the energy must 

 be in his system before he can expend it. If 

 the efiforts which a person makes are moderate, 

 within the ordinary meaning of that term, then 

 the foot-pounds of energy withdrawn by exer- 



