SPIRITUAL HEREDITY 213 



present state of moral corruption. Yet it was avoid- 

 able human sin that nullified the supernatural means 

 which were sufficient to prevent such a state from being 

 actualized. This view leaves place for both the evo- 

 lutionary and the cathoHc explanations of our moral 

 condition, and shows that both explanations are neces- 

 sary for a full account of things. It also shows that 

 the question of the truth of Weismann's denial of the 

 transmission of acquired characters need not disturb 

 a believer in catholic doctrine, because that doctrine 

 does not depend for its validity upon the fact of such 

 transmission. It permits us to agree with St. Athana- 

 sius and other ancient writers in regarding the fall as 

 a reversion to the limitations and liabilities of man's 

 unassisted and created nature.^ The view that natural 

 evolution describes his creation does not militate 

 against such doctrine. 



Ill 



Our task is nearing its completion; and all that re- 

 mains for us to do is to deal with two rival theological 

 theories as to the method by which original sin is 

 transmitted, and to indicate the moral importance of 

 the catholic doctrine of sin. 



The two theories to which I refer are known as 

 traducianism and creationism.^ Both are ancient, and 



1 De In-carn., ch. 5. See Tennant, Sources, pp. 310-314, on the 

 teaching of that writer. 



2 On this subject see A. Moore, Essays Scientific and Phil., pp. 

 75-82; Science and the Faith, pp. 208-211; Prof. Le Conte, Evolu- 



