58 Some Eminent Men 



child. They came from his eleventh and youngest 

 child, Charles Kemble, who was born when his 

 father was fifty-four years of age. Evidently the 

 wife of Roger did not practice birth control, 

 otherwise there would have been no Fanny Kem- 

 ble, or Mrs. Sartoris. Neither would Fanny and 

 Adelaide have existed if the wife of Charles had 

 indulged in birth control, as one was born when 

 her father was thirty-six and the other when he 

 was forty-five. 



It has been the fashion for some time to say 

 that Lamarck advanced a false theory of evolu- 

 tion. But as the persons who say that have not 

 yet succeeded in making an intelligent statement 

 of what Lamarck's theory is, we may pass their 

 opinions as unworthy of consideration. Lamarck 

 was born when his father was forty-two and 

 the next two previous generations cover some- 

 thing more than 110 years. This is an average of 

 more than fifty years for three generations in 

 succession. 



William Thomson, afterwards known as Lord 

 Kelvin, was a son of Prof. James Thomson, and 

 was born when his father was 38. And James 

 was born when his father was 48. This is a total 



