4G ORGANIC EVOLUTION 



be most briefly considered : ignored in a discussion 

 of the possible factors of organic evolution it can- 

 not be. 



In the first place, it must be noted that the 

 importance of this factor — assuming it to have any 

 importance at all — is very much smaller than it 

 was formerly thought to be. A very large number 

 of facts which it was once invoked to explain can 

 be more completely and convincingly explained on 

 the theory of natural selection. Furthermore, it is 

 evident that, at any rate, this factor is far less 

 important than it might be. If there be trans- 

 mission of acquirements it is far from complete. 

 Were it complete the facts of human life would 

 to-day be almost infinitely different from the facts 

 as they are : the child of the scientist would inherit 

 all his father's knowledge ; the child of the linguist 

 would enter, by right of birth, into mastery of all 

 the tongues his father had learnt by dint of arduous 

 effort ; the child of the cricketer would not require 

 to learn the art of playing with a straight bat ; each 

 generation would begin where the last " left off." 

 This, we know, is not so : plainly, therefore, if the 

 transmission of acquirements be possible, its scope 

 is very limited, and the question arises whether if, 

 as we certainly know, many acquirements are not 

 transmissible — whether any are transmissible. May 

 not the circumstances which veto the transmission 

 of so many veto the transmission of all ? 



Secondly and lastly — for one can fortunately save 

 much precious space in this matter — let us briefly 

 note the chief objection of the Weismannians to 

 the belief in the inheritance of acquirements as a 



