268 THE MEANING OF EVOLUTION 
have been criminals simply because they were reared 
among criminals, because their surroundings were 
such as to lead them away from habits of industry, 
while they must live. These people were not bol- 
stered by society, or the church, into a life of self-re- 
spect and self-help. Under these circumstances they 
fell into evil ways. There is nothing defective in 
their mental or physical makeup, that need appear in 
their children. If these children are removed from 
contact with the criminal class they stand every 
chance of being as vigorous, as intelligent, as upright 
as the average of the community. 
At the recent Eugenics Congress in London one of 
the speakers expressed a preference for the son of a 
husky burglar over the son of a tuberculous bishop. 
This is doubtless quite correct, but why should the 
bishop be tuberculous? The truth of the matter is, 
the reverse is more likely to be the case. Personally, 
I should prefer to be the offspring of a husky bishop. 
In dealing with criminals, then, with a view to cut- 
ting off their posterity, we must be careful to under- 
stand whether we are dealing with a hereditary or 
an acquired criminality. If there is a genuine heredi- 
tary criminal taint, society is right in freeing itself 
of it. If it is acquired criminality, then it is not 
transmissible, and the offspring, if placed in a good 
environment, are likely to be good citizens. All of 
