108 Heredity and Environment 



out to him to the end. Unfortunately, the altruism of 

 Christianity has not penetrated so far as the interior of 

 our prison-houses, but once it does it will be better for 

 the criminal, and for the world to which many of them 

 will return. Is it not the height of folly to treat the 

 man who has lapsed in such a manner as to make him, 

 as long as he lives, the enemy of society, with his 

 heart full of hatred and desire of vengeance, when he 

 might by wise means be made contrite in heart and 

 consumed with a wish to do better ? When will men 

 overcome their prejudices in regard to this important 

 question ? They believe experience has taught certain 

 methods to be the only available ; unfortunately, the 

 limitation of the human intellect causes only a repeti- 

 tion and perpetuation of their own errors ; the only 

 hope is that in time they will give ear to scientific in- 

 vestigation and act accordingly. Of man's folly in this 

 regard we are tempted to say with him who " was not 

 for an age but for all time " : 



" Man, proud man, dressed in a little brief authority, 

 Most ignorant of what he's most assured, 

 Plays such fantastic tricks before high Heaven 

 As make the angels weep." 



The Mendelian theory has given a fillip to the already 

 tottering position of this law of heredity. Messrs. Dewar 

 and Finn, in the " Making of Species," from which we 

 have already quoted, are of opinion that Mendel's ex- 

 periments are of great importance, but, they add, " as 

 is usual in such cases, his disciples have greatly exag- 

 gerated the value and importance of his work. They 

 apply only to a limited number of cases. . . . The 

 phenomena of inheritance seem to be far more complex 

 than the thoroughgoing Mendelian would have us 

 believe." We are content to leave it at that, as it 

 would be quite impossible for us to elucidate anything 

 further from the experiments. We are quite prepared 



