4,76 HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT 



was better. "Good environment" usually 

 means easy, pleasant, refined surroundings, 

 "all the opportunities that money can buy," 

 but little responsibility and none of that self 

 discipline which reveals the hidden powers and 

 which alone should be counted good environ- 

 ment. Many schools and colleges are making 

 the same mistake as the fond parents ; luxury, 

 soft living, irresponsibility are not only al- 

 lowed, but are encouraged and endowed — and 

 by such means it is hoped to bring out that in 

 men which can only be born in travail. 



The chief educational value of athletics is 

 found in this that it teaches self control. But 

 in great athletic contests the self control of the 

 spectators is usually inversely proportional to 

 that of the players, and while excess of stimuli 

 may lead to wholesome and beneficial reactions 

 in the players it frequently leads to excess of 

 stimulants and to other injurious reactions in 

 the spectators. But college athletics has this 

 much at least in its favor, it trains men who 

 take part in the contests to do their best, to 

 subordinate pleasure, appetite, the desire for 

 a good time, to one controlling purpose; it 



