64 HEREDITY IN RELATION TO EUGENICS 



Can we discover how bodily energy, which reaches its 

 highest degree in such commanders, is inherited? Here 

 again I appeal to the Family Records in which energy is 

 recorded in the three grades: below average, medium, de- 

 cidedly above average. The following principles seem estab- 

 Ushed. 



When both parents have bodily energy that is regarded 

 as '^decidedly above average" all of their children will have 

 either exceptional or at least medium energy. 



The mating of two energetic parents in 192 families produced 413 off- 

 spring (or 2.2 children to the family). Of these 301 (73 per cent) are placed 

 in the highest grade; 100 (24 per cent) in the middle grade and only 12 

 (3 per cent) in the low grade. Considering the probability of errors this 

 lowest grade is neghgible. 



When both parents have medium to low energy and come 

 from ancestry of this sort all offspring have medium to low 

 energy. \ 



There are 54 matings of this sort, with 219 children (or 4.1 childreii tb 

 the fraternity); All but 4 are in the medium class. 



When one parent has great bodily energy while the other 

 has no great energy in himself or his ancestry all -of the 

 children (86) have medium (82) or low energy (4). But if 

 there be energy in the grandparents on the low side about 

 half of the children will have energy that is decidedly above 

 the average; 



There are 105 matings of the latter sort, producing 456 children (or 4.3 

 children to the fraternity) of whom 226 were classed as of great energy, 

 208 of medium and only 22 as low. 



On the whole the facts support the hypothesis that ex- 

 cessive bodily energy is due to a loss of something — ^perhaps 

 an inhibitor that prevents persons from achieving the best 

 that is in. them. However, the whole subject deserves a 

 more thorough investigation. 



