REVIEW OF THE POSITION 13 



At Sydney, " The factors which the individual receives from 

 his parents, and no others, are those which he can transmit to his 

 offspring "* — in other words the doctrine of the inheritance of 

 acquired characters is estopped. As to this he speaks in 1909 

 more doubtfully on p. 90 and on p. 95 almost dogmatically. 2 There 

 is just a convenient haziness of meaning in the term " factor " 

 with which some play might be made, but, taking it to mean what 

 the context indicates, an acquirement made by the individual 

 during its personal life, we have pretty clear evidence that Prof. 

 Bateson will have nothing to do with the inheritance of acquired 

 characters as that doctrine is understood by the unsophisticated 

 biologist. This opposition should be counted unto him for righteous- 

 ness rather than the reverse, for it falls into line with his life's work 

 to which he has given of his best. — Vestigia nulla retrorsum. The 

 point reached here which concerns my purpose is that the orthodox 

 Mendelian still knows nothing of the cause or origin of variation, 

 and will have none of Lamarck. 



This consideration of Prof. Bateson's work of a quarter of a 

 century has been necessary for showing how the work of Weismann 

 and himself diverge gravely and yet meet at one point, and the 

 year 1899, being linked with 1894, has been taken out of its chrono- 

 logical order. 



It may be permitted perhaps to say respectfully to the 

 Mendelians in the words of the dying father in the fable, " Dig, 

 my sons, dig in the vineyard." If they follow still the course of the 

 sons they may find more gold than they have found already and 

 perchance that which is better than gold. But they will produce 

 from it nothing that is not there. 



Two Parables. 



Here gentle reader (I seem to remember this style of address 



in the stories of our youth) pause with me in a little oasis of the 



desert-stage of our journey, and brush off some of the dust, while I 



briefly narrate two incidents, but I pray you also not to leave me 



in the midst of them so that you may escape the next short stage. 



A traveller, small and insignificant, armed only with an 



oak cudgel, was passing alone through a South American 



forest. As he trudged forward he noticed at a certain point 



in the path (shall we call it 1894-1899 ?) that a jaguar was 



watching him and was about to break his truce with man. He 



turned off to the right and there he saw a puma and this too 



1 Nature, 1914. 



8 Darwin and Modern Science. 



