140 An Examination of Weismannism. 



On the other hand, Weismann adduces many 

 forcible considerations per contra ; so that, in the 

 result, I deem it best to dispose of the question with 

 two general remarks. The first is, that the rival views 

 are not necessarily incompatible. Each may present 

 one aspect of the truth. Weismann's doctrine of 

 determinants may be — and, to the best of my judge- 

 ment, must be — sound ; but this does not hinder that 

 Galton's doctrine of struggling " germs " may be so 

 likewise. For, as we have already seen, these germs 

 present the same compound character which belong 

 to determinants ; in fact I do not suppose that Galton 

 would object to identifying them with determinants. 

 On the other hand, I do not see why Weismann 

 should object to supposing that similar determinants 

 compete among themselves for ontogenetic develop- 

 ment. Indeed, he has already argued, in his 

 suggestive theory of ''germ-tracts," that it is usually 

 only one among a number of similar determinants 

 which does succeed in achieving such development — 

 or, as he expresses it. which " becomes active." But 

 what is it that causes this activity ? Surely it must be 

 some superiority on the part of the active determinant 

 over its passive companions. And, if so, it is the 

 selection-principle that is here at work. In fact, he 

 has himself laid no small stress on what he calls " the 

 struggle of the determinants of the two parents in 

 ontogeny," and has even supplied a long section or 

 " the Struggle of the Ids in Ontogeny." Therefore 

 I do not see why he should so emphatically dissent 

 from Galton's view upon this matter as he does 

 in his work on The Gcrm-plasvi 1 . 



1 pp- 72-4- 



