OCR Rendition - approximate

.the directions of Utility but the earnest and highof Wedgwood himself, which he took to enlarg own mind. We never sa a clearer proof gment), lies at ly, that success , and eternally ity of the inof the nature e hand of an transformed. unpleasant to and of .Beauty, toned character xnd the means and refine his of that which (in our ju the root of all art :-nam in it is strictly, absolutel proportioned to the abi tellect and the largenes which produce it. T artist is only his hea There is something so ereditary Talent and Character. 157 TARY TALENT AND CHARACTER. BY FRANCIS GALTON. human vanity . in this truth-it is in itself so immediately fatal to all in art that rests on trick and unusual dexterity and ingenious adaptation, that we do not wonder it ranks among those truths which are under a cloud. But to those who accept it as a natural law, against which no struggle is of use, the details given in this book of Wedgwood's early career will afford a splendid example how much a man, working in the ' spirit of *this creed," may advance l himself and do honour to his country. PART I THE power of man over producing whatever vari pleases, is enormously seem as though the ph of future generations plastic as clay, under th breeder's will. It is my more pointedly thanaware-has been attern mental qualities are control. A remarkable misa pears to be current as t transmission of talent It is commonly asserte dren of eminent men a where great power of i have been inherited, it through the mother's si son commonly runs awa of a whole family. M have led me to a diam conclusion. I find tha mitted by inheritance i able degree ; that the means the monopoly of and that whole famili talent are more comm which one member only I justify my conclusions animal life, in ties-of form he eat. It would sical structure was almost as control of the desire to show, • far as I am ed before, that equally under rehension apthe fact of the by inheritance. that the chil • stupid ; that, tellect seems to has descended c ; and that one with the talent own inquiries rically opposite talent is transa very remarkother has by no is transmission ; s of persons of • than those in s possessed of it. by the statistics I now proceed to adduce, which I believe are amply sufficient to command conviction. They are only a part of much material I have collected, for a future volume on this subject ; all of which points in the same direction. I should be very grateful to any of my readers for information that may help me in my further inquiries. In investigating the hereditary transmission of talent; we must ever bear in mind our ignorance 'of the laws which govern the inheritance even of physical features. We know to a certainty that the latter exist, though we do not thoroughly understand their action., The 'breeders of our domestic animals have discovered, many rules by experience, and act upon them to a nicety. But we have not advanced, even to, this limited extent, in respect to the human race. It has been nobody's business to study them ; and the study is difficult,' for many reasons. Thus, only two generations are likely to be born during the life of any observer ; clothing con ceals shape ; and each individual rarely marries more than once. Nevertheless, all analogy assures us that, the physical features of man are equally transmissible with those of brutes. The resemblances between parent and offspring, as they