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Leader (1850-1860), 13th May 1854, Edition 1 of 1, Page 451, Untitled Article

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    • IKfittflllltf d&IU W U«*4U
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      Untitled Article

      ofancestraTiacesEas Been Kept , tnesame fact is more or less apparent TB& pertmacjtjrwith ^ t «* partic ^ ar cfcaacterisfcws will re-prafacS tnetMelrer for generations is well exemplified m America , where airy traces of ne * ra BJbod can Ire detected fetfre . finger najfe ^ when no Iongerrable iitttos c ^ plexion ^ Amoufflt meexEerc of animals it is-well known that after- several ' generations m winch bo vfeibBe modifications were traceable , tike effects of " a cross wtO suddenly male their appearance . lit all wnfek ftets we w * vtfc « general law ws&c . on , orgatmsm prouticed , trout two orgatuflnss- epnstitutionaK ' ir different is not a homogeneous mean , but is made tip of separate elements ? taken inc . variable matter and proportion from the originals aadr united * neterogeneotisiy . _ • In a recent number of the Quarterly Journal of &e -Abricti&urat Sbciettr

      tomb- m $ wm& ® tw& ®> &&&m& * Ho . IXPEESOK&I , RfrAUTT . —PART IL iMitCfiNB-a- book o # wh&h the fcsfc pag » wlkeik analysed turned out to- con ^ faiflt a mixture of the- dewipttaucrf two ofepeis nearly allied bat not iim * tica £ , expressed in ways aiinsostf al&e but ? not quite so . Bmgine that i » one part of thepsge the senteaeeffoftb » tw& descriptkms came alternatel y ? that in jE&other , haUfcaentenate fow » cactt were ranted into one sentence , so- as ^ to make bufc obscure sew ^?; aad that in nw oases the interchange © cerarreds several times in A «< same sentence . It ; i * dear taw& though' yam migtt very-well recognise the naftor * of the things traced of , u » definite conception ¦ would be conveyed to you .

      Suppose further -that « n reading" ever serorai pages you fixxnd each of Chen to contain soHHrrhat snaml « r panre of des ^ pttow somewhat « nuia * iy mixed—the objects described ? being dfoajw - dtte > tcr tte first anit to each . other , and the maamer of combining the descriptione kaving mere or lees reseaablanee . I ^ aui&fmeatapmgt ^ tie principle of mma * gemyeB . t i and so gel a gtkamering of the specific interpretation . Bat tk > w tep ^ ow Art a » you JwirwHied ywt found ike objects treated of on the saine yage we *« In « my esse » more widely dirergewt , and tbe-in tennixtarex ofr ^ lfc'iltiscrfytiDB ^ is method to > foregoing ; ' ¦¦ that beside- this you ty ^ id-by € «¦ & mw pages coftta » m& a mion « ot

      of 4 wo de « crif > twn » hwtefmorey « cowrpouH * of two- of these eoaopoonded des « r ^ tio 9 «^ Mm # Aat ^ l ^ ^ e tmievyoa . < reached t&e ^ mlddle of ^ e- fcook th » jraaWhig of deeerip » k »* i »* produc « 4 a Mgb < fegree of co » ptesity ^ bofh m respect of the wnber eoMfeined and the n » d «» of combination . What wauld be tbeTCault ? 5 Iffl » iftstfyyoa wohM abandon alt efforts at iaterpretattcm ^ cad . w «« td donbt whether there w « s any meanii ^ i to be ^ covered . < Ho ^ rerer re&S f eystenatie the straetvre o # eae % page , aitd howeror eoaopre- hensible t ^ one having the « jh » , ye * in tb © abs « nee of a clue the ccntradfetions , the inconsistencies ^ the mystificationft wonld ! be- so nnmero «» as to ao ^ est the ixispicion tkrt tke book wan an el » l > orate ho * x . This 8 O » ewk * t grot € « jue suppositioii » the beat I c « k find to srnbolize

      lifc state , of the racbting relwtaonrib ^ n between xanndc and phjiioflnrwy Tthfi f subject-iBatter o £ « ack of tfeese . pag <» ia tjfp ^ d ; vof ch aracter j ! the description , of features The neax ^ ralfiedL objects tx ^ aJ ^ of-tqa ^ Jbjexv in 'each , of the earlier , pages , are the 'i ^ aracte » r" 6 ^ twbv new ^ f alu ^ o ^ races of men , which are united in the constitntions of ^ their joint oi ^ praiff , as the descriptions are united m their faces . Tkov pages contaunng- ^ HSsently mixed aecovnls of aaore widely divergent objects stand forthe rwftf unim n of those produced by th&wte * manrisg& o £ ncea boi » ntisna ^ fy 0 Q 0 tntftodLi Aad those highly involved , pages , in which aouany objects , are described , ia : xuany ways , represent the faces of most persons around us who- have come of the repeated mixture of mixed races .

      This heterogeneity of constrtmtiorr seems to me the chief cause of the incongruities between aayee * and satttre whicfc wtodtaSiy meet witb > . Given a pure race subject to constant conditkaa of climate , fbodv amlJEahcta of lite , and there ig every reason to b « Umre that between sx-ict ^ m ^ y appiearance and internal structure , menial aad bodilyr there will be . a constant and ! clearly-traceable connexion . Unite this race with another equally pure , but adapted to different conditions , and having a correspondingly / different physique and face , and there will occur m trie descendants , not s homogeneous mean between the two c « nstitutioB » tat * aeerainglr nrregfnl « ri combination ofi charaeieciaties © f th # one- with charaetertatics of the cither

      —one feature ^ traceable to . this cace ,, a second to that , aad . a third uniting the attribut e * of both ; whilst ia disposition audjntellect there will be found a like medley of the distinctive traits of the two originals . The fact that the forms and qualities of any offspring are not a mean of « he forms > an « l qualities of its- parents , but a mature of them , is illustrated in every famth / . Almost , uniformly the features and peculiarities cf a child are separately referred by observers to father and mother resp « cAlvely some to one and some to the other—noae and mouth to this side i coloaor of the hair and eyes to that—this moral peculiarity to the first ; this intellectual one to the second—and so with the contour and idiosyncrasies of the body : Manifestly if each organ or faculty in a chiW was an average of the two developments of snch organ or fccultr in the parents , it would

      necessarily lolLow that aU brothers and sisters should be alike ; or should , at any rate , differ no more than their parents differed from year to jear . So far , however , from finding ^ that this is the case , we find not only great irregularities produced fcy intermixture of traits ^ but no constancy in the mode of intermixture or the extent of variation produced by it . This very imperfect union of parental constitutions in the con » titution of offdpring—this transmission of individual traits instead of a general impresfiion— is liltustrated

      yet more strongy by the re-appearance of peculiarities traceable to bygone ge-nerations . Forms , dispositions , and constitutional ( lisoaaes , possessed by diatanC ancestry , habitually coine out from time to time m descendants . Some single feature , or some solitary tendency , will again and again show itself after seeming to be Lost . It is notoriously thus with gout , scrofula , and Insanity . On some of the monumental brasses contained in our old churches arc engraved faces having traita still persistent in the same family . Wherever , aa in portrait galleries , a register

      there were pubBshect sonce results ? of the mixture pf I&eneh and Engtfeh . races 6 f she » pyjstatiag collaterall y an instructive beari » g ^ otr th » pont ; Sundry attend ? had he < ett ma&e to > £ mproTe , the pjooar jfreneh- lnre « ds » : 0 nr fine I&rgKsh onies . ^ Bwr a long tine these attempts faSeyL ! 1 &e Ibjficicbt Boope no ibrace of theirBxig ^ y ^ ancestry ; but ire ^ n » -dmmc £ ^ 'W ^' ! : po ^ tt strreken as th ^ irlh ^ ivh ^ ilKns : Evenrtually the ettitse of ftulure w « n ibixnii to Re m toe relative heferogfenefty anffihomdgcneityof the ? t wty constifeaJiitaM « Ttte snperior EnglShl sheep were aftnxx ^ rw ^ i ^ e ' F ^ e ^ mferior , were ofpu » e race j and the complex ^ mjterf&e ^^ ox ^^ stitutran of the one ? conM not ^ maintain itself against tl ^ smplis'and ^ ccnn pfetely balanced constftution of the other . This , at fe ^ t att hTpotliiBsis ; - wai of

      presently demonstrated ^ . French sleep mixed constifeiztlon h ^ Krxi ^ BlSei obtained by wsiting two of the pure French breeds , ifc waa ^ &iuid ih iai ^ lnxne Hybrid French sheep , when united wtth the hybrid EngKsn oneffi proAteed ^ H ccossv in wirieh the EaggeSi chaTaeteristtcs wero ^ du ^ dwplajred . ¦' Wd&'&nfc inability of a mixed constitutronta stand iftr ground a ^ alne t aa tmimbced on © onite accordls with the . a % oretndttctton . Asx unanxed conBtaftittBan S ^ one' % - which att the organs hawing ^ lbr ^ ttmimerabte generationa-worl ^^ tc ^ are in exact fitness , are perfectly balanced ; ^ and the system asa wh ^ te ^ OT stable equilibrium . A mixed , constitution ^ on . the contrary t being ^ jniad $ Lnjj of organs belonging to two separate sets cannot have them in exact fitness , cannot have them perfectly balanced ^ and a aystemin conxparatively unstable

      - equilibrium must result . Butiinjproportibnk to the stability of the equilibrium will be the power to restst disifcurbjng forces . Hence when two constitutions in stable and unstable equilibrium respectively , become disturbing forces to each other , the unstable one will be overthrown and the stable one will assert itself unchanged * ; - ¦ / This imperfect co-ordination of parts in a mixed-constitution , and this consequent instability of itSv equilibrium , are intimately connected with the -v « sedf gnertkm airgenBt ^ spetiefy aa ^ tlfeeuintruBsici interest of fthW ^ estioiL and partly to the . iuEtii « rftli « ci ^ i ^ iiiQ £ " iHn - tflflif * in . 1 > o ntl X vtmtst .. ¦ italn < tinrr * ata . . . -., ... . The current physiolo £ ica ) t t ^ J ^ of distinct . species istXie p ^ ro < £ acJu ) n ^ oC a non-prolificliybrid . Th \ e attilliyof the bfflipxlng to , ^ epr ^ od ^ ceSiKlf ^ l ^^^

      to indicate that its parents are of the same specwr , howeter' widely tKey may drffer i * » ppe « PttBee ; aftd it » ii » bilrty to-do tkw « taken a » pt «^ ithfct t nearly alfied as ***< j ^^ Jm ^ M ^ y ^^^ i ^ fefty * a *> ! ^ V-VN ^ wiT [ . liinfl ^ : ; -f > fclirt | u hem&t&i ^ &c &a have . bee * , accumulating ;| 1 ^ tend inom j ^ doubt on this generaUaation . r Gajjtle ^ h ^ ^^ haye ^ ^ . f ^ general fact > that the oflfe pring ^^^ or twa dln ^ rwt ^ bxeeda . of sheep ^ or oji ^ awindle away ina . few . g ^ tieradons if alfied with theaoselver ; and tnat-Sgood resultr can oe o % rtainedtjt * n ^ f by mixing thetn - with - one or other jefti ^» i ^ nal breeds ^—ft fiict iqi pvpng ' tbat wi * t is truaof so-H ^ iediapec ^ Wiiaitifemmitl true of -nmetiesv undec a . BOfidtaed ! form . The same f lkeeum ^ ea ^ xftmjmi he-dbaecvabiftimtha mixtuse » of different races of men . , They . 'too ,-4 t-- £ | alleged ^ canBot . xBaiaitauv . themselves as separate varieties ; pufcicjyua Mt uwesa

      there is mtermarriage -woth we oxiginals . . In brief , ther ^ ate ! sundry ^ fi > dences pbinting to the conclusion , that the hybrids prod ! ttcedfroitt tW&mGi ferent iTW ^^ oforganisina iaay cEe mitt rfi * thefiirat ^ seeood ^ . tibord ^ IbtKrtft ^ fiUhjg ice . ^ generation , according as the oonsthnrtioaal difierukce- of : tho . raccaia greater or less . Now ? , . && « xperieiic « of the French ah « ej 3 ^ neda ¥ & ,, ah « roaquoted ,, seems to me * ta suggest-the rationale of these vanous results r . JPor m it be true tka ^ an , orcanisnv produced by two unlike organisms ig not , j mean between them , but a mixture of parts of the one with parts of ^ t&e other ; if it be true that thiese parts betoaging- to two diflerentsets ar *? of itecetmty imperfectly'c » -c > rd ) iiated and produce an aj ^ paratua in anparfect equtlibnnm ; then ; it bocotes . ntandfest that ^ iii proi ^ rttioi ^ . aa ^ the dinerencfi tatween the parent . ox < eauam » is tnceater or leasu . tioua unpexfectUMLof ^ co-ordi

      nation , and o £ organic eiouulbrium in the ofl&prmg will pe greater or leas . Whence it follows ,, that according to the degree of organic incongruity between the parents , we may have every gradation in tne offipritog man « eombtnattoit of parts so incongruous , that it-will not work at all , vp *» » vom " - binatioB complete enough to subsist peraaanenfery as a race . And this ,, at Jan as at ^ rjeaaKttappeaES v ' m ~ ymb what we find , in fast . Between ovganiiina widah f Aiifexing ia character , no intermediate organism ia possible ^ When the dip ference is less a'non-prolific hybrid is produced—an organism so badly coordinated as to be capable only of incomplete life . When the < WFei > emce is stHl leas , there results an organism , capable of reproducing itself , but not of bequeathing * to its offspring complete constitutions . And : as > the difference diminishes , the incompleteness of constitution i » longer and longer in making its appearance ; until w « come to the varieties of the souxq . species which diner so slightly that their offspring axe as permanent as themselves .

      Even in these , however , the organic equilibrium seems leas perfect , and more liable to be disturbed , as ifliistrated in the case I have quoted . Audi in connexion with this inference , it would be interesting ' to inquire whether there is not a general difference between the pure and the mixed conatxtm lions in respect to their power of maintaining the balance of vital function under disturbing conditions . Is it not a fact , that the pure breeds are hardier than the muted ones ? Are not the mixed ones , however , superior in size , less capable of resisting unfavourable influences—extremes or temperature , bad food , &c ? And is not the like true of mankind ? Returning from these speculations to the topic in hand , it is manifest that if there be any truth in , them they serve further to illustrate the general fact that the offspring of two organisms not identical in constitution , is a hetero * geneous uxijtturo of the two , and not a homogeneous mean between tfuun

      Untitled Article

      We siicraid do car utmost to encourage- the Beatitifui ^ for ttie 'CTsaful encourage itseliT —• Gobxkb . -

      Untitled Article

      May 13 , 1854 ] THE LEADER . 46 l

      Ikfittflllltf D&Iu W U«*4u

      Tfitzituh .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), May 13, 1854, page 451, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2038/page/17/