Luther Burbank

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WF I I IE

T R A I N I NG O F TH E
H U , AN P , ANT

,Y

L U T HE R , U R, AN ,

NE W Y OR ,
T H E C E NT URY C O .

3
1 9 07
Co p y righ t,
, 1 90 6 , 1 90 7 , b y

THE 5
DE V INNfE 1 7 5 35
AN D T O T H E

U NT O LD , ILLI O N S
U N D E R O T H E R S, I E S
TH E T R A I N I N G OF

H U , A N P , AN T
TH E T R A I NI N G O F TH E
H U , A N P , A NT

I
TH E MI N GLI N G O F RA CES
R I N G the course of many years of
D
U

investigation into the plant life


of the world creating new forms modi
, ,

f yin g old ones adapting others to new


,

conditions and blending still others I


, ,

have constantly been impress e d w i th


the similarity between the organization
and development of plant and human
life While I have never lost sight of
.

the p rinciple of the survival of the fit


test and all that it implies as an expl a
3
T R AI N I NG OF T H E HUMAN PLAN T
nation of the development and progress
of plant life I have come to f ind in the
,

crossing of species an d in selection ,

wisely directed a great and powerful


,

i nstr um ent for the transformation of


the vegetable kingdom along lines that
lead constantly upward The crossing .

of species is to me paramount Upo n .

it wisely directed and accompa nied by


,

a rigid selectio n of the best and as rigid


an exclusion of the poorest rests the ,

hope of all progress The mere cross


.

in g of species unaccompanied by s elec


,

t i on wise supervision intelligent care


, , ,

and the utmost patience is not likely to


,

r esult in marked good and may result


,

in vast harm Uno rgg iz ed effor t is


.

often most vicious i n its tendencies .

B efore passing to th e consideratio n


of the adaptatio n of th e prin ci pl e s of
4s
TH E M I N G LI N G OF RAC E S
plant culture and improvement i n a
more or less modified form to the h u
man being let me lay emphasis on the
,

opportunity now presented in the


United States for observing and if we ,

are wise aidin g in what I think it f ai r


,

to say is the grandest opportunity eve r


presented of developin g the finest ra ce
the world has ever known out of th e
vast min g ling of races brou ght here by
immi g ration .

By statistical abstract on immigr a


tion prepared by the Bureau of Stat is
,

tics o f the D epartment of C omm e rce


and L abor in Washington I fin d th a t
, , ,

in the year 1 9 04 , immigrants


came into the United States assigned ,

to more than fifty distinct nationaliti es .

I t will be worth while to look careful l y


at this list I t shows how wid e ly sepa
.

5
T R A I NI N G OF T HE H U M A N PL A N T
r ated geographically as w ell a s ethn o
,

logically is the mat erial from wh i ch we


,

a re drawi ng i n th is colo ssa l e xam p l e of


th e crossi n g of s p ec i e s :
A ustria H ungary in cl u d
-
,

ing , o h emia H ungary


, ,

an d o t h er A ustria sav e
P ol an d
, el gium
D enmar k
F ran c e
G erman y
,,ree c e
I ta ly
N et h er l an d s
N o rwa y
P ol an d
R umania
R ussi a
Sp ain
S we d en
S wi t z er l an d
C arrie d f o r war d
TH E MI NGLI NG O F RAC E S
, r o ugh t f o r war d
T ur k ey in E ur op e
E ng l an d
I re l an d 42
Sco tl an d
W a l es
E ur op e n o t s p e c i fie d 1 43

To ta l E ur op e
, ritis h N o rt h A meri c a
, e x i co
C entra l A meri c a 714
W est I n d ies an d , igue lo n
So ut h A meri c a
To tal A meri c a

C hi na

O th er A sia

To ta l A si a
To ta l O c eania
To ta l A f ri c a
A ll o t h er co untries

To tal I mmigrants 7
I n cl u d es S ervia , ul garia an d , o ntenegr o
, , .
T RAI NI N G O F T HE HUMAN PLAN T
St u dy th i s l i st from any point of
V i ew
. Wher e has there been found a
broad e r opportunity for the work i ng
out of these underlying pri nciples ,

Some of these immigrants will mate


w i th others of their own class n otably
,

the , ews thus not markedly changin g


,

the current ; many will unite wi th others


of allied speech ; still others marry i nto
races wholly di f feren t from the i r own ,

while a f a r smaller number wi ll perhap s


fi n d u n io n wi th what w e may call nat i v e
s t ock .

B ut wa i t un ti l two d e cad e s h ave


p a s sed un t i l ther e are ch i ldren of age
,

to wed an d then s ee u n d e r the chan ged


, ,

cond i tio n s how wide s pre ad w i ll be the


,

mingling So from the first the for


.

eign na ti o n s have b een pou ri ng i nto this

cou n try a n d tak in g t h eir par t in thi s


vast blend in g .
N ow j ust as the plant breede r
, al

ways notices sudden changes and


breaks as well as many minor m o difi
,

cations when he j oins two or more


,

plants of diverse type from widely sep


a r a t e d quarters of the g lobe —some ,

t i mes merging an absolutely wild strain


with one that long over —civilized has
, ,


largely lost virility and j ust as he
,

finds among the descendants a plant


which is likely to be stronger and bett e r
than either ancestor so may we notice
,

co n stant changes and breaks and modi


fi ca tio n s going on about us in this vast
combinat i on of races and so may w e ,

h 0 pe for a far stronger and better race


if ri ght principles are followed a mag ,

n ifi cen t race far superior to any pre


,

ceding it L oo k at the material on


.

which to draw , H ere is the N orth ,

powerful virile aggress i ve blended


, , ,

9
T RAI NI NG OF T H E HUM A N PLAN T
wi th th e luxurious ease lov in g more
,
-
,

i mpetuous S outh A ga i n you have the


.

merging of a cold phlegmatic tempera


ment w i th one m e rcurial and volati le .

Still again th e u n ion of great native


mental streng th developed or und evel
,

O ped with bodily vigor but w i th i nfer


, ,

i or mind See too what a vas t num


.
, ,

ber of env i ronmental influences have


be e n at work in social relations i n cli ,

mate in phys i cal surroundings A long


, .

with this we must observe the merging


of the v i c i ous w i th the good the good
,

with the good the v i cious with the


,

vic i ous.

10
II

TH E T E A C HING S OF N A T URE

E are mor e cros s ed than any


b N other nation in the history of
the world and here we m e et the same
,

results that are always seen in a much


crossed race of plants : all the worst as
well as all the best qualities of each are
brought out in their fullest intensities .

Ri ght here i s wh e re selective env i ron


ment counts When all the necessary
.

crossing has been done then comes the


,

work of elimination the work of r efin


,

ing until we shall get an ultimate prod


,

u c t that should be the finest race ever

known The best characteristics of the


.

11
T R A I NI NG OF T HE HUMAN PL A N T
many peoples that make up this nation
w i ll show in the com p osite : the finish e d
product w i ll be the race of the fut u re .

I n my work w i th plants and f lowers I


i ntroduc e color her e shape there s i ze o r
, ,

perfume accord i ng to the product de


,

sired I n such proc e sses the t eachings


.

of nature a re followed I ts great forces.

only are em p loyed All that has bee n


.

do n e for pla nt s a n d f lowers by crossing ,

nature has already accomplish e d for the


Amer i c a n people By the cross i ngs of
.

types s t rength has in one instanc e be en


,

secured ; in a n oth e r i ntellectuality ; in


,

still another moral force N ature


, .

alo n e has do ne th i s The work of .

ma n s head and hands has n ot yet be e n


s ummo n ed to pre scri be for the develop


me n t of a r a ce S o far a p reconceived
.

a n d m appe d o u t cross in g of bloods


-

12
T RAI NI N G OF T HE HUMAN PL A N T
A ll an i mal l i fe i s sensit i ve to enviro n
m e nt but of all living things the child is
,

the most sensitive Surroundings act


.

upon it as the outside world acts upo n


the plate of the cam era E very poss i .

ble influence wi ll l e ave its i mpress upo n


the child a n d the tra i ts wh i ch i t in
,

h er ited w i ll be ov e rcome to a ce r t ain


e x tent i n many cases being e v en mo re
,

appar e nt than heredity The child i s .

like a cut diamond its many facets r e


,

c eivin g sh a rp clear impressions not p os


,

sibl e t o a pebble with this di f ference


,

however that the change wrought i n the


,

child from the influences without b e


comes const i tutional and ingrained A .

child absorbs en vi ronmen t I t is the .

most susceptible thing i n the world to


influence and if that force be applied
,

r ightly and co n s t antly when the child is


1 4«
T H E TE ACHI NG S OF NAT UR E
i n its most receptive condition the effect ,

w i ll be pro n ou n c e d i mmediate and


, ,

perman en t .

Where shall we beg in , ust where


,

we begin with the plant at the very b e


,

ginning I t has been said that the way


.

to reform a man i s to begin with his


grandfather But this is only a half
.

truth ; begin with his grandfather but ,

be g in with the grandfather when he is a


child I find the following quoted
.

from the great kindergartner F roebel :

T h e task o f e d u c ati o n is t o assist natura l


d e v elop ment t owar d its d estine d en d .

,
A s t h e b eginning gi v es a b ias t o t h e wh ol e
a f ter d ev elop ment s o t h e ear l y b eginnings o f
,

e d u c ati o n are o f m o s t im po rtan c e


.

While recognizing the good that has


bee n accomplish e d in the ea rly k in der
15
T RAI NI NG OF T H E HUMAN P LAN T
garten trai ning of children I must en ,

ter a mos t earn e st protest against


beg i nning education as we commonly,

use the word at the kindergarten a g e


, .

N o boy or girl should see the i nside of a


school house until at least ten years old
-
.

I am speaking n ow of the boy or g i rl


who can be reared i n theonly place that
is t ruly fit to bring up a boy or a plan t
the country the small town or th e
,

country the nearer to n ature the better


, .

In the case of children born i n the c i ty


and compelled to live there the t em pt a
,

tions a re so great the life so artificial


, ,

t he atmosphere so like that of the hot


house that the child must be placed in
,

school earlier as a matt e r of safeguard


ing.

B ut some one asks H ow can you ever


, ,

exp e ct a boy t o graduate from college


16
T HE TE ACHI NG S OF NA T UR E
or university i f his education does not
begin until he is ten years of ag e H e
,

will be far too old .

F irst I answer that the curse of mod


ern child life in America is over educa
- -

tion F or the first ten years of this the


.
,

most sensitive an d delicate the most pli ,

able life i n the world I would prepare ,

it The properly prepared child will


.

make such progress that the di f ferenc e


in time of graduation is not likely to b e
noticeable but even if it should be a year
,

or two later what real difference would


,

it make D o we expect a normal plan t


,

to begin bearing fruit a few weeks after


it i s born I t must have tim e ample
,
,

time to be prepared for the work before


,

it Above all else the child must b e a


.
,

healthy animal I do not work wi th


.

d i seased pl ants They do n ot c ur e


.

2 17
III

DI FF E RE N T IAT I O N I N TR AI N I N G
W I S H to lay special stress upon the
absurdity not to call it by a harsher
,

term of running childre n throu gh the


,

sam e mill in a lot with absolut ely no


,

real reference to their individuality N 0 .

two children ar e alike You cannot.

expect them to d evelop alike They .

a r e different in temperament in tastes


, ,

i n disposition i n capabilities and ye t


, ,

we take them i n this precious early ag e ,

when they ought to be living a life of


prepa ration near to the heart of nature ,

and w e stu f f them cr a m them and


, ,

ov e rwork them unti l their poor little


19
T R A I NI N G OF T H E HUM A N PLAN T
brains are crowded up to and beyond
the danger line The work of breaking
-
.

down the nervous systems of the chil


dren of the United States is now w ell
under way I t is only when some o n e
.

breaks absolutely away from all prece


dent and rule and carves out a new place
i n the world that any substantial prog
ress is ever made and seldom i s this
,

done by one whose individuality has


been stifled in the schools S o it is im
.

p er a t iv e that we consider i nd i v i duality


in children in their training precisely as
we do in cultivating plants Some chil .

dren for example are absolutely unfit


, ,

by nature and temperament for carry


ing o n certain studies Take certain
.

young girls for example bright in


, ,

many ways but un fitt ed by nature and


,

bent a t this early age at least for th e


, ,

20
T R A I NI N G O F T HE H U M A N PL A N T
foot boy with all that i mplies for physi
cal stamina but should have him reared
,

i n love But you say H ow can you


.
,

e x p e c t all children to be r eared i n love ,

By w orking with vas t patience upo n the


great body of the people this gr e at ,

mingling of races to teach such of th e m


,

as do not love their children to love


them to surround them with all th e in
,

fluen ces of lov e . Th i s will not b e u ni


v er sall
y accompl i shed t o d a y or
-
t o mor -

ro w an d i t may n eed centuri es ; but if


,

w e are ever to advance and to have this


h i gh e r r ace n ow is the time to begin the
,

work this very day I t is the part of


, .

eve ry human being who comprehends


the importa n ce of this to bend all his
energies toward the same end L ove .

mus t be at the basis of all our work for


the race ; not gu sh not m ere sentim en
,

22
D I FF E R E N T IA T I O N IN T RAI NI N G
tality but abidin g love that which out
, ,

lasts death A man who hates plants


.
,

or is neglectful of them or who has ,

other i nterests beyond them could no ,

more be a successful plant cultivator -

than he could turn back the tides of the


ocean with his fi n ger tips The thin g -
.

is utterly impossible You can never .

bring up a child to its best estate with


out love .

,E H O N E ST W IT H TH E C H ILD

T N again in the successful cultiva


H E , ,

tion of plants there must be absolute


honesty I mean this in no fanciful
.

way but in the most practical and mat


,

ter o f fact fashion You cannot a t


- -
.

tempt to deceive nature or thwart her or


be dishon e st with her in any particul a r
23
T R A I NI N G OF TH E HUMAN PL A N T
withou t her know i ng i t wi thout th e
,

consequences com i ng back u p o n your


own he a d B e ho n est w i th you r child
. .

D o no t g i ve him a col t for h is ve ry o wn ,

a nd the n whe n it is a three y e ar old sell


,
- -
,

i t and pocket the proceeds I t does n o t.

provoke a tendency in childre n to fol


low the G olden R ule and seldo m en
,

ha n c e s the i r admiratio n and res pe c t for


you I t is not sound bu s i n ess pol i cy o r
.

fai r tr eat me n t ; it i s not honest Bear .

i n m i nd that th i s child life in thes e fir st


-

t e n y e ars is the most sensit i ve th i ng i n


the world ; n ever los e sight of th at .

C h i ldre n r e s pond t o ten thousand subtl e


i nflu en ce s wh i ch would leave no more
i mp ress i o n upo n a plant th a n they
w ould upon the Sphi nx V astly more
.

sen s i tiv e i s i t than the mo st se nsi tiv e


plan t Th i nk of bein g disho ne st with it ,
.

2 4:
D I F F E R E NT IA T I O N IN T R AI N I N G
H ere let me say that the wave of
public dishonesty which seems to be
sweeping up over this country is chiefly

due to a lack of proper trainin g breed
ing if you will — in the formative years
,

of life B e dishonest with a child


.
,

whether it is your child or some other



person s child dishonest in word or

look or deed and you have started a


,

grafter G rafting or stealing for


.
, ,

that is the better word — will never be


,

taken up by a man whose formative


years have been spent in an atmosphere
of absolute honesty N or can you be
.

dishonest with your child in thou ght .

The child reads your motives as no other


h uman being reads them H e sees into .

your o wn heart The child is the


.

purest truest thing in the world I t is


, .

a bso lute t ru th : that s why w e love chil



T R A I N I N G OF T HE H U MAN PLAN T
dren They know i nstinctively whethe r
.

you ar e true or dishone st w ith them i n


though t a s well as i n de e d ; you cann ot
escape i t The child may not always
.

show its knowledg e but its j udgment ,

of you i s unerring I t s life i s stainless


.
,

open to rec e ive all i mpr e ssions j ust as ,

i s the life of the plant only far more pli ,

a n t and respons i ve to i nfluences and ,

to i nfluences to which no pla n t i s capa


ble of be i ng re s ponsive U pon the ch i ld .

before the age of t en we have an unpar


a ll el ed opportunity to work ; for no

w her e e ls e i s there mate ri al so plast i c .

T RA I T S IN P LA N T S AN D , OY S

TE A C H the child self respect ; train it i n


-

self respect j ust as you train a plant


-
,

i nto b e tter ways N o self respecting


.
-

26
D I FF E R E N T IA T I O N IN T R AI N I NG
man was ever a grafter M ake the boy
.

understand what money means too , ,

what its value and importance D o not .

deal it out to him lavishly but teach ,

him t o account for it I nstil better .

things into him j ust as a plant breede r


,
-

puts better characteristics into a plant .

Above all bear in mind repetition repe


, ,

t i tion the use of an influence over an d


,

over again , eeping everlastingly at


.


it this is what fixes traits in plants the
,

constant repetition of an influence until


at last it is irrevocably fixed and wi ll n ot
chan g e You cannot a ff ord to get dis
.

co ur a ged You are dealing w i th some


.

thing far more precious tha n any p la n t


the pr i celess soul of a child .
T RAI NI N G OF T HE HUMAN PLA NT

, E E P OU T F E AR

AN D , ag a i n keep fe ar out th at th e ch i ld
,

may grow up to the e n d of the first ten


year per i od and not learn what physical
fear i s L et h i m alone for that if he i s
.
,

a healthy normal child ; he will find i t


and profit by it But kee p out all fea r
.

of the brutal things men have taught


childre n about the future I believe .

em p hatically i n religion G od made .

religion and man made theology j ust


, ,

as G od made th e country and ma n ,

made the town I have the larges t


.

sympathy for relig i on and the largest ,

contempt I am capable of for a mislead


ing theology D o not feed ch i ldren on
.

maudlin sentiment al i sm or dogmati c


re l i gion ; g i ve th e m na ture Le t the i r .

28
IV

S UN S HI NE G OO D AI R AND
,

N O URI S HI N G FOO D
cannot carry a gre at plan t
E

br ee din g test to a success f ul


c ul mination at the end of a long period
of y e ars without three things among ,

m a ny oth e rs that are absolutely essen


,

tial —sunsh i ne good a ir a nd n our ish


, ,

i ng food .

SU N S H I N E

T A, the first both in its literal and


E ,


figurative sense sunshine Surround .

the children with every poss i ble cheer .

30
S U NS H I NE
I do not mean t o pamper th e m t o m ak e ,

them weak ; they need the winds j ust as ,

the plants do to strengthen them and


,

to make them self reliant I f you want


-
.

your child to grow up into a sane nor ,

mal man a g ood citizen a support of


, ,

the state you must keep him in the sun


shine , eep him happy You can
. .

not do this if you have a sour face your


self Smiles and lau ghter cost nothin g
. .

C ostly clothing too fine to stand the


,

wear and tear of a tramp in the woods


or sliding down a haystack or a cellar
door are a dead weight upon your ch i ld
, .

I believe in g ood clothes good stron g ,

serviceable clothes for young chil



dren clothes that fit and look well ; for
they tend to mental stren g th to self ,

respect But there are thousands of


.

pa rents who n ot havi ng studied th e tre


,

31
T RAI NI NG OF T H E HUMAN PLAN T
m en dons p robl e ms of e nv i ro n me n tal
surroundings and having no c on c ep
,

tion of the influence of thes e surround


in g s fail to recognize the fact that
,

either an over dressed or a poorly


-

dressed child is handicapped .

D o not be cross with the child ; you


cannot a f ford it I f you are cul tivat
.

ing a plant developing it into some


,

thing finer and nobler you must love it , ,

not hate it ; be gentle with i t not abu ,

sive ; be firm never harsh I give the


, .

plants upon which I am at work in a


test whether a single one or a hundred
,

thousand the best possible env i ron


,

ment S o should it be with a child if


.
,

you want to develop it in right ways .

L et the children have music let them ,

have pictures let them have laughter


, ,

l e t them hav e a good time ; not an idle


32
S UN S HI N E
time but one full of cheerful occupa
,

tion Surroun d them with all the beau


.

tiful things you can P lants should be


.

given sun and air and the blue sky ; give


them to your boys and g irls I do not .

mean for a day or a month but for all ,

the years We cannot treat a plant


.

tenderly one day and harshly the next ;


they cannot stand it R emember that
.

y o u are training not only for to d ay ,

but for all the future for all posterity


, .

F RE S H AI R

To develop indoors under glass a r ace


, ,

of men and women of the type that I


bel i eve is com i ng out of all this marvel
ous mingling of races in the United
States is i mm easurably absurd There .

must be sunli ght but even more is


,

33
T R A I NI N G OF T HE HUMAN PLAN T
n eeded fresh p ur e a i r Th e i nj ury
, , .

w rought to day to the r a c e by k e epi n g


-

too young children indoors at s chool is


beyond the power of any one to e sti
mate The air they bre ath e even und e r
.

the best sanitary regulations i s f a r too


impur e for th eir lu n gs O ften it is p os
.

it iv el y poisonous —a slow poiso n which


nev e r makes i t self fully manifest until
th e ch i ld i s a wr e ck , e ep th e child
.

outdoors a n d away from book s a n d


study M uch you can teach h i m much
.
,

he will teach h i mself all gently without ,

knowing i t of n ature and nature s G od


,

j us t as the child i s taught to walk or run


or play ; but educ at i on in the academic
sens e sh un as you would the plague .

A n d the atmosphere mu st be pu re
a ro un d it in the other sense It mus t .

be fre e from e very k i nd of i ndel i cacy


34
FRESH AI R

o r co ar s eness The most dangerous


.

man in the commun ity is the one who


would pollute the stream of a child s ’

life Whoever was responsible for the


.

saying that boys will be boys and a


, ,

young man must sow his w i ld o ats


, ,

was pe rhaps gu i lty of a crim e .

N O U R I SH I N G F OOD

IT i s impossible to apply succe s sfully


the principles of cultivation and selec
tio n of plants to human life if th e h u
man life does n ot like the plant life
, ,

have proper nourishment F i rst of all .


,

the child s digestion must be made


sound by sufficient simple w ell bal , ,


-

an c ed food But you say any one


.
, ,

should know this True and mos t pe o


.
,

pl e do reali ze i t in a ce rtai n se nse ; bu t


35
T R A I NI NG OF TH E HUMAN PL A N T
how many realiz e that upon the food the
child i s fed in these first te n years
largely depends its moral futur e I ,

once lived near a class of peopl e who ,

from religious belief e x cluded all meat , ,

eggs and milk from the diet ary of thei r


,

children They fed them vegetabl es


.

and the product of cereals What r e .

sult followed , The children were ane


mic unable to withstand disease
, ,

quickly succumbed to illness Ther e .

w er e n o si g ns of vigor ; they were al


w ays low in vitality But that was not .

all They were frightfully depraved


. .

They were not properly fed ; their r a


tio n was unbalanced N ature r e .
1

1 The req uest has oft en com e t o m e t o state hat I W

t h o ught a we ll b al an c e d food es p e c ially fo r c hi l


-

d ren W all nee d food whi c h suppl ies the e l e m en t s of


. e

g wth an d p i an d ll bo th old an d yo ung m ust a l s o


r o r e a r a , ,

have food s whi c h y ie ld w m th an d gy ar Near ly ll en er . a

food s co ntain b oth these el e m ents th o ugh in greatly


36
T RAI N I NG OF T H E HUM A N PL A N T
a not anything abn or
sp l en did n or m ,

mal So w e feed it from the soil and


.
,

it feeds from the air by the aid of sun


light and thus we make it a powerful
aid to m a n I t is depende n t upon good
.

food U pon good food for the child


.
,

well balanced food depends good d i


-
,

gestion ; upon good digestion wi th pure ,

a i r to keep the blood pure depends the


,

nervous system I f you have the first


.

t e n years of a boy s or a girl s life in


’ ’

which to make them strong and sturdy


w i th n ormal n e rves splendid digestio n
, ,

a n d unimpa i red lungs you have a


,

healthy an i mal ready for the heav ie r


,

burdens of study P re s erv e beyond all


.

else as the pricel e ss portion of a child


the integrity of the n e rvous system .

U pon this depends their succe s s in life .

With th e nerv ous syst e m sh a tter ed ,

38
TH E N E R V O U S S Y STE M
what is life worth , S u ppose you b e gin
th e education so call e d of you r child
,
-
,

at say thre e or four i f he be unusual lV


, , ,

bright in the ki n dergarte n , eep .

adding slowly and systematically with ,

what I think the devil must enj oy a s a


refined mean s of torment to th e bur ,

de n day by day , ee p o n educ ating


.
, ,

him until he enters the primary school


at five and push him to the utt e rmost
,

until he is ten You have now laid


.

broad and deep the fou n da tion ; out


raged nature may be left to t ake car e
of the re st .

The i nt egri ty of your ch i ld s ne rv ou s’

sys t em no matte r what a ny so c alled


,
-

educator may s ay i s thus i mpai red ; he


,

can neve r again be wh at he would have


b een had you t aken h i m as th e plant
culti v at or takes a pl ant and for th e s e
,

39
T R A I NI NG OF T HE HUMAN PL A N T
first ten precious years of his life had
fitted him for the future N othing else .

i s doing so much to break down the ner


vous systems of Americans not even ,

the i nsane rushing of maturer years as ,

this over crowding and cramming of


-

child life before the age of ten An d


-
.

the mad haste of maturer years is the


leg i timate result of the earli e r str ai n .

N E I T H E R P LA N T N OR C H ILD TO ,E

OVE RF E D

N OR should the child any mor e than the


,

plant be overfed but more especially


, ,

should not be given an unbalanced r a


tion What happens when we overfeed
.

,
a plant especially an unbalanced ration
,

I ts root system its leaf system its


, ,

trun k its whole body is impaired I t


, ,
.

40
O V E R F E E DI NG
becom e s e n gorged F ollowing this
.
,

comes devitalization I t is open to at


.

tacks o f disease I t will easily be as


.

sailed by fungous diseases and insect


p ests I t rapidly and abnormally
.

grows onward to its death So with a .

child you can easily over feed it on an -

un balanced ration and the result will be


,

as disastrous as in the case of the plant .

The effect of such an unbalanced ration


as that fed to the children in th e com
munity I h ave ref e rred to w as to
shorten life ; they developed prema
tur el y and died early
, .

A gain some one says But how can ,


,

the very poor feed their children plenty


of nutritious food ,
I answer that the nation must pro
teet itself I mean by this that it is im
er a tiv e in order that the nation may
p ,

41
T RAI NI NG OF T H E HUMAN PLAN T
ris e to its full powers and accompl i sh i ts
destiny that the people who compri se
,

this nat i o n must be normal phys i cally .

It i s imperative i n order that the nati on


,

be normal that the plants of the nation


,

from wh i ch it derives its life and w i th


out which the nation dies must be soun d .

All h um a n li fe is absolutely dependent


upon plant life I f the plant life be in
.

any measur e lowered through lack of


nour i shment with the inev i table lack of
,

ability to produce the best results th e ,

nation sufl er s To the exten t that any


.

p ortion of the people are physically


me n t a lly or morally un fit to that ex
,

tent the nati on is weakened .

D o not misunderstand me : I am not


a dvocating paternalism i n a ny s e nse ;
far from it But i s n ot the human race
.

worth as much care as the orchards the ,

42
P R O P E R N O UR I S HM E N T
farms the cattl e ran ge s I would so
,
- ,

work upon this great blendi n g of rac e s ,

upon each individual factor i n it that ,

each factor should be called upon to do


its very best be compelled to do its very
,

b e st if i t was shirking responsibility


, .

But in any great nation there must b e a


large num ber who can n ot do their best ,

if I may use a contrad i ctory term who ,

do not s e em able to rise to their o ppo r


tun ities and their possibilities A lready .

you may see in our larger cities e f forts


i n a small way to help feed the very
poor I t ca n be done n at i onally as well
.

as mun i c ip ally and it can be done so


,

that no loss of self respect will follow


-
,

n o encouragement an d foste ring of pov


er t
y or laziness .

Then too there are the orphan s and


, ,

th e waifs ; th e se must be t ak en int o a c


43
T R A I NI NG OF TH E HUMAN PLAN T
count They must hav e wi se sane
.
, ,

co nsistent state aid I am opposed to


all sectarian aid I would do away w i th
.

all asylums of all types for the indigent


un der sectarian or private control The .

nation or the commonwealth should


, ,

take care of the unfortunate I t must .

do this in a broad and liberal and sane


manner if we are ever to accomplish the
,

end sought to make this nation r i se to


,

i ts possibilities O nly through the na


.

tion or State can this work be do ne


, , .

I t must b e don e for self p rotection -


.

44
T R A I NI N G O F TH E HUM A N PLAN T
b oy and g i rl bo rn i n the Un ited States

duri ng the n e xt thirt y years should be


kep t i n a n atmosphere of cri me to the
age of ten The result would be too
.

app alling to contem p late A s they .

came to adult years vice would b e ram ,

pant crime would go unpunish e d all


, ,

ev i l would thri v e the n atio n would be


,

destroyed N ow t o the e xt ent th at we


.
,

leav e th e children of th e poor and these


oth er unfort unat es waifs and found ,
-

lings —to th e mselves and their ev i l sur


,

r oundings to th a t e x te nt we bree d peri l


,

fo r ourselve s .

The only w ay to obv i ate this is ab so


l utel y to cu t loose from all pr e c e d e nt
a nd begin systematic State and N a
t io n al aid not next year or a decade
, ,

from now but to day Begi n t ra ining


,
-
.

th e se outcasts begin the cult i vation of


,

46
DANG E R S
th e m if you will much as we cultivate
, ,

the plan t s in order that their lives may


,

be turned into right ways in order that ,

the integri ty of the state may be mai n


t ain ed R ightly cultiv a ted thes e chil
.
,

dre n m a y be made a blessing to the


race ; trained in the wrong way or neg ,

l ec ted entirely they w i ll b e come a curs e


,

to the stat e .

E N V IRO N , E NT

L ET us b rin g the applica t ion still nea r e r


home .

There is n ot a sin gle d e sirable attr i


but e which lacking in a plant may not
, ,

be bred into it C hoose what improve


.

ment you w i sh i n a flower a fruit or a , ,

tre e and by cross i ng selection cultiva


, , ,

ti o n an d persis t ence you can fi x th is d e


,

47
T RAI NI N G OF T H E HUM A N PLAN T
s i rable trait i rrevocably P ick out any.

trait you want in your child granted ,

that he is a normal child I shall speak ,


of the abn o rmal later b e it honesty ,

fairness purity lovableness industry


, , , ,

thrift wha t not B y surrounding this


, .

child with sunshine from the sky and


your own heart by givi ng the closest
,

comm union with nature by feeding ,

this child well balanced nutritious


-
,

food by giving it all that is implied i n


,

healthful environmental influence s a n d ,

by doing all in love you can thus culti


,

vate in the child and fix there for all its


life all of these traits N aturally not a l
.

ways to the full in all cases at the begin


ning of the work for heredity will make
,

itself felt first and as in the plant un


, ,

der improvement there will be certain


,

strong tendencies to revers i on to former


48
DA N G E R S
ancestral traits ; but in the m ain with
, ,

the normal child you can give him all


,

these traits by patiently persistently , ,

guiding him in these ea rly formative


years .

And on the other side give him foul


, ,

air to breathe keep him in a dusty f a c


,

tory or an unwholesome school room or -

a crowded tenement up under the hot


roof keep him away from the sunshine ,

take away from him music and lau ghter


and happy faces ; cram his little brains
with so called knowledge all the more
-
,

deceptive and dangerous because made


so apparently adaptable to his young
mind ; let him have vicious associates in
his hours out of school and at the age ,

of ten you have fixed in him the oppo


site traits H e is O n his way to the gal
.

lows You have perhaps seen a prairie


.

49
T RAI NI NG OF T H E HUMAN PLAN T
fire sweep through the tall grass across
a plain N othing can stand before it
.
,

it must burn itself out That is what .

happens whe n you let the w e eds grow


up in a child s life and then set fire t o

th e m by w rong environm ent .

TH E A , N O R , AL

, some one asks What will you do


U T, ,

wi th those who are abnormal , F irst I ,

must repeat that the end will not be


reached at a bound I t will take years
.
,

centur ie s perhaps to erect on this great


, ,

foundat i o n we now have in America the


structure which I believe is to be built .

So we must begin to day in our own -

commonwealth i n our own city or town


, ,

in our ow n family with ou r s e lv e s , .

H ere appears a child pl a inly no t n or


50
DANG E R S
mal what shall we do with him
, Shall ,

we as some hav e advocated even from


, ,

Spar ta n days hold that th e weaklings


,

should be destroyed N o I n culti


,

v a t in g plant life w hile w e destroy much


,

that is unfit we are constantly on the


,

lookout for what has been call e d the ab


normal that wh i ch springs apart in new
,

lines H ow many plants are there in


.

the world to day that were not in one


-

sense on ce abnormalities , N o ; i t is the


influence of cultivation of s election of , ,

surroundings of env i ro nment that


, ,

makes the chang e from the ab n ormal


to the normal F rom the children we
.

are led to call abnormal may come um ,

der w i se culti vati on and training splen ,

did n ormal n ature s A gre at forc e is


.

sometimes needed to change the aspect


of m i ne r als an d m e tals P owe rful .

51
T RAI NI NG OF T H E HUM A N PLAN T
acids great h e at electri city m ech ani
, , ,

cal force or some such i nflu en ce m ust


, ,

be brought to b e a r upon them L es s .

p otent influ e nces will work a complete


change i n plant life M ild heat s un
-
.
,

shine the atmosphere and greatly di


, ,

luted chemicals will all directly a f fect


,

the growth of the plant and th e produc


tion of fruits and flowers A n d when .

w e come to animal life especially in ,

man we find that the force or influence


,

n ecessary to a f fect a transformation is


extremely slight This is why environ
.

ment plays such an import ant part in


the development of man .

I n child reari ng environment i s


-
,

equally essential with heredity M ind .

you I do not say that heredity is of no


,

consequence I t i s the great factor


.
,

and often makes envir o m n ent almost


52
T RAI NI NG O F T H E HUMA N PLAN T

TH E P H Y S I C ALLY W E A,

SO a lso of th e p hys i cally we a k I h av e


a plant in wh i ch I se e wond e rful possi
bil it ies but it is w e ak
, Sim p ly because
.

i t i s w e ak do I b e com e d i scouraged and


say it can never be made strong that i t ,

w ould better be destroyed , N ot at all ;


it may possess other qualities of super l a
t i v e v a lue E ven if it never becomes
.

as robust as its fellows it may have a,

tremendous influence Because a child


.

is a weakling should i t be put out of the


,

way , Such a principle i s monstrous .

L ook over the long line of the great


me n of the world those who have
,

changed history and made history ,

those who have helped the race


upward —poets painters state sm en
, , , ,

54
DAN GE R S
sci e nt i sts leaders of thought i n ev e ry
,

department —and you wi ll find that


,

many of them have been phys


ic a lly weak N o the theory of th e an
.
,

c ien t s that the good of the state de

m an ded the elimination of the phy s i


cally weak was perhaps unwise What
, , .

we should do is to strengthen the weak ,

cultivate them as we cultivate plants ,

build them up make them the very best


,

they are capable of becomi n g .

TH E , E N T ALLY DE F E C T IVE

, UT wi th those who are m en tally def ec



tive ah here i s the hardest question of
,

a l l l—what shall be done with them ,

A ppar e ntly fatally defici e n t can they ,

ever be other than a burden , In the


c as e of p lants in which all te n d en c i es are
55
T R A I NI N G O F T HE HUM A N PL A N T
absolutely v i c i ous there is only on e

course they must be destroyed I n .

the case of human beings in whom the


light of reason does not burn those ,

who apparently can never be other


, ,

than a burden shall they be eliminated


,

from the race , G o to the mother of an


imbecile child and get your answer .

N o ; here the analogy must cease I .

shall not say that in the ideal state gen


eral citizenship would not gai n by the
absence of such classes but where is the
,

man who would deal with such Spartan


rigor with the race B esides all this
,
,

in the light of the great progress now


being made in medical and surgical
skill who shall say what now appar
,

ently i mpossible cures may not be ef


f ec t e d
But it is as clear as sunlight that here ,

56
DANG E R S
a s in the case of plants constant cul t i
,

vation and selection will do away with


all this so that in the g rander race of
,

the future the se defectives will have b e


come permanently eliminated from the
race heredity F or these helpless um
.

fortunates as with those who are merely


,

unfortunate from environment , I


should enlist the best and broadest state
VI

MARRIAG E OF TH E PH Y S I C ALLY UN F I T
T would i f possible be best ab so
, ,
,

l utel y to prohibit i n eve r y St ate in


th e Un i on the marr i age of the physi
cally m en tally an d morally unfit I f w e
, .

take a p lan t which w e recog ni z e as poi


so n ou s and cross i t with another which i s

n o t p o i sonous and thus make the whole


some p lant evil so that it menaces all
,

who come i n contact with it this i s cri m


,

in a l en ough But suppose we blend to


.

geth e r two poisonous pla nts and make


a third e v e n more virulent a veget able
,

degen e rate and set th ei r evil desce n d


,

an t s adrift t o multi ply ov e r th e earth ,

58
TEN G E N E R AT I O N S
as th e appl i catio n of the p ri nciples I
have b e en speaking of are concern e d ,

though not by any means removed from


the general influence s of the state L et .

th e m have if you will ideal condit i ons


, ,

for working out these principles a n d ,

let them be solemnly bound to the de


v el o m ent
p of these princ ip les —what
can be done ,

In plant cultivati on under norm a l ,

co n ditions from six to ten gen e rations


,

a re generally sufficient to fix the de


sc en d a n t s of the parent plant s i n th ei r

n e w ways Suff icient time i n all cases


.

must elaps e so that the descendants will


not revert to som e former condition of
inef ficiency When once stability is se
.

cured usually as indicated in from six


, , ,

to te n g enerations the plant may then


,

be counted upon to go forward i n its


61
T RAI NI NG O F TH E HUMAN PLAN T
new life as though the old lives of i ts
ancestors had n ever been This among
.
,

plants w ill be by the end of from five


,

to ten generatio n s varying a ccording


,

to the plant s charac t er —its pl i ab i lity


or stubbornness I do not s ay that lack


.

of car e a n d nourishm en t thereafter wi ll


not have a demoralizing influenc e fo r ,

n o power ca n prevent a plant from b e


coming again part wild if left to i t s elf
through many generations but even ,

here i t wi ll probably become wild along


the lines of i ts new life not by any ,

me an s ne cessarily along ancestral lines .

I f then w e could have thes e twelve


, ,

families u n der ideal conditions where


these principles could be carr i ed ou t un
swer vin gl y we could accomplish more
,

for the race i n te n generat i ons than c an


n o w b e a ccompli shed in a h un dre d tho u
62
T R A I NI N G O F T HE H U MAN PL A N T

TH E PE R SO N AL E LE , E NT

, UT some one says You fail to take ,

i nto account the personal eleme n t the ,

sovereign will of the human be i ng its ,

p ower of dete r m i ning for itself .

B y no means ; I give full we i ght to


th i s But the mos t stubborn and w i lful
.

nature in the world is not that of a


child I have dealt with millions of
.

p lants have worked with them for


,

many years have studied them with the


,

deepest interest from all sides of their


l i ves The most stubborn living thing
.

i n th i s world the most difficult to ,

swerve is a plant once fixed in certain


,


habits habits which have been i ntensi
fi ed and have been g rowin g stronger
and stronger upon it by repetition
64
P E R S O N AL E L E M E N T
through thousands and thousands of
years R emember that this plant has
.

preserv e d its individuality all through


the ages ; perhaps it is one which can be
traced backward through eons of tim e
i n the very rocks themselves neve r hav ,

ing varied to any great extent in all


thes e vast periods D O you suppose
.
,

after all these ages of repetition th e ,

plant does not become possessed of a


will if you so choose to call it of unpar
, ,

a ll el ed tenacity , I ndeed there ar e ,

plants like c e rtain of the palms so p er


, ,

sistent that no human power has yet


bee n able to change them The human .

will i s a weak thing beside the will of a


plant But see how this whole plant s
.

lifelong stubbornness is broken simply


by blending a new life with it making , ,

by crossing a complete and powerful


,

5 65
T R A I NI NG O F T HE H U MAN PL A N T
chan g e in i ts life The n whe n the bre ak
.

com es fix i t by th es e generatio n s of p a
,

t ient su per vis i o n an d selec t ion and the


,

new plant s et s out u p on i ts n ew wa y


n ever agai n to r eturn to the old i ts ,

tena c i ous w i ll br ok en an d ch an g e d at
l as t
.

Wh en i t com e s to s o sen s i tiv e and pl i


a bl e a thing as th e na tu r e of a ch i ld th e
,

proble m be com e s vastly easier .

66
VI I

H E RE DI TY PRE D E ST I N AT I ON
TR AI N I N G
H E RE i s no such th i ng in th e world ,

there never has been such a thi n g ,


as a pr edestined child predestined fo r
heaven or hell M en have taught such
.

things in the pas t there may be now


,

those who account fo r certai n m anif es


t atio n s o n this beli ef j ust as there may
,

be those who in the presence of som e


hopelessly vicious man hold to th e vi e w ,

whether they express i t or not of total ,

deprav i ty B ut even t ot al depravity


.

nev e r e xi s t ed i n a human be in g ne ve r
,

c an ex ist i n o ne a n y more th a n i t c an ex
67
T R A I NI N G O F T HE HUM A N PL A N T
i s t i n a plant H ered i ty means much
.
,

but what is heredity , N ot som e hide


ous ancestral sp e cter forever c r ossing
the path of a human be in g H eredity .

is simply the sum of all th e efl ect s of all


the environments of all p ast ge n era

tio n s on th e res p onsive ever moving
,

life forces There is no doubt that if a


.

child with a v i cious temper be plac e d in


an environment of peace and qu i et th e
temper will change P ut a boy born of
.

gentle wh i te parents among I n d i ans


and he w i ll grow up like an I ndian Le t .

the child born of crimi nal pare nt s h av e


a setting of m o r a lit v integri ty a n d
, ,

love and the cha n ce s are that he will


,

not grow into a crim i nal but into an


,

upri ght man I do n ot say of cours e


.
, ,

that heredity wi ll not som e times a s s e rt


its elf When th e crim in al instin ct
.

68
H E R E DI T Y
cr0 ps ou t in a person it might appear ,

as i f envi ronment were leveled to the


g r oun d ; but in succeeding generations
the e ff ect of constant higher environ
ment will not fail to become fixed .

A pply to the descendants of thes e


twelve families throughout three h un
dred years the principles I have set
forth and the reformation and regener
,

atio n of the world their particular ,

world will have been effected A pply


, .

these pri nciples now to day not wait,


-
,

ing for the end of these thre e hundred


years not waiting indeed for any mil
, , ,

l enn ium to come but m a k e the millen


,

nium and see what spl endid results will


,

follow N ot the ample results of the


.

larger period to be sure for with the


, ,

hm n a n life as with the plant life it r e


, ,

quires thes e several generations to fi x


69
T R A I NI N G OF T HE H U M A N PL A N T
new charac t eri s ti c s o r t o in tensi fy old
o n es But narrow i t sti ll mo r e ap ply
.
,

thes e princ i ple s t o a si ngl e f am i ly —in ,

deed st i ll closer t o a si ngle child your


, , ,

ch i ld i t may b e a nd see wha t the r e


,
-

sul t s wi ll b e .

B ut r ememb e r that j us t a s th ere


mus t b e i n plant cult i v ati o n great p a
t ien ce unsw e rv i ng d e vot i o n to th e
,

t ruth the high e s t mo ti ve ab s olut e ho n


, ,

esty unchang i ng lo v e s o must i t b e in


, ,

th e cultivatio n of a ch i ld I f it b e .

w orth wh i l e t o s pe n d t e n ye ar s upo n th e
e nnobl e m en t of a p lant be i t fru i t tree , , ,

o r flowe r i s i t n o t worth wh i le to s p e nd
,

te n y e ar s upon a ch i ld in this preci ous


fo rm a t iv e p e r i od fitti ng i t fo r the pl ace
,

it i s t o occupy in the world , Is no t a


ch i ld s life vastly more p recious than th e

lif e of a pl ant , U nd er th e old orde r of


70
T R A I NI N G OF T HE H U M A N PL A N T
e ducati on a l arti culation wh i ch connects
th e ch i ld i n th e k i ndergarte n wi th the
graduate of the un ive rsity wh i le th ere
goe s on from year to year an un i n
ter r up ted system of cramm i n g an
,

u ninterrup ted mental strain u p o n the


child until the integrity of i ts nerv ous
,

system may be dest roye d an d it s l i fe


i m p aired.

I may o n ly refer t o th at m ys te ri o u s
prenat al p e ri od and say that e ven her e
,

we s hould begin our work throwing ,

ar o u nd th e mothers of the race every


possible lov i ng helpful and ennobling
, ,

i nflu e nce ; for in the doubly sacred t i me


before the birth of a child l i es far more,

tha n we can possibly kno w the hope of


,

the future of th i s ideal race which is


com i ng u p on this earth if we an d o ur
d es ce n da n ts will it so to b e.

72
T RAI NI NG
Man has by n o m eans r e ach e d th e ul
ti mate The fittest has not yet a rrived
. .

I n the process of elimination th e weaker


must fail but the battle has changed its
,

base from brute force to mental inte g


rity We now have what are popularly
.

known as five senses but there are men


,

of strong mi nds whose reasoning has


rarely been at fault and who are coldly
sc ie ntific i n the i r me thods who attest to
,

the possibility of yet developing a sixth


sense Who is he who can say man will
.

not develop n e w s enses as evolution a d


vances , P sychology is now studied in
most of the higher institutions of learn
ing throughout the coun try and that ,

study will lead to a g reater k n owled g e


of these subj ects The man of the f u
.

ture a ges will prove a somewhat di ff er


e nt orde r of b ei ng from that of th e p res
73
T R A I N I N G O F T HE HUMAN PL A N T
en t . H e may look upon u s as we t o
d ay look upo n o ur a n c es tor s .

S ta t i st i cs show m any th in g s t o m ak e
us pa us e but after all the only ri gh t
, , ,

and pro p er po in t of v ie w i s that of the


o pti mis t The tim e w ill com e wh en in
.

san ity wi ll b e r e duced su i c i d e s a nd ,

murd e rs w i ll b e gre atly d i mi ni sh e d and ,

m an will become a b ein g of few e r men


tal troubles and bodily i lls Whe n ev er .

yo u h av e a n ation in wh i ch ther e i s n o
vari ati on ther e i s com p arative ly l i ttl e
,

i ns ani ty or cri me or e xa lted m o ra l ity


,

o r g e nius H ere in Am e ri c a wher e th e


.
,

v ari ati o n is greate s t statis ti cs show a


,

greater per c enta g e of all th es e vari a


t i ons .

A s t i m e goe s on i n its en dl ess an d


ceaseless cours e env i ro nm e nt must
,

c ry sta lli z e th e Am er i can nati o n ; it s


74
T R A I NI N G
varyi ng el e m ent s wi ll become uni fie d ,

an d the weed i ng ou t process will by th e


-
,

means indicate d i n this paper by se l e c


,

tion and environm ent al i nflue n ces le av e,

the fines t human product ev e r know n .

The transcendent quali tie s which are


place d i n plan ts wi ll have the i r a nalo
gies i n th e n obl e com p o site th e Am eri
,

c an o f th e future .
V II I

GR O W T H
ROW TH is a v ita l pr oc ess —an ev o
l u t io n — a m a r s h a l i ng of vagr ant

un org ani z e d forc es int o d e fi ni te forms


of b eauty h arm ony a nd utility G rowth
, .

i n some form is about all that we e v er


tak e a ny i nterest in ; it expresses about
everything of value to us G rowth in
.

i ts more simple or most marv e lou sly


com p l i cated forms i s the a rchitec t of
b e auty the i nsp i rat i o n of poetry the
, ,

builder and sustainer of life for life it


,

s e lf is only growth an ever chang i ng


,
-

m ovement t oward som e ob, ect or i deal .

Wh e r eve r l i fe is found t h ere also is


, , ,

76
GR O W T H
g rowt h in some direction The e nd of
.

growth is the beginning of decay .

G rowth within is health content and


, ,

happiness and growi ng things without


,

stimulate and e nhance growth within .

Whose pulses are not hastened and who ,

is n ot filled with j oy when in E arth s ’

long circling swing around our g reat


dynamo the Sun the point i s reached
,

where chilling blistering frosts are ex


,

changed for warmth and g rowth , When


the flowers and grasses on the warm
hillsides gleefully hasten up through
the soft wet soil or later when ferns
, ,

m e adow rues and trilliums thrilled with


a w akened life crack through and push up
,

the loose mellow earth in small mounds


little volcanoes of growth ; all these
v a riously organ ized life forces are ex
pres s i ng th e m s elves each in its own
77
T R A I NI N G OF T HE H U M A N PL A N T
spe c i fic w a y E a ch
. c alled Spec i es
so -
,

each ind i v i du a l has s omethi n g within



i t se lf which w e call h ere d i ty a ge n e ra l
t e nd en cy to repr oduc e i ts e lf i n form
and habits s om ewh at d e fi nite ly after its
o wn k i nd .

NE W P C IE S
S E

, OS T of the a n c i ent and eve n a l a rg e


pa rt of mod e rn students of plant a nd
an i mal life h av e held that th ei r so call e d
-

true s p ec i es n ev er v aried to any g reat


e x t ent at least never var i ed from th e
,

s t andard type suffic i e n tly to form wh at


could sc i e nti fically be called a new s pe
c ie s U nd e r this v i ew the word he red
.

i ty ha s had a very i ndefin i te m eanin g


wh en u sed in co n j u n ction with env i ro n
m ent ; an d a neve r en d in g un c ertaint y
-

78
T R A I NI N G OF T HE HUMAN PL A N T
the s e frail life str e ams i n th e lo n g
race down the ages we re snu f fe d ou t by
u n favorable surroun dings unf avorable
,

heredity or th e combination and inter


,

acti on o f both ; others more successful


have l i ved to be our contemporari es and
t o day the process i s still unchanged
-
.

I f a r ace has n ot acqu i red and stor e d


amon g its hereditary tendencies suf fi
cient pers e verance and adaptability to
meet all the changes to which it mus t
always be subj ected by i ts ever chang-

i ng environment it will be left behind


,

and finally destroyed outstripp ed by


,

races b e tte r e qui p ped for the fray .

80
I,

EN V I R O N , E NT TH E A RC H I T E CT OF
H ERE DI TY

is not the dark specter


E RE D I T Y

which some people have thou ght


merciless and unchangeable the em ,

bodiment of F ate itself This dark .


,

pessimistic belief which tinges even the


literature of to day comes no doubt
-
, ,

from the general lack of knowledge of


the laws governing the interaction of
these two ever present forces of hered
-

ity and enviro n ment wherever there is


li fe .

M y own studies have led me to be as


su red th at h e redity is only the sum of
6 81
T RAI N I N G OF T H E HUMAN PLAN T
all past env i ronme n t in other words en
,

vir o n m en t i s the a rchitect of hered it y ;

a nd I am assur ed of another fact : ac


quired characters a r e t ransmitted and
even further — that a ll characters wh i ch
a r e transmitted hav e been a cquired ,

n ot necessarily at onc e i n a dy
n am ic or v i sible form but as an in cr eas
,

i ng latent forc e r eady to a ppear as a


tangible character wh e n by long conti n -

ued natural or arti fic i al re p et i tion any


s pecific tendency has become i nh e r ent ,

,
in bred o r fi xe d as we call i t
, ,
,
.

We may compa r e this sum of the l i fe


forces which we call heredi t y to the
, ,

character of a s ens i t i ve plate in th e cam


e ra O uts i de p i ctures i mpress them
.

selves mor e or l e ss disti nctly on the sen


sit ive plat e according to their pos i t i o n ,

i nt en s i ty an d the number of t im es th e
,

82
E N V I R O N M E NT
plate has been exposed to the Obj ects
,environments , in the same relative p o

sit io n ; all impressions are recorded .

O ld ones fade from immediate con


sc io u sn ess but each has written a per
,

manent record Stored within heredity .

are all j oys sorrows loves hates music


, , , , ,

art temples palaces pyramids hovels


, , , , ,

kings queens paupers bards p r o ph


, , , ,

ets and philosophers oceans caves , , ,

volcanoes floods earthquak e s wars tri


, , , ,

u mphs defeats reverence courag e wi s


, , , ,

dom virtue love and beauty tim e


, , , ,

s pace and all the myster i es of the uni


,

verse The appropriate env i ro n ments


.

w ill bring out and intensify all these


general human hereditary experiences
and quicken them again into life and
action thus modifying for good or evil
,

character heredity destiny .

83
T RAI NI N G OF T H E HUM A N PL A N T

RE P E T I T I O N

RE PE T I T I O N i s the best m e ans of im


pr e ss i ng any one point on the human
understanding ; it i s also the means
which we employ to tra i n an i mals to do
a s w e w i sh and by j ust the s a me pro
,

cess we impress plan t lif e By repet i .

t i on we fi x a ny tendency and the more


,

times any unusual env ir o m n ent i s r e


e t e d th e more indelibly will the r e
p a

sul t a n t tende n c i es be fixed i n plant ani


,

mal or man until i f repeated often


, , ,

enough i n any certain direction th e ,

habits become so fi xed and i nh erent i n


heredity that it will require many re p e
t it io n s of a n oppos i t e n a ture to e ff a c e

them .

84
E N V I R O NM E N T

A PP LI C AT I O N TO C H ILD LI F E

W HAT possibilities this view ope n s up


in th e culture and development of th e
most sensitive and most precious of all
lives which ever come un der our c a r e
and culture — child life ,
C a n we hope for normal healthy , ,

happy children if they are constantly in


ugly environ ment A r e w e not rea
,

so n a b l y sure that these conditions will

almost swamp a well balanced n ormal


-

heredity and utterly overthrow and de


stroy a weak though otherwi se good
one ,

We are learn ing that child l i f e 1 s far


mor e sensitive to i mpressions of any
kind than w e had ever befo re r e alized ,

and it is certai n that this wonderful sen


sit iven ess and ready adaptability has

85
T RAI NI NG O F T H E H U MAN PLAN T
n ot as y et by any means b een put to it s
bes t possible u s e i n child culture —eithe r
in the home or th e s chool —and though
all must adm i re o ur gre at educ at i o n al
system , no we ll i nformed p erson
-

nee d b e told it is per fect


.
T R A I NI N G OF T HE H U M A N PL A N T
A p er f e c t sy ste m of e duca ti o n c an
never b e att a ine d because educ at io n
i s p r ep ar i ng on e for the e nv i ro nme nt
ex pected and co n ditio n s ch a nge with
,

ti m e an d place . There i s too much


stri ving t o be co n sistent rath er t ha n
try i ng to be r igh t We must l e a r n
.

th at what w e call ch a r a c te r is hered it y


a n d e nvironment in combination an d ,

heredity being only stor ed en vir onm en t


o ur duty and our p r i vilege i s to mak e

the stored env i ronment of the best


qu al it y ; i n th i s way char a cter is n o t o n ly
i m pr ov e d i n th e i ndivi dual bu t th e d e
s ire d qual ities a re added to he re d i ty to
have thei r i nflue n c e in gu i ding th e
s lightly bu t s urely ch an g e d h ere d ities of
su cc ee d in g g enerati o ns .

88

CH A RAC TE R

SU CC E S S

C O LD m athematical intellect un ac com


a n ied by a heart for the philosophic
p ,

idealistic and poetic side of natur e


,

is like a locomotive well mad e but of


no p r actical value without fir e and
s te am ; a good knowledge of language ,

h i story g e ography mathematics chem


, , ,

ist r y botany a stronomy geology etc


, , , , .
,

is of som e i mportance but far more so


,

i s the knowledge that all true success in


life depends o n integrity ; that health ,

peace happiness and content all come


, , ,

with heartily acceptin g and daily living


,
by the G olden R ule ; that dollars ,

though of great importance and value ,

do not n ecessarily make one wealthy


that a lov i ng devotion to truth is a nor
89
T R A I NI N G O F T HE HUM A N PL A N T
mal i ndic a t i o n of p hys i cal and mental
health ; that hypocri sy and dece i t are
only forms of debility mental imbecil
,

i ty a nd bod i ly d i sease a n d that the


,

k n owledge and ability to perform use


ful hones t labor of any k in d i s of in fin
,

itel y more i m p o r ta n ce and value than


all th e so called culture of the schools
-
, ,
,

wh i ch too often turn out nervous pedan


tic v i ctims o f u nbalanced educatio n w i th
ple n ty of words but with no i ntuit i ve
abili ty to grasp digest assimilate and
, ,

mak e use of th e environm ent which they


are compelled each day t o meet and to
conquer or be conquered .

An y form of education which l e aves


o ne l e ss able to meet every day emer -

g en c ies and occurrences is unbalanced


and v i cious and wi ll lead a ny peo p le
,

to d est ructio n .

90
C H A R A C TE R
E v e ry child should hav e m u d pie s ,

grasshop p ers water bugs tad p ol es


,
-
, ,

frogs mud turtles elderbe rri e s wi ld


,
-
, ,

strawberri es acorns chestnuts tre e s to


, , ,

climb brooks t o wade in water lilies


, ,
-
,

woodchucks bats be e s butterflies var


, , , ,

iou s animals to p e t hay fields pine ,


-
,

cone s rocks to roll sand snakes


, , , ,

huckleberri es and horne t s ; and any


child who ha s been depriv e d of these h as
been d e prived of the best part of hi s c d
u c a tio n .

B y being w ell acquai nted with a ll


these they come into most intimate har
mony wi th nature whos e lessons ar e of
, ,

course n atural and wholesome


, .

A fr a grant beehive or a pl ump ,

healthy hornet s n est i n good running


order ofte n becom e obj ect lesso n s of


s om e i m p o r t a nc e The inh ab itants can
.

91
T RAI NI NG OF T H E HUMAN PL A N T
g i v e the child po i nted lessons in punc
t uatio n a s well as caution and s ome of

the limitations as w e ll as the grand pos


sibil it ies Of life ; and by even a brief ex

e r ien ce w i th a good patch of healthy


p
nettles the same lesso n will be still fur
,

th e r impressed upon them And thus


.

by each n ew experi ence with homely


n at ural obj ects the child learns s elf r e
-

s p ect and also to r espect the ob, e cts an d


force s wh i ch mu s t be m et
.

92
, I

F UNDAM ENTAL PRINCIPL ES

N O W LE D GE is P ower but i t r e
,
,

qu i res to be combined with wis


dom to become useful The funda .

mental principles o f education should


be the sub, ect of earnest sc i entific in ves
t igatio n but this investigation should
,

b e broad includi n g not only the theat


,

r ic a l
, wordy memorizing compiling
, ,

m e thods but should also include a ll the


,

c auses which tend to p roduce men and


women with san e w e ll balan ced cha r
-

a c ter s .

We mus t l earn that any person who


wi ll no t a ccept what he knows to be
93
T R A I NI N G OF T HE HUM A N PL A N T
truth for the very love of truth alo ne
, ,

i s very defin i tely un d e rm i n in g h i s m en


t a l i nteg ri ty I t wi ll be observed th at
.

th e m in d of such a person gradually


stop s grow i ng fo r being co n stantly
, ,

hedg e d i n and cropped here and th e r e ,

i t s oon learns to re spe ct art i fici al fe n c e s


mor e than freedom for growth You .

hav e not been a very close observ e r of


such m e n if you have n ot s ee n th e m
shr i vel become commonpl a c e m e a n
, , ,

wi thout influ e nce wi thout fri en ds a n d


,

th e e nthusiasm of youth a n d growth ,

li ke a tree covered with fungus the f o ,

l i age dise a sed and the life gon e out of


,

th e heart with dry rot and indelibly


m arked for dest r uct i on —dead but n o t
,

yet handed over to the u n dert aker .

The man or th e woman who move s th e


ea rth who i s m a ster rath er th a n th e
,

94
T R A I N I N G OF T HE H U M A N PL A N T
ti al l ine of hu m an prog ress a n d we lf a r e
we r ec ei v e th e b en efit of st ro n g mag
neti c i nduct i o n curr e n t s But by plac
.

in g our l i fe e n erg i es a t ri gh t a ngles to


i t w e soon find ourselves on a low feed -

i nduction current thus losing the h e l p


,

a n d support wh i ch should be ou rs .

Straightfo r w a rd ho ne sty always pays


better dividends than z i gzag p olicy .

I t g i v es on e i n dividuality self respect


,
-
,

a nd power to take the i niti ati ve sav ,

in g all th e trouble of constan t tacking


t o catch the p o p ular breeze E ach hu .

ma n be i ng i s like a s teamsh ip e n dowed ,

wi th a treme n dous powe r The fires of


.

l i fe develop a p re s sur e of s te a m wh i ch ,

w ell disciplin e d leads to happiness for


,

ourselves and oth e rs ; o r i t may l e ad


o n ly t o pai n and destru cti o n .

To g ui d e thes e energie s i s the w o rk


96
F UN D A M E N T AL P RI NCIPL E S
of tru e educat i on E ducation of rules
.

a n d words only for polish and public


opinion is of the past The education.

of the present and fu ture is to guide


these energies throu gh wind and wave
straight to the port desired E duca .

tion g i ves no one any new force I t .

can only discipline nature s energies to’

develop in natural and useful directions


so that the voyage of life may be a use
fI l l and happy one —so that life may not
be blasted o r completely cut o ff before
thought and e xp eri e n c e have r ipe ned
i nto useful fru i t
.

When the love of t ruth fo r truth s ’


sake this poetic i dealism this intui ,

tive perception this growth from


,


within has been awakened and culti
va t ed th o u gh t s live and are transmitted
,

i nt o en dless fo rm s of b e auty and utility ;


97
T RAI NI N G OF T HE HUM A N PL A N T
but t o r e c eiv e th is ne w growth we mus t
cultiv at e a st u r dy se lf respec t we must
-
,

br ea k awa y fr o m th e mere petri fied


w ord p i c t u re s of o th er s and culti vate
-

the sti ll small v o i c e w i th i n by which


,

w e beco m e s t ro n g in in d i v i du al though t
an d quick in a ction n o t cro pp ed , ,

hedg e d a nd distorte d by out w a rd t ri v ,

i al fo rms fads and fanci e s E very


, .

gr eat m an or w oma n is at h e art a poet ,

a n d all must liste n long to the harmonies


of N at ur e before they ca n mak e tr ansl a
ti on s from her infin ite r esourc es through
th eir o wn i deals i nt o cr eatio n s of b e auty
i n w ord s forms color s o r so un d s
, , , .

M a them ati c a l deta i ls are invalu abl e th e ,

com pi l at i o n m e thod i s b e yo n d r e
p roach ; i n te llectually we may k n o w
m an y th i ngs but they w i ll never b e of
,

an y g reat va lue t o war d a n o rm a l


98

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