Talented sons have talented mothers.

Amativeness hereditary.

I saw another child near Adams, N. Y., rendered idiotic by the condition of the mother during pregnancy; and I have seen others in all parts of the country, more particular mention of some of which will be made hereafter.

Thus it is that hereditary influences often produce idiocy. But they sometimes produce opposite results. Superior natural talents are generally, probably always, hereditary. To notice isolated cases of this kind, however, is not the design. of this section, it being reserved for one on the descent of specific intellectual faculties. All proposed to be done in this, is, to show that the general tone and tenor of the brain-the presence and the absence of the intellectual lobe, is hereditary, abundant proof of which consists in the fact, that all the intellectual men of whose parentage we have any knowledge, were the sons of highly talented mothers. To this general fact I do not know a single exception.

Having already shown that physical qualities are hereditary, the preceding doctrine that the general tone, texture, and organization of the brain are hereditary, requires little additional proof, because the physical qualities being hereditary, the texture of the brain included, and this texture being as is the tone and power of the intellect, the general quantum or deficiency of intellect is of course hereditary. This conclusion, however, will not be left to rest on this inferential. basis merely, good though it be, but will hereafter be supported by facts, showing that the talents given by certain. organs are hereditary; that is, that the relative energy of certain organs and their faculties, is hereditary.

SECTION III.

AMATIVENESS AND THE SOCIAL FACULTIES HEREDITARY.

If this element of our nature were not hereditary, it would not be likely to be as universally developed as it now is, nor ever as prolific. But although nearly or quite every member of the human family has more or less of this faculty, yet, ike other mental and moral qualities, it runs in families;

David and Solomon. Royal family of England. Burr.

Edwards.

and not only in families, but in the descendants of those families, from generation to generation. Solomon seems to have inherited that strong passion, which induced him to have so many wives and concubines, from his father David, who, not content with scores of wives and concubines, conceived such a passion for the wife of Uriah, that he committed actual murder in order to indulge it. In fact, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Tamar, the daughters of Lot, and the whole race, seem to have inherited and propagated this passion in an especial degree. See also the Bible account of the kings of Israel and Judah in this respect, who were of course lineal descendants of David.

The royal family of Great Britain, from time immemorial, have been notorious for the power of this passion, as well as for indulging it, of which its rapid augmentation of late is by No means a solitary example.

Aaron Burr had a development both of this organ and of its propensity, in a degree truly wonderful-hardly an instance being on record equally conspicuous. His uncle, Pierpont Edwards, was nearly his equal, and not only so notorious, that, in New York, where he flourished at the bar above half a century ago, even now his name is coupled with the grossest libertinism, and the most unbridled profligacy, but a novel was written on one of his seductions. Both he and his nephew made their boast that they could seduce any woman, however virtuous, to whom they might be introduced; and it is yet within the recollection of most of my readers, that when the love-letters of Aaron Burr-expressions of passion from ladies of the highest standing in the land-were on the eve of being published, the publisher was threatened with death from several quarters, by the friends of ladies whom this correspondence would expose. It is said to exceed every thing of the kind ever read or heard of; and for ages to come, will the name of Aaron Burr be associated with seductions the most artful and successful, with the indulgence of sexual passion the most gross and unparalleled for excess, and with the ruin of all that is lovely and virtuous in woman. Long may it be ere such another foul enemy of female virtue again scourges our earth!

I have met with several relatives of this notorious sinner, and found the same gross appetite predominated over both reason and the moral sentiments. li can, without doube, he traced farther back in this family, and in other branchesbut enough on this painful case.

I examined the head of the son of a harlot in New York. only four years of age, and found the organ enora.ous, and its manifestation in proportion.

More than a hundred years ago, a man run away with anothing man's wife, when he tros mineły fire years old! and that 100 when he had futir wives ll.en living. This same passion can be traced down for 8.x prnerations, and will prolali'y be traced down six mote, in a degree eqnaliy surprising The fifth lineal descendant is said to spend thousards of do'lars on kepit mistresses annually, il.obeh marned, are now proi atiy ixty years old ; and all of his sisters becape mothers before marriage, besides evincing this passion in tlie strongest manner. llis miere, a girl only thirteen years old, spent a few wrths in his family, and returned 10 I.pp parents a mother before she was fourteen, and by diep own couen, his son, there me fourteen). All the male 1.4 mBirts of this family, and niany of the femars, are equally renk hie.

I havelmen strurk with the fact that the children lord in our alus-honne an') houses of correctoets, tost of u licem I traits were licen: 0119, haderire.c!y larr Amatisenres: mod I hare yet to see tiebrst child of frail women, and the f.ret skettimate, in ulen t.18 orain was otherwise than 19. But enotah of the desting fartuse, with the king's 1:1. ftant inference, that the indu' rure of paren's durira t! gustation of the mother, is directly calculated to develope prin surely a teastiyan:mal passion in the unborn inant, and is one cause of the alarm:na prevalence of this vice. If as s sla'l her after see, the state of prents, while lecom Jarents, and pepperaily that of the moller, mluences the rol, surely the indu'enre of this passion, nerely for the siin of the animal gratification ationed, must necessaniy fine the seeds of vierous indulgence in the breast of the otherwise pure soul of the unborn infant, to be ulumately

Warning to parents.

Amalis eness in talented men.

ripened up into full grown licentiousness. In this way it is, that many a child is ruined before it is born, and that 100 by pious parents--ruined ignorantly, I grant, but none the less effectually. What is more common than to see the children of licentious parents follow in the footsteps of their predecessors; and if this law govern the children of sin, it equals governs the children of animal parents.

I have introduced this section mainly to prepare the way for the preceding inference-an inference the importance of which is deemed quite sufficient apology for its introduction, and without which any work on hereditary descent wonid be sadly wanting.

li has been long and generally remarked, that this passion is extremely strong in great men; and hence young men, in aspiring after greatness, have allowed themselves to induize this propensity without restraint, thinking it one element in greatness. So far from it, it is the ruin of many who would otherwise have become distinguished. So far from making men great, its excessive indulgence is the greatest drawback 10 talents that they can well encounter; for it creates a ferer in the brain that directs the energies from the forehead to the cerebellum, and keeps the whole mind and body in a perfect ferer os preternatural excitement; nor do I Lelere a truly great man can be found, who, during the period of youth, freely indulged this passion. What may le the case in manhood, after the system is matured, is quite ano:Ler thing. But be this as it may, one thing is certain-greatness does not cause an excess of this animal passion, nor does an excess of this feeling cause greatness. This, however, nay be true, that a powerful constitution lies at the basis of bwh, giving both superior talents and strong propensities. Siil, a strong constitution bears no relation to this organ more than 10 any other. I have seen it small in persons of the nusi powerful physical organization; and large in those of weak constitutions hereditarily. No uniform proportion exists letween the power of this passion, and the energy of the intel. lectual lobe, except the reverse ratio, that the more physical energy is expended in its indulgence, the less there is remaining to be expended by the intellectual lobe. A certava

species of talent, that requisite for political eminence, for example, in which its neighboring organ Combattimess 18 required to be so large, in order to sustain angry discussion and recrimination, may be compled with its excessive manifestaturn, yot how is it possible for this animal passan, in its brutal mirroise, either to strengthen the intellect or intore the morals! And those who indulge it in order to aid them in fesoming great, will find themselve's greatly mistahen. Sill, there is probably little doute, one that is energy in parents an meits all the enemies of their chidien, Amaure

Another hereditary quality. Hlenging of riuht to this sec. tion, is, 11 at the friency to bare two or more children at a burth, deseruis's in lamies Dirhinta'!.of Sarhris Hartor, m!ter politikastrihitog case of the disent of imatiteless in a F'remeh somn and her daughter, wpiles as te lewe:

** Thirates of a man womed Bioser, long in 1", had frin.& furire, One of Bayeops datoters namela Mr. 1:1? 9. ded in biror first second terit, leig deisend of one list'twin before se ded, ilm other ronal,11,2 tilkorn. A B of Berger. (2010 this prope descends in lath the Diz'e ait ole teille 1:) married a Ys lligen!

Haringtons op lises Plane berths, was de 'rani of three ch:'!, en al one buth Irshre, a brother of this last l'isor's W,',marre Bu.yap's shape, who, after havtg three or four 5:42's burilin in as miny years. We tw:no, in arcutent of w'rh Illes leit lier, and lived ridsrasino'y with an..!! * 1972. ly when he sain after bad thice chalen at one ba: th"

Verily, these lughes and Bayrra fi'li the first ait: 11714). ment in the Bilir, " De fruit, and 11.4.!! p') and positish the earth With a irigeante Can it lies that the narrage of sofa!!!!re enh of which are all'inted to lasciwie, carers pe birth of bpils?

B 1.1. fell says that a larly provided to ore of his pozi's Bar four pluren at 0,6 bint, and that t'rre of the side of t's stafir man hadd eller tu":118 of trp'us Dp haiso m'att at larte iwils discours in I. .own 1.11.'y, and mentes Bellie ottie't ca es. But facis of this res are lo