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Causes of ibe difference which is seen in children of the same parents,

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strangers often fail to distinguish them apart; probably because begotten and born under precisely the same circunstances of the parents. And where they differ from each other, which is extremely rare, one will generally be found to resemble one parent or grand-parent, and the other another.

But this matter is put completely at rest by the fact that the organs of the children resemble those of their parents, as seen in this work, and that those of their parents are capalje of being enlarged and diminished in the course of years, as proved in the author's work on Phrenology applied to Education and Self-Improvement. Hence, if different intiuences or conditions of lite occur to change the organs of parents while their family is increasing, these changes in the heads of parents, will of course be transınitted to their children. In short, both the mental and the physical conditions of parents while becoming parents--that of the father for days, perhaps months before, as well as while begetting the child, and that of the mother for a similar period as well as during the whole term of gestation and nursing-are transmitted to their offspring, and so transmitted as to become constitutional, and thus handed down to future generations, illustrations of which have been already given in the preceding chapter, and will be continued in this.

SECTION 1.

TIE RESPECTIVE INFLUENCES OF EACH PARENT. What is the relative influence of the father, and what of the mother? The influence of which is greatest upon the physical, of which upon the moral, and of which upon the intellectual character of their offspring? Does the one irans mit the intellectual, and the other the animal nature, or ore the muscular and the other the motive system ? and if so, which iinparts which ? or do they both combine in propaga. ting each in proportion to their relative energy? are questions easily asked, but hard to answer, partly from dificulties imposed by the very nature of the case, and partly by the false

Alexander Walker's theory,

Facts against this theory.

modesty of the age; and yet their proper answer would evolve principles of great moment and practical utility, in regard to which the author hopes to correct some errors and make some useful suggestions.

The favorite theory of Alexander Walker, that one parent imparts the vital system and frontal half of the head, while the other furnishes the motive system and back half of the head, at first prepossessed the author in its favor, but has not coincided with his subsequent observations. He knows a girl whose whole head, back, front and top, resembles her mother's; and as the heads of both parents are dissimilar, and that of the girl is strongly marked, it is easy to see wherein her phrenological developments resemble or differ from either. The forehead of the father projects most at the root of the nose and so upwards to Comparison, but retires at Causality; those of both mother and daughter project at the upper and lateral portions, but retire at the perceptives, where that of the father projects most. In the father Cautiousness is not large, but in both mother and daughter, it is immense. Adhesiveness is much larger in both mother and daughter, than in the father. The Concentrativeness of the father is very small; of both mother and daughter, large. Striking differences exist in their organs of Benevolence, Ideality, Constructiveness, Approbativeness, and several other organs, those of the father being unlike those of his wife and daughter.The daughter also resembles her mother, but differs from her father, in character, in each of these particulars; and what renders the case still stronger, she takes after her maternal grand-mother, and great grand-mother, cousins, &c., both in these respects, and in her temperament, though her motions resemble those of her father, as do also a few of her appetites and habits.

Another child of the same parents, takes its whole head, both its fore part and its back part, from its father, or more properly from its paternal grand-father. In short, I find no regularity whatever, as regards either portion of the head coming from one parent, and another as coming from another. So far from it, I find that the parent which imparts the most of the head, usually furnishes the most of the body. And I

Principles established by the author's observations.

can generally tell, not only which parent the child most resembles, but I can also tell from which parent the person inherits a liability to consumption, or other diseases, which was the shortest, largest, tallest, most plump or spare favored, and which parent and grand-parent lived the longest. I recently astonished Professor Emerson, of Andover, by telling him that he resembled his mother, and she her father, and that he resembled his grand-father, and how long his grandfather lived; for I saw that many points in his head, resembled the general form of the female head, (see conclusion of sec. 3, chap. vi.) and also that his powerful muscular system, came from some male ancestor, and as he resembled his mother in head, I inferred that she resembled her father, and inferred that he therefore resembled his mother and maternal grand-father.

The principle to which all my observations, which have been both extensive and diversified, tend, is this-that children inherit more of both their physical constitution and looks, and also of their mental tone and character, from that parent who is endowed with the greatest amount of native vigor, that when the physical constitution predominates in one parent, and the mental in the other, the offspring will generally, though not always, take on the physical constitu tion of the strong parent, and the mental of the intellectual parent, that when both parents have a predominance of either the physical or of the mental, the offspring will inherit an augmentation of that of its parents, and that, in all cases, that parent which is the most vigorous, will exert the most powerful influence on the character of the child, and of a character similar to his own-that the parent which has but a weak vital, or motive, or mental apparatus, imparts but a feeble vital or motive, or mental apparatus, and that the parent which has a strong vital, or motive, or mental apparatus, will impart the same to offspring.

If this principle be true, it leads us to the following most important conclusions:

1. That one having a feeble vital, or motive, or mental system, should never marry one having this system feeble; for then, that of their children will be doubly feeble;

Rules to be observed in marrying.

having either feeble, should always marry one having it strong. Thus those having a consumptive tendency, or from a stock in which consumption lurks, should never marry those of the same temperament; but those having narrow chests, small lungs, a thin visage, spare form, and small abdomen, should marry those having full cheeks, ample busts, depth and breadth of chest, full abdomeus, and considerable flesh. Let delicate persons never marry those that are also delicate, nor small or slim persons, those that are small and slim. Nor should those having very light complexion, hair and eyes, and fine and soft skin, marry those like themselves, for then, as the mental temperament predominates in both parents, and the animal is weak in both, their children will be small, most sensitive, precocious, feeble, and almost sure to die young.

2. Nor should those having the animal system predominant, marry those in whom this temperament predominates, lest their children inherit an increase of animality, and a dimmution of mental power. But, let them unite in marriage with those whose mental apparatus is strong. Their having a strong constitution, however, is certainly no objection, but the more the better. The union of those having great mus cular strength and powerful physical constitutions, with those whose minds are clear, tastes literary, feelings fine and intense, and flow of thoughts and words abundant, (and his is generally the case with consumptive families,) will 'be found to be aspicious of talent in the progeny.

3. But the best union, is that of similar temperaments, when both are well balanced. If very small persons should not marry those that are also small, if those that are tall and slim, should marry those that are short and stocky, if any, and if the weak should marry the strong or noue, it does not necessarily follow that those of average size should marry those that are very large or else very small-that those whose temperaments are evenly balanced, and all that they should be, should marry those whose temperaments are uneven and therefore defective; but, while those of either extreme, whether mental or physical, whether very large or very small, very sensitive or very obtuse, very tall or very short, very dark

Error of Walker. •

Husbands and wives gradually assien late

complexioned or very light, very coarse-featured or very tone, should marry the other extreme, yet those who are medium in these and other respects, should marry those who are medium. Those who are right, as to mind and body, or are what they ought to be, should marry those like them selves ; while those that are wrong, that is, at either ertreme. should marry the other extreme.

Walker's great error consists in his directing all exirens and all opposites, to unite with the other extreme. On the contrary, I maintain that, though extremes should marry opposite extremes, yet, that mediums should marry me dans I grant that extremes fancy extremes, but it is for precisriy the same reason that a man, burning np with a raging fever, desires and relishes cold water, or a cold man seeks and enjoys a fire, namely, because being opposites, they tend to reduce his extrems, which are painful berause extremes. 17 at is, when one becomes so tall, or so short, or so large, or so excitable, &c., as to be the worse therefor. halore correis this error by creating in him a relish for the other extreme, by which bis extreme will be partially neutralized, and he benefited.

And then, what is the general fact as regards husban's and wives ? While we sometimes see extremes in husband's and wives, yet we seldom find a medium man or woman, tinited to the other extreme. And wiat is more, becanse it shows clearly the indication of nature, husbands and wires that have lived lovingly together a score or two of years naturally and gradually assimilate. If one be fleshy and the other spare, the spare one gradually fleshes nip, and the plump one loses his flesh; the healthy one imparis to the feeble one a part of his health, and receives in rem a portion of the disease of the sichly one, and so of other physical and mental points of difference, and even of looks, rall, tones of voice, and character generally-a general principle which contains invaluable lessons for those who require to employ it, that is, who would seek a help-meet in a companion, or on that will further their ends, whatever they may be, whether laborious, or literary, or moral, or religious, or aspirmig, og reforming, or enjoying, instead of banging as dead weights

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