useful
citizens with no taint of criminality to their names, who under a hard
environment would be found in prison. On the other hand, perhaps most of
the inmates of prisons would have lived as respected citizens if their
environment had not been so hard. Heredity has everything to do with
making the machine strong and capable, or weak and useless; but when the
machine is made and thrown on the world in its imperfect shape,
environment has everything to do in determining what its fate shall be.

V

ADJUSTING HEREDITY AND
ENVIRONMENT

Most people live a narrow existence. Perhaps the great majority of men
and women find their safety in this kind of a life. The adjustment of
heredity and environment is not an easy task to one who lives an
unsheltered life. The ordinary person, thrown on his own resources, is
poorly equipped for existence. His opinions on most matters are not
sound. He uses poor judgment as to how he shall spend the little money
he gets. He is generally driven by debts and harassed in all his efforts
to get a living. A large family adds to his trouble and his existence is
a constant struggle with what, to him, is an almost hopeless fate.

Industrial conditions for the most part are relentless and hard. The
poor man is thrown into competition with his fellows for work. He may
get along when work is easy to get and wages are good, but in dull times
he falls behind, and is in hopeless trouble. His life is a long, hard
struggle to make adjustments to his environment, and it is not strange
that he goes down so often before the heavy task. Failure to make proper
adjustments directly and indirectly often means prison to him.

Again, the ordinary and especially the weak man is hopelessly puzzled by
his environment. It must never be overlooked that man has a lowly
origin. The marks of his humble birth are in his whole structure and
life. His make-up has been the work of the ages. He is a late
development of a life that knew nothing of law, as law is understood
today. His ancestors were hungry and went out after food, they killed
their prey and took their food by main strength whenever they had the
power. They were subject to certain customs which were very strict, but
which were few and did not seriously complicate life. They knew only the
law of force. Their existence was simple and primal, and they were
governed by no "rights," except such simple ones as were made by might
and custom.

Civilization