“W.E.A.”

Shannon News, 23 April 1926, Page 2

“W.E.A.”

NATIVE AND ACQUIRED TRAITS. The weekly gathering of the Levin branch of the W.E.A. was held in the Y.M.C.A. rooms on Tuesday evening at 7-30, the President, Mr P. W. Goldsmith presiding over a good attendance. The subjedt for' consideration was ‘Native’ and Acquired Traits,” and in deal with this, the lecturer stated that the cumulative process could be said to he one oi the great secret of the Universe, the plan on which its whole organisation proceeded. Nature took her leisure in doing things—she took 600,000 years to lay down a coal bed jrom which we may stock our cellars —yet, just as soon as man was ready, til-© world was ready for man. As in the physical world, so in other realms,' our mental organs grow by being properly used. ‘‘Function creates s-trhcture." In the thinker the daily habit drives the nutrifying blood to the brain, so with the sensualist, the appetites are urged and become the more insistent. Development of character, physiologically ; stated lies in this that the seifs inner motions repeated and continued tend to create organisms which work with an ever cumulative! effect. How much of a man’s characteristics is “native” to him, how much is the result of his environment or education?

Tlie mysterious cumulative current runs underground for. sometimes' long distances and then hursts, geyser-like above the surface in the great personalities that have made their appearance from time to time. Instances were quoted:—Bronte, Beethoven, Wellington, Wesley, etc. It would he interesting’and illuminating to know just how many contributed to the greatness of these and others. The lecturer pointed out the advantage of basing any study of psychology on “reactions”—one is kept “close to the ground,” to definite hard-head-ed ways of thinking. Whenever any human action is before one, one lias to ask concerning the stimulus that arouses the individual to 1 action, and also “how” and “why’’ the individual responds in just that jsvayconsidering this particular aspect of the subject, we must think of “tendencies.” In describing an hypothetical case, tlie question to he decided is: which of his traits are native, and which can be said to be the result of education or environment? It was pointed out that notwithstanding the fact that native and acquired traits were so often inextricably interwoven, an attempt must he made to separate them. We must know where an individual starts in order properly to understand the course of his development. ‘ ‘Native’ ’ ’ means little more than congenital. A child may be born blind through disease or iiijuty tat birth, or, . congenitally an idiot through alcoholic excess prouatally on the mother’s part, but these traits cannot be said to be “native,” they are undoubtedly “acquired.” Tlie “native” characteristics are forever determined when the original constitution of the child takes place—the child is then white or black, male or female, etc., and in these things there is ■no alteration. The reactions appearing ai birth are native—the new born child' orys, breathes, carries out appropriate gasping, sucking, swallowing motions. It is evident that the clearest sign of a native trait is that, it- shall make Its appearance at birth, or during the approach to> maturity in those traits not influenced by environment.

The lecturer showed that as lar back as 1873 experiments had been carried out to determine tlie status of the flying of birds, and also their song. Newly hutched birds were segregated, at the usual age they were liberated and Immediately flew away. So with their song, but here while they could whistle, they had a completely new range of notes and trills. This proved that they possess a native power of song, but the iaj)ge and" quality of their notes is the result of imitation. The human being has the native use of vocal chords, but tire formation of words arid their meanings is a mattet of education, and is therefore an acquired characteristic. .Similarly with walking, this is native. In closing, the lecturer dealt with various human characteristics—sexattraction, pugnacity, fear, love, an„er curiosity, imitation, emulation, etc.’, and also at some length with racial traits of the negro and Chinaman. By the aid of diagrams, Mr McArthur demonstrated the process of teaching a. child “manners,” how the natural characteristic of “snatching’’ at a desired object, was eliminated, and in its stead substituted the acquired trait of saying “please. At the close of the lecture quite an animated discussion took place.