the foundations of personality-第7章

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d　a　road　to　it。〃＇1＇　But　alas；　intelligence　and　knowledge　both　are　imperfect；　and　one　group　seeking　a　truth　that　will　bring　them　good　crops；　fine　families；　victory　over　enemies；　riches；　power　and　fellowship；　as　well　as　a　harmonious　universe；　finds　it　in　idol　worship　and　polygamy；　another　group　seeking　the　same　truth　finds　it　in　Christianity　and　monogamy。　And　the　members　of　some　groups　are　born　to　ideals；　customs　and　habits　that　make　it　right　for　a　member　to　sing　obscene　songs　and　to　be　obscene　at　certain　periods；　to　kill　and　destroy　the　enemy；　to　sacrifice　the　unbeliever；　to　worship　a　clay　image；　to　have　as　many　wives　as　possible；　and　that　make　it　WRONG　to　do　otherwise。　Indeed；　he　who　wishes　a　child　to　believe　absolutely　in　a　code　of　morals　would　better　postpone　teaching　him　the　customs　and　beliefs　of　other　people　until　habit　has　made　him　adamant　to　new　ideas。　＇1＇　Nietzsche。

It　is　with　pleasure　that　I　turn　the　attention　of　the　reader　to　the　work　of　Frazier　in　the　growth　of　human　belief；　custom　and　institutions　that　he　has　incorporated　into　the　stupendous　series　of　books　called　〃The　Golden　Bough。〃　The　things　that　influence　us　most　in　our　lives　are　heritages；　not　much　changed；　from　the　beliefs　of　primitive　societies。　Believing　that　the　forces　of　the　world　were　animate；　like　himself；　and　that　they　might　be　moved；　persuaded；　cajoled　and　frightened　into　favorable　action；　undeveloped　man　based　most　of　his　customs　on　efforts　to　obtain　some　desired　result　from　the　gods。　Out　of　these　customs　grew　the　majority　of　our　institutions；　out　of　these　queer　beliefs　and　superstitions；　out　of　witchcraft；　sympathetic　magic；　the　〃Old　Man〃　idea；　the　primitive　reaction　to　sleep；　epilepsy　and　death　grew　medicine；　science；　religion；　festivals；　the　kingship；　the　idea　of　soul　and　most　of　the　other　governing　and　directing　ideas　of　our　lives。　It　is　true　that　the　noble　beliefs　and　sciences　also　grew　from　these　rude　seeds；　but　with　them　and　permeating　our　social　structure　are　crops　of　atrophied　ideas；　hampering　customs；　cramping　ideals。　Further；　in　every　race　in　every　country；　in　every　family；　there　are　somewhat　different　assortments　of　these　directing　traditional　forces；　and　it　is　these　social　inheritances　which　are　more　responsible　for　difference　in　people　than　a　native　difference　in　stock。　Consider　the　difference　that　being　born　and　brought　up　in　Turkey　and　being　born；　let　us　say；　in　New　York　City；　would　make　in　two　children　of　exactly　the　same　disposition；　mental　caliber　and　physical　structure。　One　would　grow　up　a　Turk　and　the　other　a　New　Yorker；　and　the　mere　fact　that　they　had　the　same　original　capacity　for　thought；　feeling　and　action　would　not　alter　the　result　that　in　character　the　two　men　would　stand　almost　at　opposite　poles。　One　need　not　judge　between　them　and　say　that　one　was　superior　to　the　other；　for　while　I　feel　that　the　New　Yorker　might　stand　OUR　inspection　better；　I　am　certain　that　the　Turk　would　be　more　pleasing　to　Turkish　ideas。　The　point　is　that　they　would　be　different　and　that　the　differences　would　result　solely　from　the　environmental　forces　of　natural　conditions　and　social　inheritance。　Study　the　immigrant　to　the　United　States　and　his　descendant；　American　born　and　bred。　Compare　Irishman　and　Irish…American；　Russian　Jew　and　his　American…born　descendant；　compare　Englishman　and　the　Anglo…Saxon　New　England　descendant。　Here　is　a　race；　the　Jew；　which　in　the　Ghetto　and　under　circumstances　that　built　up　a　tremendously　powerful　set　of　traditions　and　customs　developed　a　very　distinctive　type　of　human　being。　Poor　in　physique；　with　little　physical　pugnacity；　but　worshiping；　learning　and　reaching　out　for　wealth　and　power　in　an　unusually　successful　manner；　the　crucible　of　an　adverse　and　hostile　environment　rendered　him　totally　different　in　manners　from　his　Gentile　neighbors。　With　a　high　birth　rate　and　an　intensely　close　and　pure　family　life；　the　Ghetto　Jew　lived　and　died　shut　off　by　the　restrictions　placed　upon　him　and　his　own　social　heredity　from　the　life　of　the　country　of　his　birth。　Then　came　immigration　to　the　United　States　through　one　cause　or　another；and　note　the　results。　With　the　old　social　heredity　still　at　work；　another　set　of　customs；　traditions　and　beliefs　comes　into　open　competition　with　it　in　the　bosom　of　the　American　Jew。　Nowhere　is　the　struggle　between　the　old　and　the　new　generations　so　intense　as　in　the　home　of　the　Orthodox　Jew。　His　descendant　is　clean…shaven　and　no　longer　observes　（or　observes　only　perfunctorily　or　with　many　a　gross　inconsistency）　the　dietary　and　household　laws。　He　is　a　free　spender　and　luxurious　in　his　habits　as　compared　with　his　economical；　ascetic　forefathers。　He　marries　late　and　the　birth　rate　drops　with　most　astonishing　rapidity；　so　that　in　one　generation　the　children　of　parents　who　had　eight　or　ten　children　have　families　of　one　or　two　or　three　children。　He　becomes　a　follower　of　sports；　and　with　his　love　for　scholarship　still　strong；　as　witness　his　production　of　scholars　and　scientists；　the　remarkable　rise　of　the　Jewish　prize　fighter　stands　out　as　a　divergence　from　tradition　that　mocks　at　theories　of　inborn　racial　characters。　And　a　third　generation　differs　in　customs；　manners；　ideals；　purposes　and　physique　but　little　from　the　social　class　of　Americans　in　which　the　individual　members　move。　The　names　become　Anglicized；　gone　are　the　Abrahams　and　Isaacs　and　Jacobs；　the　Rachels　and　Leahs　and　Rebeccas；　and　in　their　place　are　Vernon；　Mortimer；　Winthrop；　Alice；　Helen　and　Elizabeth。　And　this　change　in　name　symbolizes　the　revolution　in　essential　characters。　Has　the　racial　stock　changed　in　one　generation　or　two？　No。　A　new　social　heredity　has　overcomeor　at　least　in　part　supplantedan　older　social　heredity　and　released　and　developed　characters　hitherto　held　in　check。　In　every　human　beingand　this　is　a　theme　we　shall　enlarge　upon　laterthere　are　potential　lines　of　development　far　outnumbering　those　that　can　be　manifested；　and　each　environment　and　tradition　calls　forth　some　and　suppresses　others。　Every　man　is　a　garden　planted　with　all　kinds　of　seeds；　tradition　and　teaching　are　the　gardeners　that　allow　only　certain　ones　to　come　to　bloom。　In　each　age；　each　country　and　each　family　there　is　a　different　gardener　at　work；　repressing　certain　trends　in　the　individual；　favoring　and　bringing　to　an　exaggerated　growth　other　trends。　That　each　family；　or　type　of　family；　acts　in　this　way　is　recognized　in　the　value　given　to　the　home　life。　The　home；　because　of　its　sequestration；　allows　for　the　growth　of　individual　types　better　than　would　a　community　house　where　the　same　traditions　and　ideals　governed　the　life　of　each　child。　In　the　home　the　parents　seek　to　cultivate　the　specific　type　of　character　they　favor。　The　home　is　par　excellence　the　place　where　prejudice　and　social　attitude　are　fostered。　Though　the　mother　and　father　seek　to　give　broadmindedness　and　wide　culture　to　the　child；　their　efforts　must　largely　be　governed　by　their　own　attitudes　and　reactions；in　short；　by　their　own　character　and　the　resultant　examples　and　teaching。　It　is　true　that　the　native　character　of　the　child　may　make　him　resistant　to　the　teachings　of　the　parents　or　may　even　develop　counter…prejudices；　to　react　violently　against　the　gardening。　This　is　the　case　when　the　child　is　of　an　opposing　temperament　or　when　in　the　course　of　time　he　falls　under　the　influence　of　ideals　and　traditions　that　are　opposed　to　those　of　his　home。　Unless　the　home　combines　interest　and　freedom；　together　with　teaching；　certain　children　become　violent　rebels；　and；　seeking　freedom　and　interest　outside　of　the　home；　find　themselves　in　a　conflict；　both　with　their　home　teaching　and　the　home　teachers；　that　shakes　the　unity　and　the　happiness　of　parent　and　child。　Like　all　civil　wars　this　war　between　new　and　old　generations　reaches　great　bitterness。　In　studying　the　cases　of　several　hundred　delinquent　girls；　as　a　consultant　to　the　Parole　Department　of　Massachusetts；　it　was　found　that　the　family　life　of　the　girls　could　be　classified　in　two　ways。　The　majority　of　the　girls　that　reached　the　Reformatory　came　from　bad　homes；homes　in　which　drunkenness；　prostitution；　feeble…mindedness；　and　insanity　were　common　traits　of　the　parents。　Or　else　the　girls　were　orphans　brought　up　by　a　stepmother　or　some　careless　foster　mother。　In　any　case；