edity has been described as that law of our nature which
provides that a man shall resemble his grandmother--or not, as the case
may be.

What traits are inherited and what acquired--who shall say? Married
folks who resort to the happy expedient of procuring their children at
orphan-asylums can testify to the many times they have been complimented
on the striking resemblance of father to daughter, or son to mother.

Possibly that is all there is of it--we resemble those with whom we
associate. Far be it from me to say the final word on this theme--I
would not, if I could, deprive men of a problem they can never solve.
When all questions are answered, it will be time to telephone the
undertaker.

That men of genius do not reproduce themselves after the flesh is an
axiom; but that William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, did, is brought forth as
an exception, incident, accident or circumstance, just according to
one's mood at the moment.

"Great men do have great sons!" we cry. "Just look at the Pitts, the
Adamses, the Walpoles, the Beechers, the Booths, the Bellinis, the
Disraelis!" and here we begin to falter. And then the opposition takes
it up and rattles off a list of great men whose sons were spendthrifts,
gamblers, ne'er-do-wells and jackanapes.

When Pitt the Younger made his first speech in the House of Commons, he
struck thirteen. The members of the House were amazed.

"He's a chip off the old block," they said.

"He's the block itself," said Burke.

Lord Rosebery, who had the felicity to own a Derby winner, once said of
Pitt, "He was bred for speed, but not for endurance."

* * * * *

Since the subject of heredity always seems to come up when the Pitts are
mentioned, it may be proper for us to go back and trace pedigree a bit,
to see if we have here the formula for producing a genius.

The grandfather of William Pitt the Elder was Thomas Pitt, a
sea-captain, trader and gentleman adventurer. In fact, he was a bold
buccaneer, but not too bold, for he gave large sums to church and
charity, and showed his zeal for virtue by once hanging three smugglers
in chains, high up on a gibbet overlooking the coast of Cornwall, and
there the bodies were left until the birds of prey and the elements had
bleached their bones.

Thomas Pitt was known as "Diamond Tom" through bringing from India and
selling to the Regent Orleans the largest diamond, I believe, ever owned
in England. For this dia