DEGENERACY. 213 



a white man. He had four children. The average known harlotry 

 of the women of five generations is 52.4 per cent. 



DUGDALE'S CONCLUSIONS. 



Dugdale draws a number of conclusions from his investigations, 

 of which I will mention only a few. 



1. Crime as compared to pauperism indicates vigor. 



2. Pauperism is an indication of weakness of some kind, either 

 youth, disease, old age, injury, or, for women, child-birth. 



3. The eldest child tends to become the criminal of the family 

 and the youngest child the pauper. 



4. The younger children are more likely than the older ones 

 to become inmates of the poor-house through the misconduct or 

 misfortune of parents. They domesticate themselves there and 

 spontaneously return when emergencies of life overtake them. On 

 the other hand, children old enough to provide for themselves are 

 forced by necessity to rely upon themselves, and in consequence 

 are less liable to become paupers in old age. 



THE REAL EXPLANATION. 



It remains for us to interpret these conclusions in the light of the 

 ages of parents at the time the children are born. The class here 

 being treated of are illiterate, very few being able to read or write, 

 are vicious, intemperate, licentious, and frequently acquire 

 venereal diseases. Among such a class, a person born healthy 

 reaches his best physical development not far from the age of 25, 

 after which there comes a decline due to intemperance, sexual ex- 

 cesses or disease. As a consequence, children born early in the life of 

 such parents are physically more vigorous than those born when 

 their parents are at an age at which healthy people are in their 



