HUMAN CONSERVATION 245 



fault with the sociologist who fails sufficiently to real- 

 ize the fundamental importance of the germplasm. 



Without euthenic opportunity the best of heri- 

 tages would never fully come to its own. Without 

 the eugenic foundation the best opportunity fails 

 of accomplishment. The euthenic point of view, 

 however, must not distract the attention now, for 

 the present chapter is particularly concerned with 

 the program of eugenics. 



2. MORE FACTS NEEDED 



Since the point of attack in human heredity must 

 be largely statistical, it is of the first importance to 

 collect more facts. Our actual knowledge is con- 

 fused with a mass of tradition and opinion, much of 

 which rests upon questionable foundations. The 

 great present need is to learn more facts ; to sift the 

 truth from error in what is already known; and to 

 reduce all these data to workable scientific form. 

 Much progress is being made in this direction, owing 

 to the impetus given by the revival of Mendel's 

 illuminating work, but as yet the science of eugenics 

 is in its infancy. 



The most systematic and effective attempt in this 

 country to collect reliable data concerning heredity 

 in man has been initiated by the Eugenics Section 

 of the American Breeders' Association under the 

 secretaryship of Dr. C. B. Davenport. In 1910 the 

 Eugenics Record Office, with a staff of expert field 

 and office workers and an adequate equipment of 

 fire-proof vaults, etc., for the preservation of records, 



