EVOLUTION 125 



individual through means that are effective, 

 but that are as little disturbing to his person- 

 ality as possible. By these methods reasonable 

 self-restraint can be brought into play or a 

 final barrier set in the way of the irresponsi- 

 ble. That so radical a course as the latter is 

 justifiable will be apparent to any one who 

 follows the history of many of the charges 

 in our public institutions for the feeble- 

 minded. 



In the programme of the eugenicists, I 

 heartily agree with that portion which is di- 

 rected toward the complete elimination of re- 

 production by the irresponsible defective. Such 

 a step is merely a reinstitution in modern hu- 

 man evolution of a rapidly disappearing phase 

 of natural selection. When, however, the ac- 

 tivity of eugenics is shifted from that of the 

 elimination of the most undesirable to exclu- 

 sive reproduction by the most desirable, I find 

 it difficult to settle in my own mind how this 

 high-grade stock is to be selected. My neigh- 

 bors are charitably inclined, but some of them, 

 I am sure, would give what seemed to them 

 good reasons for not having my particular 

 personality repeated in the future, and yet, 

 with all due respect to the welfare of society, 



