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EUGENICS 505 



allowed to indicate in some manner their total achieve- 

 ment. Judgments might be difficult, yet not at all 

 impossible. Galton, in his work on Hereditary Genius, 

 has clearly demonstrated the great worth of certain 

 families, and the presumptive value of any individual 

 belonging to them. No one would be obliged to favor 

 the groups thus indicated, or pay any attention to 

 family merit ; yet it cannot be doubted that if the 

 facts were known in each case they would carry weight. 

 Naturally, the whole procedure would imply the keep- 

 ing of accurate records, and the government would 

 probably be justified in compiling a "Who's Who 

 for the entire population. 



II. Speaking broadly, we may say that it should be Environ 

 the aim of society to create an environment favorable 

 to individuals of high social efficiency. For example, 

 those entering the professions should not have to wait 

 as long as they do at present before possessing the 

 material means to justify marriage. We see today 

 numerous able young men with small incomes, and 

 fewer old ones with ample resources. It cannot be 

 said, from the standpoint of eugenics, that the wealth 

 of the country is well distributed. It is useless to 

 criticize the small size of the families of college graduates 

 as long as economic conditions are unfavorable. Hard 

 facts will outweigh theoretical or sentimental considera- 

 tions. It is of course true that the standard of living 

 of the educated groups is high, but it would appear 

 a doubtful advantage to lower it, since competition 

 would tend to lower wages correspondingly. It is 

 also necessary to maintain a high standard to give the 

 socially valuable all the advantages of education and 

 other forms of "nurture," without which their powers 

 will be diminished. 



