THE DANGERS OF SOCIALISTIC LEGISLATION 469 



the British Isles, it is inconceivable that its introduction from 

 abroad could be prevented. Therefore, if susceptible individuals 

 are kept alive and allowed to breed in large numbers we must 

 expect serious ravages in the future, when the racial standard 

 has been lowered and a temporary concatenation of circumstances 

 favours the infection of a large number of individuals at the same 

 time. The nation whose racial standard is thus lowered by 

 legislative interference must eventually be supplanted by an 

 invading race which has continued to exist under conditions of 

 stringent selection. Under invasion I intend to include simply 

 the immigration of immune individuals. 



The case of typhoid fever belongs to the class in which 

 legislative interference might bring about the suppression of 

 the disease. The micro-organism can only continue to live 

 under a comparatively limited set of conditions, which may 

 conceivably be eliminated. 



Smallpox is in a rather different category. In this case, the 

 individual may be rendered, by artificial means, entirely or to 

 a large extent immune to the disease during the whole of his 

 life and that very easily. Unfortunately this isithe only case 

 in which a comparatively permanent immunity to a particular 

 disease can be produced early in life. The original legislation 

 enforcing vaccination upon every individual was wise. The 

 modern vice of sentimentality, which attaches so high a value to 

 the feelings of the individual but is regardless of the interests of 

 the community at large, has allowed any one who wishes to 

 refuse to allow his children to be vaccinated. We have already 

 experienced the consequences of this evasion in Gloucester and 

 other places and are likely to have further and more serious 

 demonstrations of the folly of our latter-day legislation in the 

 near future. 



The legalisation and protection of trades unions are equally 

 disastrous in so far as these associations tend to equalise the 

 inferior and the superior workman. Anything that places the 

 unskilful and idle on the same footing as the skilful, hard-working 

 and steady man with regard to wages must tend to eliminate 

 to a great extent the selection of these desirable qualities. The 

 standard of efficiency to begin with may be that of the average 

 man but as there is no advantage to be gained in being above 

 the average, competition is interfered with ; selection, in fact, 

 ceases to operate and though there is nothing in the environ- 



