CHAPTER XXI 

 EUGENICS 



It is a safe premise that man's chief interest is himself. We 

 are no longer at the mercy of the elements. Wild beasts have 

 ceased to be a daily menace. Even physical conflict among 

 ourselves is insignificant in comparison with the eternal struggle 

 of wild creatures. The instinct of self-preservation is still strong 

 within us but it has taken on a new significance which finds 

 expression in better homes, higher standards of living, and 

 education. 



Perhaps it is only natural that we should regard ourselves as 

 the chosen species and feel that all else exists for our benefit. 

 Certainly this attitude prevails, whether natural or not, and we 

 go blithely through the years, making and modifying to suit our 

 needs. We have a right to a modest degree of conceit over our 

 attainments, for even the brief span of the twentieth century is 

 crowded with progress. But through it all thoughtful minds have 

 noted the very human tendency to choose pleasant rather than 

 useful activities, save under the pressure of necessity, and a 

 proneness to avoid fundamental facts of our very existence. 



Civilizations have come and gone. Their contributions to our 

 own are of no mean value and their examples, good and bad, are 

 before us. We can see their errors and their greatness. W"e know 

 more than ever before of the foundations for both. We have 

 discovered how to secure and perpetuate desired qualities in other 

 organisms ; can we do the same for ourselves? An earnest attempt 

 is being made to answer this question in the science of eugenics. 

 Its material is complex and in many cases elusive, but there is 

 every reason to suppose that it will some day be an important 

 factor in human welfare. It is literally the science of good 

 birth. 



The Problems of Eugenics. What Is Desirable? A funda- 

 mental requisite of any attempt to improve the human race is 

 accurate knowledge of what constitutes good birth. The com- 

 plexity of our social organization requires very careful judgment 



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