A Problem of Longevity, 385 



state, yet sliows no lessening of deaths among children below the 

 age of five during the last fifty years. That is, perhaps, the gain 

 in this respect due to an advance in pathology has been balanced 

 by the increase in the number of children subject to the dangers 

 of residence in cities. But the advance of the median age seems 

 to be undoubted ; from which we certainly infer a diminution of 

 deaths in youth and early manhood, a fact which has brought 

 into evidence certain philosophers of the class characterized by 

 the couplet, 



"And this the constant burden of their song, 

 One truth is plain, whatever is is wrong," 

 who deprecate this preservation of individuals of feeble physique 

 to become parents, and declare that a serious loss of average ro- 

 bustness and health has resulted, and that it is shown by a dim- 

 inution in the number of peoj)le attaining old age, in spite of 

 the increased mean age at death. Around the question of the 

 truth of this assertion statistics have been marshalled with re- 

 sulting conclusions by no means entirely harmonious, but appar- 

 ently tending, I believe, to indicate the truth of the charge that 

 the interference with the working of the law of the survival of 

 the physically fittest is bringing in a race of weaklings. It is 

 to one aspect of this question, which as far as I know has hereto- 

 fore escaped notice, that I have given some attention. 



In the search for evidence in relation to such a question, evi- 

 dently the records of former generations are to be compared with 

 those of our own time, and naturally the comparisons usually 

 have been miade between recent and remote records of the same 

 region. Moreover the records of recently organized communities 

 are not available for such comparisons, since they contain so few 

 terms of the series; and hence investigations have been very 

 largely confined to older regions, Avhence from generation to gen- 

 eration there has been an exodus of those who became pioneers 

 in the formation of new communities. It is true that during 

 the past few years many persons of feeble physique have emi- 

 grated to new settlements in quest of improved health ; but that 

 condition is quite recent. Generally it has been the strongest 

 members of a community, those seeming most likely to endure, 

 who have sought new homes and whose lines have passed out of 

 the record of succeeding generations of their native region. The 

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