SOCIAL ASPECTS OF HEREDITY 521 



The next step in the argument is important and brings us 

 into closer touch with social problems. Mr. Charles Booth, in 

 his well-known demographic studies, has arranged the population 

 of East London into grades of " civic worth," beginning with 

 criminals, semi-criminals, and loafers, going on with increasing 

 numbers to casual workers, intermittent workers, and thence 

 to regular earners under 225. a week, and so on. The results 

 show " a fair approximation to the normal law of frequency." 

 Again we have the groups, +S, +T, +U, etc., and the groups, 

 — s, — t, — u, etc., forming the two sides of an approximately 

 similar and symmetrical curve. 



It is easy to say that one knows of this, that, and the 

 other one who rose into class + T by sheer luck ; and of this, 

 that, and the other one who fell into class — t by the hand of 

 God — a fire, a wreck, an explosion, and what not ; but when 

 we are dealing with large numbers, it does not seem that these 

 exceptional exaltations and depressions of individuals are of 

 vital moment. It is also evident that the standard of civic 

 worth used by Booth is only one of many standards — ^that of 

 economic production under present conditions — but to begin 

 with we must measure by one standard at a time. We know 

 that it would be individually unjust to put, say, Arnold's " scholar 

 gipsy " on the minus side as a casual worker, but there are not 

 many scholar gipsies. 



The next step in Mr. Galton's argument might be described 

 as a financial valuation of babies. Suppose we could import 

 at the present moment ten legions of boys of sound physique 

 and scouting intelligence, not crammed with intellectual fat 

 like Strasburg geese with the physical analogue, but alert in 

 understanding of methods and with unchecked inquisitiveness, 

 what great national gain it would mean ! It would be a good 

 investment, and it is within reach every year, since far more 

 than ten legions of this type of boy are being born annually in 

 our midst. That they do not effect all they might do, is partly 



