THE DEVELOPMENT 
OF USEFUL CITIZENSHIP 
It Is Not Enough to Maintain the Standard of the Human Race at Its 
Present Level—Public Opinion Now Recognizes Need of Producing 
Better Racial Stocks 
Hitpa H. Noyes, M.D., Kenwood, N. Y. 
lasting improvement in the quality 
of a given population, it is necessary 
to recognize not only the need for 
cutting off the defective lines of descent, 
but the positive side of the problem: 
that of increasing the production of the 
more worthy strains. 
There should be a judicious and nec- 
essary diminution of births among those 
who have the least physically, mentally, 
morally and economically with which 
to endow their children. Restrictions 
should be placed more stringently on 
those furthest removed from useful 
citizenship, so that the proportion of 
the unfit would tend to decrease in each 
succeeding generation. 
The need for cutting off the defective 
lines is coming to be understood and 
appreciated. Some practical steps to 
accomplish the desired result are being 
taken, which show the trend of public 
opinion and will lead to further accom- 
plishment in the same direction. 
But the cutting off of defective lines 
alone will only serve to maintain the 
standard at its present level. Conklin 
states in his “Heredity and Environ- 
ment,” p. 425, “If only the very worst 
are eliminated in each generation, the 
standard of a race is merely main- 
tained.” In order to raise the standard 
it is necessary to greatly increase the 
birth and survival rates among those 
above mediocrity who are the useful 
citizens of today. 
The factors which have acted both 
directly and indirectly to reduce the pro- 
ductivity of our most gifted and pros- 
perous members of society, should be in- 
88 
I order to bring about any real and 
vestigated that measures may be di- 
rected toward removing the cause. 
Some practical influences may be 
brought to bear, under present social 
conditions, which will help to bring 
about a differential fecundity in favor 
of the better stocks. 
Let us consider first, relief of the 
over-burdened mother with a further 
development of the creche or day 
nursery, and a possible extension sery- 
ice into the homes. The responsibilities 
of the mother might be sufficiently re- 
lieved so that no greater effort would 
be required for the care and up-bring- 
ing of three children than she now ex- 
pends on two. (See Note A.) 
In order to convince the well-to-do 
of their responsibility for the future 
development of the race, a great edu- 
cational compaign should be inaugu- 
rated. Recognition and the bestowal of 
honor upon the parents of superior 
children might tend to augment the 
birth rate in this group. 
HOPE IN THE GREAT MIDDLE CLASS 
However, it is neither extreme of the 
economic ladder which is the hope of 
the future, but that great mass of use- 
ful citizens between these extremes. 
Rational methods of increasing the fer- 
tility of the more worthy strains in the 
different income groups of this great 
ntiddle class should be considered. 
As the economic aspect has the wid- 
est bearing, some form of prize or bonus 
for the greatest number or the best 
conditioned children has been among 
the first measures advocated, but the 
amount has usually been entirely in- 
