Hunt: Matrimonial Views of Students 



15 



student replied under oath (note the 

 pledge at the top of the blank) and 

 returned the questionnaire by mail, 

 unsigned. Each one was thus free to 

 express his or her inmost convictions 

 without fear or embarrassment. By 

 means of lectures on eugenics to the 

 University classes in biology, which 

 included nearly one-fifth of all the 

 students, and a short article in the 

 University weekly paper, the writer 

 had impressed the student body with 

 the importance of answering the ques- 

 tions seriously and accurately. Thir- 

 teen of the returned papers were dis- 

 carded because either the oath was not 

 taken or there was internal evidence 

 of insincerity. There is every reason 

 for believing that the remaining three 

 hundred and twenty-eight returned 

 questionnaires were filled out seriously 

 and truthfully. 



Eighty-live blanks were mailed to the 

 women, four hundred and seventy to 

 the men. Sixty-three women (74.1%) 

 and two hundred and sixty-five men 

 (56.4%) returned properly filled out 

 blanks. « 



The questions were designed to de- 

 termine the percentage of students 

 who prefer to marry, the average size 

 of family desired, the objections to 

 marriage, and the average kind of mate 

 wanted. 



Question four in the men's ques- 

 tionnaire, and five in the women's, was 

 designed to cover the last point men- 

 tioned. As explained on the ques- 

 tionnaire, the qualities enumerated 

 were to be indicated in the order of 

 preference, "1" after a trait showing 

 that it was the one most highly 

 valued, "2" the second in the order of 

 preference, and so on. Doubtless sev- 

 eral characteristics were of equal value 



in the minds of many students, so it is 

 unreasonable to stress too much the 

 average evaluation of each charac- 

 teristic. Yet in a broad way the 

 results certainly show the general trend 

 of student opinion. The average rat- 

 ing of each trait is shown in Table I 

 (women) and Table II (men). 



A glance through the list of traits in 

 the sections devoted to mate selection 

 shows that the student's answer must 

 be of interest to the eugenist, who is 

 concerned with perpetuating those 

 inheritable characteristics which make 

 for mental and physical vigor. Some 

 of the qualities mentioned doubtless 

 have slight eugenic value. On the 

 other hand, general mental ability 

 [Galton,^ Thorndike,^ Woods'], and 

 health [BelU"] are certainly inherited, 

 while artistic, musical [Davenport]," 

 and business talents probably belong 

 in the same category. Woods' work' 

 indicates that moral qualities are 

 transmitted; hence the student's 

 valuation of sex purity, honesty and 

 temperance doubtless are significant 

 eugenically. The capacity to assimil- 

 ate an advanced education [Terman],!^ 

 [Army Mental Tests], or wealth indi- 

 cates the possession of inheritable 

 mental capacities above the average. 



women's questionnaire 



Pledge — ^I hereby afihrm upon my 

 honor that I will, to the best of my 

 ability, fill out the following ques- 

 tionnaire, seriously and truthfully. 



(Place X here if you are willing to take 



this pledge.) 



1. When circumstances permit, do you 



prefer to marry? 



(Answer Yes or No.) 



^ I wish to take this opportunity to thank two of my former students in Genetics, Miss Rosa 

 Hargis, and Miss EHzabeth Kimmons, for their faithful and painstaking assistance in recording 

 and arranging the data derived from the questionnaires. 



^ Galton, Francis. "Inquiries into Human Faculty." London, 1907. "Heredity Genius," 

 London, 1914. 



^ Thorndike, E. L. "Educational Psychology." Teacher's College, Columbia University, 

 1910. 



' Woods, Frederick Adams. "Heredity in Royalty." New York 1906. 

 ^"Bell, Alexander Graham. "The Duration of Life and Conditions Associated with Lon- 

 gevity." Genealogical Record Office, Washington, D. C, 1918. 



" Davenport, C. B. "Heredity in Relation to Eugenics." Henry Holt and Co., 1911. 



'i^Terman, L. M. "The Measurement of Intelligence." Houghton, Mifflin Co., 1916. 



