2 



The Iol'kxal 01' Hkrkdity 



\ 



to their unborn progeny. All desire 

 that their offspring may be of the best; 

 and no one wishes to have degenerate 

 or defective children. 



The attitude of the public mind is 

 therefore fa\'orablc to voluntary com- 

 pliance with plans which appeal to the 

 intelligence of the community as reason- 

 able and right; and favorable to the 

 formation of a i:)ublic opinion which 

 will compel compliance. 



These are such hopeful conditions 

 that they will bear recapitulation. 



The members of a human community, 

 both individually and collectively, de- 

 sire that their descendants may, if 

 possible, be better than themselves 



They possess intelligence to under- 

 stand the laws of heredity as ai)])licable 

 to man ; and a willingness to adopt any 

 reasonable and practicable measures 

 that may be formulated for the benefit 

 of future generations. 



All recognize the fact that the laws 

 of heredity which apply to animals also 

 apply to man; and that therefore the 

 breeder of animals is fitted to guide 

 public o])inion on questions relating to 

 human heredity. Without power to 

 control, he has power to advise; and the 

 public generally will accept his state- 

 ments as sound, because based upon 

 special knowledge and experience in 

 the breeding of animals. 



What an o])i)ortunity for the members 

 of the American Genetic Association 

 to benefit the human race! Most of 

 the disputed questions of human hered- 

 ity can be settled by them, and their 

 V verdict will be acquiesced in by the 

 general ])ub]ic. 



Statistics relating to the effect of 

 inljreeding among animals, for example, 

 could surely be made to guide public 

 opinion rightly on the su1)ject of con- 

 sanguineous marriages among human 

 beings. 



So, too, statistics relating to the elTect 

 upon the offspring of maturity and im- 

 maturity in the parents of animals, 

 would .seem to have a liearing ui)on the 

 question of early versus late marriages 

 among human beings. 



The first thing for us to do, is to 

 make known to the ])ublic the ])rocesses 

 lli.'il arc needed to improve the raei'; and 



then to show how, by intelligent co- 

 operation among the members of the 

 community, these processes may be 

 applied. 



IMPROVING RACL\L ST.\TURE. 



In considering the question of im- 

 provement, it may be well to begin by 

 taking some specific quality of an in- 

 herital)le nature and examining its dis- 

 tribution among the pojiulation at 

 large. 



Take stature as an example. We have 

 pigmy races of men, and it is quite con- 

 ceivable that some such race might 

 deem it desirable to increase the general 

 height of the population. 



The members of the race all possess 

 the (lesiral)lc characteristic (height), 

 but in \'arying degrees; and upon this 

 variability depends the i)ossibility of 

 improvement. The difference between 

 the extremes shows the amplitude of 

 the variation; and if we sort out the 

 population in accordance with the de- 

 gree in which they possess the quality, 

 we shall find a continuous series from 

 the lowest to the highest. Some in- 

 termediate ]:)oint rei)resents the average 

 degree in which the ciuality is possessed 

 by the race. 



The people who are markedly above 

 the average height will, in this case, 

 constitute the desiral)le class; and those 

 who are markedh- under the average 

 would be the undesirable. 



We are accustcnncd to focus our at- 

 tention so exclusively u]3on the desirable 

 and undesirable classes that we are apt 

 to forget that there is an intermediate 

 class, the normal, which is many times 

 greater than both of the others put 

 together, constituting, indeed, the bulk 

 of the ])oi)ulation. 



The accompanying diagram may ])er- 

 ha])s be of assistance in realizing the 

 relative ])roportions of these classes. 

 Let the large square re])resent an en- 

 closure completely filled with the people 

 under consideration. The square then 

 represents by its area the whole jiojiula- 

 tion to be improved in height. 



Now if we look the ])eople over, we 

 shall find here and there excejjtional 

 individuals who stand well above the 

 general level. Collect them together 



