no 



The Journal of Heredity 



Miscegenation of certain races may 

 properly be controlled as far as possible 

 by the refusal of marriage licenses and 

 by public oi)inion. This will unfor- 

 tunately result in eases of individual 

 injustice, luit is nevertheless racially 

 necessary. The proi^osition to refer 

 doubtful cases of mixed blood to the 

 state eugenic board is objectionable, for 

 th? same reasons as above. 



THE DIVINE QUESTION 



While society may deny the right to 

 marry only for grave cause, it should be 

 glad to di\-(jrce pairs whose ])rogeny are 

 not desirable. This for the reason that 

 in one case society is acting against the 

 will of the two parties. In the second 

 case both the two parties concerned and 

 society profit by the divorce. Divorce 

 is far preferable to separation, since the 

 unoffending party should not be denied 

 the privilege of remarriage, as the race 

 in most cases needs his or her contribu- 

 tion to the next generation. Divorce, 

 it must be remembered, is ordinarily just 

 a legal recognition of a separation that 

 already exists. The time-honored and 

 justifiable grounds of adultery, steril- 

 ity, impotence, venereal infection, 

 desertion, non-support, and habitual 

 cruelty are no more worthy of legal rec- 

 ognition than the cacogenic grounds 

 of drunkenness, feeble - mindedness, 

 epilepsy, insanity, or other specified 



serious mental, moral, or phys'cal de- 

 fects. 



For sexual selection to work at its 

 best, it is desirable that the mated per- 

 sons be as su]:)erior as possible to the un- 

 mated. Is it not, then, a social Ijlunder 

 to deny divorce to a married pair, if one 

 of them at least is inferior? We hear 

 much of a divorce evil but we ha\'e in 

 reality a divorce remedy for the e\-il of 

 ill-mated pairs. 



Dysgenic marriage we can not jjre- 

 vent as frequently as would be desirable, 

 because we have not the co-operating 

 will of the couple. When, in such un- 

 desirable marriages, the individuals 

 come to see their mistake, society shoiild 

 gladly welcome the prompt undoing of 

 the marriage bond. 



In closing let me urge you to do all 

 in your power to correct this growing 

 tendency to postpone if not to abandon 

 marriage entirely, on the part of our 

 superior young people. Hold out mar- 

 riage as one of the ends of a useful, 

 normal, beautiful life. Help superior 

 young people to meet, and encourage 

 and further their early marriage. Give 

 more honor and appreciation to those 

 who have married well and have had 

 adequate children. And in whatever 

 ways you properly can, reduce this ap- 

 i:)alling percentage of superior celibates 

 who are thus ptilling down the quality 

 of -the human race. 



ANNUAL MEETING OF ASSOCIATION 



The annual meeting of mcmlxTs of the American Genetic Association was held 

 in the Cosmos Club at Washington on January 8. The secretary reported that 

 more than 200 new members had been received during the last year, in spite of 

 the fact that the work of the association was suspended during the greater part 

 of the year. The membershi]) on the first of January was 1837, of whom, however, 

 313 were delinquent in their dues. The memljcrshi]) at the present time is in- 

 creasing at the rate of more than a hundred e£ich month. The number of foreign 

 memVjcrs is increasing with exceptional rajjidity. 



The treasurer's report showed that ex]jenses of the \'car had just about been 

 met by the income, leaving the guarantee fund intact, to meet the increased 

 expenditures due to the jjuljlication of the magazine as a monthh-. 



The council for 1914 was elected as follows: 



One-year term: Alexander Graham Bell, W. Iv Castle, Bleecker \'an Wagcnen. 



Two-year term: O. F. Cook. Dax'id Fairchild, Arthur W. Gill)ert. 



Three-year term: George M. Rommel, T. II. Kearne>-, W. C. Rucker. 



At the annual meeting of the council, the ])resent oflicers were all re-elected. 



President Fairchild announced the make-u]^ of the research committees for 

 1914, as printed on the back cover of the i)rescnt issue of the Joinnal. 



