382 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 



by the love of money or the fear of the lack of it, by property, 

 by the necessities or the consent of the parents, by social position,, 

 by caste distinctions, by political interest, and such like. Love,, 

 natural affection, nature's selection, as the basis of union of men 

 and women, these have never had a fair trial in any country or 

 at any time, with one possible exception. And the result, if 

 not generally disastrous, usually falls far short of the ideal life, a 

 state in which both parties reach the highest possible development 

 of every physical, mental, and moral faculty with which nature 

 has endowed them. One has said " No writer has yet dared to 

 describe the full martyrdom of one of the victims of the influence 

 of property in the woman's world of life. It would be too 

 horrible." Women themselves, the best and the worst of them, are 

 silent for various reasons. And men do not think, do not know, 

 do not understand. 



There are indications that, in this country, choice in unions 

 v.-ill be less fettered; and this should be encouraged. Early unions, 

 not too early however, are desirable, especially among professional 

 I^eople. The best that these people give in the way of public 

 service might be made better if they added children of their own 

 to the gift. But this implies fair salaries in the positions they 

 occupy, and a State pension to widowed mothers — one of the 

 greatest needs in any State. Further, as bearing on the marriage 

 question, no woman, married or single, should be compelled to 

 engage in any work that renders her unfit for motherhood, unless 

 she herself has decided to forego maternity. Nor should she be 

 required to follow any occupation that prevents her from remaining 

 in the closest possible contact with her progeny, from the point of 

 viev/ of physical nurture and mental and moral education. In this 

 country, happily, there are few, if any, occupations which in them- 

 selves have the effect of incajDacitating women for marriage — 

 business women, teachei's, and such like proverbially making good 

 wives. 



All this is part of positive eugenics; and this is as far as we 

 are warranted to go in advising or in restraining. And the reason 

 is that beyond this v/e have no real knowledge. The cattle-breeder 

 knows from experience what strains will give him beef or milk, and 

 he " selects " accordingly; the breeder of sheep knows what will 

 give him wool or mutton, and he utilizes his knowledge; but we 

 don't know what will give those particular qualities of body, mind, 

 or morals that the world requires, nor the proportions in which 

 they should be m.ixed, in the all sorts of people that go to the 

 making of a world. 



On the subject of negative eugenics I feel constrained to say 

 something. Sir James Barr, M.D., LL.D., in his presidential 

 address to the Section of Child Study at the Dublin Congress, 



