OUR SURROUNDINGS 15 



those children with superior opportunities would out- 

 number those less fortunately situated. In such circum- 

 stances, social contact would continually tend to raise 

 the level of the whole nation. 



Moreover, if the families of the poor were to be smaller, 

 other good results would follow. Much misery would thus 

 be saved. Taxation would be lessened because there would 

 be less pauperism. On the other hand, larger families 

 amongst the well-to-do would result in a wider and, there- 

 fore, more even distribution of wealth. For all these 

 reasons, there would be less discontent and less political 

 animosity. This again would improve the industrial 

 situation, and consequently lead to a higher standard of 

 living all round. Thus we see that, when looking only to 

 the more immediate effects of human surroundings, all the 

 advantages mentioned in this and the preceding paragraph 

 would be felt if, for example, day labourers had smaller 

 families and artizans and the weU-to-do generally had more 

 children. And in the following chapters we shall see that 

 it is also in this direction that we should move if we wish 

 to improve the actual breed of the race. All social re- 

 formers ought to be able to co-operate in the promotion of 

 reforms aiming at these results. 



