INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF EUGENICS 7 



much attention should not be paid to exceptionally un- 

 happy marriages, for to give undue consideration to 

 hard cases makes for bad eugenics. Now to allow 

 divorces to be very easily obtainable would bring to the 

 minds of all the idea that the breaking of the marriage 

 tie must be regarded as a highly probable contingency, 

 and this is a mental attitude which in itself greatly 

 tends to increase the probability of separations taking 

 place. In the absence of such thoughts, temporary dif- 

 ficulties would be far more often overcome, and the 

 family would more often remain united. Divorce must 

 be neither very easy nor very difficult if this highly im- 

 portant aim in regard to married life is most likely to 

 be realized, that is, its continuance unless the conditions 

 become really harmful. 



Perhaps I may add that if compelled to regard 

 divorce solely from the eugenic point of view, I should 

 come to the same conclusion, though with less confidence. 

 The more probable separation appears to be, the more 

 will family limitation be practised ; because the thought 

 would more often arise that when living apart children 

 would be likely to become a serious encumbrance. And 

 if the birth-rate were thus to be lowered, it would be 

 lowered most amongst the foreseeing and the prudent 

 and least amongst the stupid, reckless or improvident. 

 Free divorce would, in fact, tend to increase those dif- 

 ferences in the birth-rate which now constitute the 

 greatest danger to our race. 



The eugenic point which now most needs emphasizing 

 in connection with family life is that no marriage is 

 undertaken without incurring material risks ; that these 

 risks should be studied in advance so as to lessen the 

 number of unwise unions; and that when the risks in- 

 volved have been definitely accepted, a great deal should 

 be endured for the sake of maintaining a united family, 

 that is for the sake of the children already born and to 

 he horn. Divorce is often both cowardly and unpa- 

 triotic. 



