THE DETERIORATION OF OUR BREED 65 



If these labourers join a group of artizans, they may, 

 however, do no more than fill up the gaps made in the ranks 

 of that group in consequence of its low birth-rate. The 

 relative numbers of the labourers and artizans groups may 

 remain unchanged. But how about their relative qualities ? 

 The good genes brought with him by the incoming labourer 

 might, it is true, at first tend to raise the standard of the 

 artizan group in the coming generations. We have seen, 

 however, that these incoming labourers would continually 

 deteriorate in quality; with the result that the artizan 

 class which received them must in time also begin to 

 deteriorate. The artizans would acquire some superiority 

 over the labourers in natural qualities ; though in the end all 

 would begin to go slowly down the hill together, the labourers 

 merely leading the way, and all other classes following after 

 them. 



Every position should, no doubt, be filled by the man best 

 fitted to fill it, whatever might have been his origin. That 

 men of good parts should continually keep mounting the 

 social ladder is certainly all to the good. The alarming 

 fact is that big gaps occur in every generation in the ranks 

 of the -skilled artizans and in other valuable classes. This 

 is because married couples are failing badly in their duty 

 of keeping up the numbers of the nation. These gaps in 

 their ranks are being filled up by means of transfers from 

 classes with a higher birth-rate; and these new-comers, 

 when they have risen, also begin to have small families. 

 It is the big and little families at the two ends of the scale 

 that are the cause of the mischief. 



All that has just been said assumes that the men picked 

 out for the better-paid jobs have, as a rule, better qualities 

 than those who are less successful. All must agree that 

 many men fail to win high wages because they are weak, 

 sickly, foolish, ill-tempered, drunken, careless, or dishonest. 

 In reply it may be said that some evil qualities make for 

 success, including greed, ambition, carelessness for the 

 welfare of others, etc. This is true in a measure ; but these 

 bad qualities are far outweighed by the good quahties 



