EUGENICS IN THE FUTURE 71 



whether coming from public or private funds. And we 

 thus see that philanthropy is constantly helping to defeat its 

 own aims. No check must, however, be placed on these 

 noble efforts to lessen human suffering. What we have to 

 seek for is some way of counteracting those consequences of 

 philanthropy which are harmful. 



Another general question which has to be considered is 

 whether any couple has the right in all circumstances to 

 bring offspring into the world. Here we have first to ask, 

 What is the meaning of the word " right " ? If a man says 

 he has a right to live to the age of eighty, such a statement 

 is meaningless ; because all men cannot be made to live to 

 that age. If a man says he has a right to vote at a certain 

 election, he means that the Government ought to see to it 

 that he can record his vote on that occasion. The right of 

 one person always implies an obligation on some other person 

 or persons. And it is only by considering the obligation 

 side of these questions that light can be thrown on them. 



As to an unlimited right to parenthood, this would imply 

 an obligation on the part of the State to see to it that all 

 couples could always produce as many children as they 

 liked. - But the State does not do this in the case of persons 

 confined in prisons or other institutions. And surely the 

 State ought not to facilitate the appearance of such off- 

 spring as would be likely to produce an injurious effect on 

 all future generations. The right to parenthood cannot be 

 unlimited. 



There are, however, other rights which must be held 

 in view. It is generally held that all men have a right to 

 live. If so, every child must, to say the least, be kept alive, 

 if necessary by public assistance. If nothing else were 

 done, this assistance would, as we have seen, tend to 

 encourage the inferior to produce more children. For this 

 reason the State may justly accompany public assistance 

 with certain conditions as to the further production of 

 children. 



Returning to the limitation of the size of the families of 

 those we have caUed dependents, we have seen that they 



