Chapter XV 

 Bigger Families in Good Stocks 



THUS far we have mainly been considering how the 

 inferior strains in oiu* race can be diminished, with 

 the object of raising the tone of the whole nation. We now 

 pass on to discuss how the superior strains can be increased, 

 with the same object in view. This might be done by 

 reducing their death-rate; but this is a matter that is 

 always certain to receive great attention. All that need 

 here be considered is whether there are any practical 

 methods of increasing the birth-rate where that is desirable. 



When a man and his wife die, they leave two gaps in the 

 ranks of the nation. From this it follows that there should 

 be at least two children in each family, if only to fill up 

 these gaps. But some children die early ; others grow up 

 but never marry ; and some who marry have no children. 

 In fact, families must have three or four children on the 

 average to keep up the numbers of the nation. 



If families in any social class contain only one or two 

 children on the average, and if that class were to be kept 

 apart from the rest of the nation, it follows from what has 

 just been said that it would slowly decrease in numbers and 

 finally vanish. Some social classes, as we have seen, are 

 not diminishing in numbers, only because their ranks are 

 being filled from outside. The breed of a class which is 

 producing very small families is, nevertheless, steadily 

 djdng out. When drinking a cup of tea, try filling it up 

 with water after each sip. Go on doing this long enough, 

 and you will find that in the end there is no tea at aU in your 

 cup. In the same way, some good breeds are vanishing, 

 even though the numbers in the groups to which they belong 

 are being kept up by additions from outside. 



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