THE ARBITER OF ETHICS 255 



vidual must bring their reactions also on the same in- 

 dividual. 



Now it seems to me that in eugenics of the simplest 

 type there is a possible good. If the advocates of good 

 breeding, and everyone is that to some extent, will 

 work quietly and systematically on the problems of 

 heredity; if they will try to find the effects of criminal- 

 ity and of disease on posterity, we shall then have some 

 reliable facts to work on. We may then hope to ac- 

 complish some more decent plan of isolating the worst 

 of such cases than we have now. And we are sure of 

 the help of society itself, for we know that the human 

 race contains in itself the power of gradually eradicat- 

 ing defective stock from the simple fact, that if it did 

 not possess this power, it would have hopelessly de- 

 generated long ago. But this natural process is slow 

 and if it can be accelerated and guided, eugenics will 

 be valuable. 



There are many of these patient and accurate in- 

 vestigators of the laws of heredity but there are also un- 

 fortunately others, classed professionally as eugenists, 

 whose methods are not so reliable. From their bureaus 

 issue questionnaires which are spread broadcast. The 

 statistics which result are mostly useless and often 

 false, as they are given by untrained people. And 

 they are especially obnoxious as they too frequently 

 make a direct appeal to the morbid. Their so-called 

 laws are based on insufficient evidence. Apparently 



