268 THE MEANING OF EVOLUTION 



have been criminals simply because they were reared 

 among- criminals, because their surroundings were 

 such as to lead them away from habits of industry, 

 while they must live. These people were not bol- 

 stered by society, or the church, into a life of self-re- 

 spect and self-help. Under these circumstances they 

 fell into evil ways. There is nothing defective in 

 their mental or physical makeup, that need appear in 

 their children. If these children are removed from 

 contact with the criminal class they stand every 

 chance of being as vigorous, as intelligent, as upright 

 as the average of the community. 



At the recent Eugenics Congress in London one of 

 the speakers expressed a preference for the son of a 

 husky burglar over the son of a tuberculous bishop. 

 This is doubtless quite correct, but why should the 

 bishop be tuberculous? The truth of the matter is, 

 the reverse is more likely to be the case. Personally, 

 I should prefer to be the offspring of a husky bishop. 

 In dealing with criminals, then, with a view to cut- 

 ting off their posterity, we must be careful to under- 

 stand whether we are dealing with a hereditary or 

 an acquired criminality. If there is a genuine heredi- 

 tary criminal taint, society is right in freeing itself 

 of it. If it is acquired criminality, then it is not 

 transmissible, and the offspring, if placed in a good 

 environment, are likely to be good citizens. All of 



