THE HUMAN PLANT 351 



his own race, notwithstanding the obvious advan- 

 tages that have resulted from the scientific breed- 

 ing of races of plants and animals. 



Of late, however, it has gradually dawned on 

 the intelligent people of the world that the laws 

 of heredity which confessedly apply to man 

 might rationally be given consideration in the 

 breeding of races of men. The new science of 

 eugenics, named and in large part originated by 

 the late Sir Francis Galton, has received an 

 amount of attention in very recent years that it 

 could not possibly have hoped to receive had it 

 been brought to the attention of the public even 

 twenty years ago. And it cannot well be doubted 

 that the demonstrations as to the possibility of 

 improving the races of valued plants by selective 

 breeding made at Santa Rosa and Sebastopol 

 have had their share in calling public attention to 

 the possible benefits that may accrue from the 

 systematic and intelligent application of the 

 principles of heredity. 



A general appreciation of the unity of life 

 forces as well as of life substances, due primarily 

 to the spread of the Darwinian doctrine, has pre- 

 pared the public to look with unbiased eyes for 

 the first time on the human race itself as an 

 evolution product that owes its preeminence to 

 the conscious utilization of natural forces and 



