^36 THE CONTROL OF LIFE 



far in social surgery without outraging social sentiment 

 in its finest expressions, and shaking the foundations of 

 our modern system. 



(5) Given an understanding of natural inheritance 

 and the influence of nurture, given a pride of race and 

 a pride in having a vigorous family, giv^en an enthusiasm 

 for health, many more positive methods of * improving 

 the breed ' will occur. A community which realises the 

 racial value of fine types, of men, let us say, with high 

 artistic gifts and vigorous physique, will in its criticised 

 expenditure tend to secure their continuance. The 

 applications of this economic idea of " the criticism of 

 consumption " are endless and far-reaching. All expen- 

 diture which promotes unhealthy rather than healthy 

 occupations, which helps to multiply undesirable types, 

 which makes for sweated labour and slums rather than 

 for well-paid work and gardens, is necessarily dysgenic 

 and not eugenic. 



(6) There is hopefulness also in a practical criticism 

 of those processes which at present thin the ranks of 

 mankind to little or no purpose. Thus, it is certain 

 that many microbic diseases are not discriminatively 

 selective, but effect only a wasteful thinning of the 

 population. 



(7) Much betterment may be looked for from a patient 

 persistence in education — ^if only that could be read- 

 justed to modern conditions and informed with sound 

 psychology. Apart from mere discipline, it may be 

 said that there are three main ' subjects ' in education : 

 — (a) the history of our race, (6) the world in which we 



