102 THE KALLIKAK FAMILY 



Because of his very low-grade condition, he never be- 

 comes a parent. 



It is the moron type that makes for us our great 

 problem. And when we face the question, "What is 

 to be done with them with such people as make up a 

 large proportion of the bad side of the Kallikak family ? " 

 we realize that we have a huge problem. 



The career of Martin Kallikak Sr. is a powerful ser- 

 mon against sowing wild oats. Martin Kallikak did 

 what unfortunately many a young man like him has 

 done before and since, and which, still more unfortu- 

 nately, society has too often winked at, as being merely 

 a side step in accordance with a natural instinct, bearing 

 no serious results. It is quite possible that Martin 

 Kallikak himself never gave any serious thought to his 

 act, or if he did, it may have been merely to realize that 

 in his youth he had been indiscreet and had done that 

 for which he was sorry. And being sorry he may have 

 thought it was atoned for, as he never suffered from it 

 any serious consequences. 



Even the people of his generation, however much 

 they may have known about the circumstances, could 

 not have begun to realize the evil that had been done. 

 Undoubtedly, it was only looked upon as a sin because 

 it was a violation of the moral law. The real sin of 



