76 RACE.IMPROVEMENT IN SWEDEN 



prises have arranged the housing question for their workers in a excellent manner. 

 The larger towns have made great sacrifices to help forward the question of own 

 homes for the people. Even the State has granted means to facilitate the starting 

 of own homes and small holdings out in the country. Motions have also been 

 raised in Parliament respecting measures for keeping the youth of the country* 

 side on the land, although at present without any especial success. It is to be 

 hoped that this question can soon be taken up over the whole line, and be made 

 the object of a thorough investigation. The Swedish statisticians and sociologists 

 P. Fahlbeck, G. Sundberg and N. Wohlin have during many years, devoted both 

 time and strength to answering these questions. It is namely of the greatest im» 

 portance that our old peasant stock shall be preserved and that the nativity within 

 these circles, which can be considered as the eugenically more valuable, does not 

 diminish too fast on account of the state of affairs within the agricultural world 

 being altogether too low. 



One cannot of course by means of peremptory language compel the best in= 

 dividuals to increased production of children, but one can lighten the way to par* 

 entage for them and reduce the burden of a large family of children. The vol* 

 untary restriction in the number of children, especially among the better situated 

 classes, has unfortunately with us, as in other places, become more and more 

 common. Thus while the frequency of marriage has increased a little during the 

 last few years (6.9 °/oo 1919), the frequency of birth has steadily declined (19.6 %o 

 in 1919 and 25.6 °,'oo in 1909). The increase in the population is small (5.7 %o 

 in 1919). A law was passed in 1911 against preventive means, but it has 

 not acted in the manner contemplated and up till now it has not been pos< 

 sible in any other way either to amend the evil. The best way without doubt is 

 to try to lighten the economical troubles of the breadwinners. The State ought 

 to support their endeavours to win a home of their own, which is of all the more 

 importance as families having a large number of children often have a great diffi» 

 culty in renting a flat or any other place. During hundreds of years we have 

 enjoyed the great advantage of free education or of its costing only a small fee, 

 which has been a considerable relief for the fathers of families. It has also been 

 of great importance for the circulation of the classes, which has existed in our 

 country since the olden times, and thanks to which children from the peasant 

 and middle classes through their personal ability can work their way upwards to 

 the highest honours the state has to give. During these last years by means of 

 supplemental wages and reduction of the rates and taxes for familysfathers an 

 attempt has been made to improve their financial position. The advantages the 

 breadwinners have gained in this way, have however up to the present been so 

 slight, that any real effect can hardly be expected. One is going quite certainly 

 to proceed further upon the way marked out. In the meantime it is of impor* 

 tance that such advantages should be reserved for indivuals who are satisfactory 

 from the race*biological point of view, and who can be expected to leave a good 

 posterity, and that it should not be dealt out with too niggard a hand. 



The fight against the so»called race=poisons, above all against alcohol and 

 syphilis, are carried on intensively. It is perhaps of more importance for the pri» 

 vate individual and his surroundings, but has also, at least indirectly, some im» 



