EUGENICS 503 



A. "Natural," i.e., independent of human volition. 



B. Due to human volition, but not deliberately 

 eugenic. 



C. Purposeful eugenic efforts. 



It becomes, therefore, not a question whether in- 

 fluences modifying the race shall exist, but whether, 

 since they do and will exist, we desire to control them 

 in any way. It is difficult to escape our responsibility 

 in this matter. We have to a considerable extent the 

 choice of good and evil, and must perforce choose. 



8. It is not possible, and were it possible, not de- Thein- 

 sirable, to extend our scientific operations over the defects 

 whole field, bringing all the influences affecting the 

 race under the group C. It is a matter for careful 

 consideration, how much we wish deliberately to 

 control. In future ages the increased knowledge and 

 intelligence of man may justify him in attempting 

 what would now be wholly unwise. Nevertheless, 

 enough evidence has accumulated in the last ten or 

 twenty years to prove that certain physical and mental 

 defects are inherited, and are connected with particular 

 determiners in the germ plasm. Thus, two persons 

 having a certain type of feeble-mindedness will cer- 

 tainly have only feeble-minded or mentally defective 

 children. It does not appear very radical or extreme 

 to postulate that no one has the right deliberately to 

 bring feeble-minded offspring into the world. To be 

 sure, those doing this are not capable of judging of 

 their actions ; but society is capable, and society may 

 well put forth a restraining hand. Proper institu- 

 tional care of the mentally defective thus becomes not 

 merely an act of kindness and justice to these un- 

 fortunates, but also a most important protection to 

 society itself. 



