18 HISTORICAL 



of the last century that all the problems connected with quantity 

 fell into their proper setting owing to the work of Darwin and 

 Wallace, both of whom acknowledged their debt to Malthus. The 

 latter, though he did not in any way realize the fact, was discussing 

 a point which is most intimately connected with evolution, and 

 both Darwin and Wallace were influenced by their acquaintance 

 with the work of Malthus in arriving at their explanation of the 

 process of evolution. Thus from the time of Darwin and Wallace 

 it has been possible to view the population problem as a whole, 

 though the discussions of the problems connected with quantity 

 have been pursued independently not only before but also after 

 the pubhcation of the Origin of Species. 



Problems of quality did not arouse the same early interest. It is, 

 of course, well known that Plato was occupied with this aspect 

 of the whole problem ; ^ Roman authors also commented upon 

 the eugenic bearing of certain practices.^ In later days in a 

 remarkable book Campanella dwelt upon the importance of good 

 breeding.^ But the interest in quality was not, as was the interest 

 in quantity, widespread or long maintained ; it was not until the 

 origin of living species by evolution had been generally accepted 

 and some knowledge of inheritance had been gained, that problems 

 of quality came to occupy anything more than the passing atten- 

 tion of mankind.* J. S. Mill and Buckle, for instance, both of 

 whose opinions were formed just before the time when the impor- 

 tance of heredity came to be appreciated, deny that it is in any 

 way relevant to the study of social problems.^ 



2. In the preface to the greatly enlarged second edition of his 

 famous book Malthus stated that he had found many references 

 to the subject of which he had not been aware when he published 

 the first volume.^ He acknowledged that several authors had 

 shown themselves to have possessed a grasp of the ' principle ' 



1 On this subject see Roper, Ancient Eugenics. ^ Roper (loc. cit., p. 12) 



quotes Seneca as follows : ' We drown the weakling and the monstrosity. It is 

 not passion, but reason, to separate the useless from the fit.' ' Campanella, 



Civitas Solis. 



* Mr. Roper in his book quoted above exaggerates the attention paid in early 

 times to quality. He says, for instance, when speaking of infanticide and similar 

 practices, that ' these barbaric eugenics . . . were concerned with questions both 

 of quantity and of quality ' (p. 11). As will be pointed out later, these practices 

 were in fact primarily concerned with quantity ; such bearing as they had upon 

 quality was incidental. 



' See, for instance. Mill, Principles of Political Economy, vol. i, p. 389. Darwin 

 commented upon this aspect of Mill's work {Descent o/ Man, p. 98). 



* Malthus, Essay on the Principle oj Population, vol. i, p. 5. 



