THE BIRTH-RATE 69 



What, it may be asked, do we mean by this idea of 

 race ? Why is it necessary to attach so much import- 

 ance to the effects of a selective birth-rate ? 



It is essential to remember that, as an isolated indi- 

 vidual, man cannot fulfil his highest destiny. It is as 

 a portion of an organic whole, as the member of a 

 specific race, that he is able to express himself most 

 fully. All we can learn from the structure of society 

 shows us that the relative position of each individual 

 in regard to others is not arbitrary, but is probably 

 determined by some factor depending on the values 

 to be attached to character, power or intelligence. It 

 is therefore of supreme importance to each individual 

 that the composition of the people among whom his 

 lot is cast should be ascending in the scale of values, 

 lest he find himself bound up in a society of which 

 the weight will surely drag him down. No man lives 

 to himself alone ; and it is this fact that justifies a 

 nation in taking thought how to surround those who 

 will shortly be called upon to express its aspirations 

 and embody its traditions with the best possible con- 

 ditions as regards companionship in the future. 



A great deal has been written on the subject of race. 

 A book recently translated from the German into 

 English, The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century^ has 

 put a conception into the arena of thought, with which 

 the sociologist will have to take account. The great 

 things of the world are accomplished by individuals 

 who have a strong personality, and by races which 

 have a strong race-personality. Within a nation itself, 

 the best work is done by groups or sections of the 

 people that are easily recognized and have strongly 



