iv] STATISTICAL STUDY 51 



marriage among such unfortunates than would other- 

 wise be the case, for then an increased number of 

 defective children may be born, and the race-average 

 be lowered. Hence has arisen the study known as 

 ' Eugenics/ the study, that is, of the methods by 

 which the race may be improved both physically and 

 mentally. The whole trend of the results obtained 

 is that in order to produce exceptionally gifted men 

 in both body and mind, those with high development 

 of the characters desired should be encouraged to 

 marry ; and that to prevent the production of the 

 weakly and feeble-minded, the only method is to 

 prevent such from having offspring. It is admitted 

 that at present these things hardly come within 

 ' practical politics/ but there is little doubt that the 

 nation which first finds a way to make them practical 

 will in a very short time be the leader of the world. 



42 



