272 Life and Letters of Francis Galton 



Galton had in reality a deeply religious nature, and in this sense we 

 must read the concluding sentences of this memoir in which he again 

 emphasises the conception that Eugenics will hereafter receive the sanction 

 of religion, even of the present Christian doctrine. 



"It may be asked 'how it can be shown that Eugenics falls within the purview of our 

 own faith.' It cannot, any more than the duty of making provision for the future needs of 

 oneself and family, which is a cardinal feature of modern civilisation, can be deduced from 

 the Sermon on the Mount. Religious precepts founded on the ethics and practice of olden 

 days require to be reinterpreted to make them conform to the needs of progressive nations. 

 Ours are already so far behind modern requirements that much of our practice and our pro- 

 fession cannot be reconciled without illegitimate casuistry. It seems to me that few things are 

 more needed by us in England than a revision of our religion, to adapt it to the intelligence 

 and needs of the present time. A form of it is wanted that shall be founded on reasonable 

 bases, and enforced by reasonable hopes and fears, and that preaches honest morals in unam- 

 biguous language, which good men who take their part in the work of the world and who 

 know the dangers of sentimentalisin may pursue without reservation." (pp. 12-13.) 



Such was Galton's view on the need for the reform of religion. There are 

 several addenda to this paper which I will briefly note here. 



In his Reply to speakers (pp. 49-51) Galton remarked that Eugenics is 

 a wide study with an excessive number of side paths into which those that 

 discuss it are apt to stray. Such was essentially the case in the present 

 instance where Galton in his paper had limited himself to the question of 

 whether communities will submit to restriction in marriage. The subjects 

 dealt with in the reply were: 



(i) Certificates. These were to be of mens sana in corpore sano and 

 were to regard ability, physique and hereditary factors. Of these Galton says 

 that such Eugenic certificates could only be issued at some future time 

 dependent on circumstances. He admits that mistakes may be made at first 

 in devising a satisfactory system but is hopeful for the future. As we 

 shall see later, Galton in the following year actually drafted a scheme for 

 Eugenic certificates. In the surviving fragmentary chapter of his utopia 

 " Kan tsay where," dealing with the College of that place, there is a very full 

 account of the examinations for Eugenic certificates. 



(ii) Breeding for Points. Critics had suggested that breeding of domes- 

 ticated animals is successful because they are bred for individual points. 



and do pray conscientiously and fervently, though probably in a different form from that you 

 yourself employ." May 12, 1907 : " Did I ever tell you that I have always made it a habit to 

 pray before writing anything for publication, that there be no self-seeking in it, and perfect 

 candour together with respect for the feelings of others." And again, Jan. 20, 1910: "I have 

 read a most interesting article in the English Review by Prof r Murray, the Professor of Greek 

 at Oxford, on the working religion of the Pagan Greeks at about a.d. 400 (Marcus Aurelius' 

 time). He gives extracts from two writers of that date beautifully expressed. One of them is a 

 man named Eusebius (not the Eusebius) which is in the form of a prayer such as I would employ. 

 It is not 'give me this or that,' but 'may I not fall into this or that faulty conduct.' It is an 

 aspiration not a solicitation. The prayer in question would be a valuable addition to any 

 prayer-book to say the least. I should like it and others like it to replace almost all that are 

 there." 



This is the opinion of a man whose paper on prayer of 1872 had led to his treatment as 

 a very flippant freethinker ! See our Vol. n, pp. 115, 175, 258, etc. 



