Eugenics as a Greed and the Last Decade of Gallon's Life 299 



albinism in man has been going on for three years and is far from completed ; it is precisely 

 so with the tuberculosis and insanity researches. No Fellow in his one or two years of work 

 could attempt to complete a six years' research of this kind, but he could help in carrying on 

 such work, and publish during his period of office such researches as happened to be nearing 

 completion. I think in this way he might keep the eugenics idea before the public; but the 

 scheme is essentially based upon the " secular " accumulation of data and continuity in the 

 direction of the office such as we have had here in our biometric work. If you think I could 

 aid in such a plan I will do so willingly, and am ready to place at the disposal of your office 

 such inquiries as we have in hand relating to man, but I should need to control the manner in 

 which the data were reduced, and see that the material which has taken considerable time and 

 much energy to collect was properly dealt with. 



On the other hand I am conscious that much may be done on eugenic lines apart from 

 biometric methods, if you can only get the right man, but it is doubtful whether there would 

 be continuity in the work or any permanent collecting of records. Still an able man would 

 advertise the subject much better than I can do with many other claims on my energies, and 

 I do not wish to minimise this aspect of the matter. I will always under any conditions of 

 your Office, give it what aid lies in my power and you may wish for. My hope would be that, 

 if you let matters slide for a little now, you will be ready and able to take up the directive 

 work again in a few months' time. 



I have no idea what Lister will say, but I expect it will be a protracted fight ! There is 

 another man asking all sorts of questions in the Times to-day ! 



Affectionately yours, Karl Pearson. 



It will not be needful to print more than one other letter from me 

 regarding the association of the Eugenics Record Office with the Biometric 

 Laboratory, namely, that of placing before Galton the draft plan of the 

 " Galton Laboratory for National Eugenics" (see below,- pp. 304-307). I do 

 this to indicate that the lines on which that Laboratory has been run since 

 Galton's death were settled by the letters which passed between us in 1906, 

 and to remind the reader that the Galton Laboratory was actually started 

 early in 1907 under its present Director, and except in the matter of greater 

 power and activity was not modified in any essential manner by Galton's 

 death in 1 9 1 1 . It is, perhaps, unnecessary to state that the text of Galton's 

 will of 1908 and the codicil to the same will dated 1909 were not those 

 which the following letters indicate that he put before me for criticism in 

 1906; the latter belonged to a will of the same year. The substance of the 

 final paragraph of the codicil of May 25, 1909, was first made known to 

 me by Galton's executors. 



While in 1911 I was glad and proud to be elected Galton Professor, 

 especially as it was in accordance with Galton's wish, it was with much hesita- 

 tion that I took over in 1906 the voluntary task of supervising his Eugenics 

 Office. Above all things I dreaded that any difference of view between us as 

 to work should in the slightest impair what to me was a most perfect friendship. 

 It is a sign of Galton's generosity and large-mindedness that although he 

 remained thoroughly interested in what we did, he never once attempted 

 in the least to control us or to express anything but keen satisfaction in our 

 proceedings. When I recall that Galton was always a man of very definite 

 opinions, that the science of Eugenics was his creation not mine, and lastly 

 that in these four years of my supervision Galton passed from 84 to 88 years 

 of age, — a time when the majority of those who survive grow querulous and 



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