348 Life and Letters of Francis Galton 



The first evidence that strongly impressed Galton, even in those early 

 Cambridge days, was that of the Senior Classics. To be Senior Classic was 

 scarcely less a feat than to be Senior Wrangler in the good old days when 

 " Seniors " existed. Yet out of forty-one Senior Classics Galton found six 

 who had a father, son or brother who was Senior Classic, or in one case a 

 Senior Wrangler. He remarks that no mere tuition could account for this, 

 they must have been born with exceptional capacity. He found that in every 

 form of bodily and mental activity the same rule applied — those who 

 achieved most had more achieving kinsmen than chance or good teaching 

 could account for. 



We thus recognise the birth of the ideas which came to fruition in 

 Hereditary Genius as occurring when Galton was at Cambridge, surveying 

 unnoticed the academic phenomena around him. At that time, he remarks, 

 there were " no means such as we now have — thanks to the development of 

 statistical science — of measuring with numerical exactness the closeness of 

 the various kinships." 



From these observations the lecturer said he had concluded that man 

 was not an exceptional creature in respect to heredity, and that what applied 

 to other animals and to plants applied also to him : 



" I perceived that the importance ascribed by all intelligent farmers and gardeners to good 

 stock might take a wider range. It is a first step with farmers and gardeners to endeavour to 

 obtain good breeds of domestic animals and sedulously to cultivate plants, for it pays them 

 well to do so. All serious inquirers into heredity now know that qualities gained by good 

 nourishment and by good education never descend by inheritance, but perish with the individual, 

 whilst inborn qualities are transmitted. It is therefore a waste of labour to try so to improve 

 a poor stock by careful feeding or careful gardening as to place it on a level with a good stock. 



" The question was then forced upon me — Could not the race of men be similarly improved 1 

 Could not the undesirables be got rid of and the desirables multiplied 1 Evidently the methods 

 used in animal breeding were quite inappropriate to human society, but were there no gentler 

 ways of obtaining the same end, it might be more slowly, but almost as surely 1 The answer 

 to these questions was a decided ' Yes,' and in this way I lighted on what is now known as 

 ' Eugenics.' 



" Eugenics has been defined as ' The study of those agencies which under social control may 

 improve or impair the racial qualities of future generations, either physically or mentally.' It 

 aims at showing clearly how much harm is being done by some one course of action, and how 

 much good by some other, and how closely connected social practices are with the future vigour 

 of the nation. Its procedure is the reverse of fanatical ; it puts social problems in a clear white 

 light, neither exaggerating nor underrating the effects of the influences concerned. It is probable 

 that even democratic governments will hereafter appreciate the value of Eugenic studies, and 

 deduce from their results recognised guides to conduct. Such governments would be compelled 

 to do so in their own self-defence, if not on higher grounds ; otherwise they would come to an 

 end, for a democracy cannot endure unless it be composed of capable citizens. 



"The influence of public opinion, together with such reasonable public and private help as 

 public opinion may approve of and support, is quite powerful enough to produce a large, though 

 gentle, Eugenic effect. It is already becoming possible through Eugenic study to foresee with 

 much assurance that such-and-such proposed action will influence a definite percentage of the 

 population, though we cannot at present, and probably never shall be able to, foretell whether 

 the individuals so affected will be A, B, G, or X, Y, Z. 



" To the statesman this individualisation is unimportant, since individuals are only pawns in 

 the great game which he plays. The true philanthropist, however, concerns himself both with 

 society as a whole and with as many of the individuals that compose it as the range of his 

 affections is wide enough to include. If a man devotes himself solely to the good of the nation 



