LUTHER BURBANK 



Negative eugenics aims to prevent the birth of 

 the unfit; positive eugenics aims to bring about 

 the birth of the fit. 



We must consider each of these subjects inde- 

 pendently, but.it may fairly be said at the outset 

 that negative eugenics has far wider present-day 

 application and is of more immediately practical 

 import to our race than positive eugenics. 



THE BREEDING OF THE UNFIT 



It is a familiar observation everywhere to-day 

 that the better classes of citizens as a rule have 

 fewer children than the less desirable classes. 



A striking illustration of this is furnished by 

 some statistics recently collected by Professor 

 Cattell, of Columbia University, showing that the 

 families of a large number of the more distin- 

 guished scientific men in America consist, on the 

 average, of less than two members. And this ob- 

 servation is fairly in accord with the general 

 observation, according to which the members of 

 the community that should be looked to, from a 

 eugenic standpoint, to propagate the species are 

 the ones who have the smallest families. 



Contrariwise, it is matter of equally familiar 

 observation that the people of the slums of our 

 cities, the recent immigrants representing the 

 lower orders of European population, and the de- 

 fective and criminal classes, are vigorous and 

 prolific breeders. 



This, obviously, amounts to saying that in- 



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