NURTURE VERSUS NATURE 



heritable maladies at their source than merely to 

 attempt to guard a single avenue among many 

 through which they may be transmitted. 



Nevertheless, the placing on the statute books 

 of several states of laws of the character just 

 noted may be taken as marking a very notable 

 stage in the progress of the eugenic propaganda. 



POSITIVE EUGENICS 



All the measures thus far suggested obviously 

 look to the restriction of the breeding of the unfit, 

 arid leave quite untouched the converse side of 

 the problem namely, the stimulation of the re- 

 productive activities of the fit. But we have al- 

 ready called attention to the familiar fact that 

 there is a great dearth of children among pre- 

 cisely the classes who are best adapted, through 

 heredity and through the environment that their 

 homes supply, to furnish desirable citizens of the 

 next generation. 



It is obvious, however, that any attempt to 

 regulate the size of the families of the better 

 classes of society lies far beyond the bounds of 

 present-day legislation. The time may come when 

 special bonuses will be offered in the way of ex- 

 emption from taxation or direct government sub- 

 sidy for large families. Such an expedient is not 

 without historical precedent. But it may safely 

 be predicted that if it should ever seem necessary 

 to resort to so extreme a measure in any civilized 

 community of the future, the provision will not 



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