Evolution of Intelligence 71 



man beings of high intelligence descended from 

 ancestors which were mentally lower than those 

 human beings we now call feeble-minded. 



The eugenists tell us that from feeble-minded 

 parents we can get only feeble-minded descend- 

 ants and are urging that we segregate or sterilize 

 all persons below some illy defined standard of 

 mental development. Evolution tells us that the 

 best we have came from ancestors lower than 

 what we now call feeble-minded. 



The eugenist professes to believe in evolu- 

 tion, and at the same time he preaches a doctrine 

 which denies evolution. When confronted with 

 this contradiction and asked to explain it, the 

 eugenist assumes that at some time in the dis- 

 tant past, when there were giants and fairies in 

 the world, things just happened which don't 

 happen any more. Try to find out from a 

 eugenist or biologist just what happened or how 

 it happened, that intelligent descendants came 

 from unintelligent ancestors and one runs into 

 ideas so vague and nebulous that they are 

 matched by nothing short of the superstitions of 

 savages. 



