Civil and Savage Life Compared. 



Soc. : " And if care were not taken in the 

 breeding, your dogs and birds would greatly 

 deteriorate ? " 



D. : "Certainly." 



Soc. : " And the same of the horses, and of 

 animals in general ? " 



D. : " Undoubtedly." 



Soc. : " Good heavens ! my dear friend, what 

 consummate skill will our rulers need if the same 

 principle holds of the human species ? " 



D. : " Certainly, the same principle holds 

 good. But why does this involve any particular 

 skill ? " 



Soc. : " The best of either sex should be united 

 as often, and the inferior as seldom as possible ; 

 and they should rear the offspring of the one sort 

 of union, but not of the other, if the stock is to 

 be maintained." 



This is not likely to meet the views of our 

 present day moralists. Yet there is a good deal 

 more humanity in it then there is in our system 

 of indiscriminate reproduction. 



Wealth seems to be the most important factor 

 in the institution of matrimony to-day. No 

 matter what the contracting parties may be 

 physically or mentally, money is the great con- 

 sideration. Lunatics, epileptics, consumptives, 

 drunkards, criminals, deaf and dumb, halt or 

 blind, all are eligible so long as there is a 

 sufficient amount of money forthcoming, and in 

 many cases even where there is none. 



But there is no need for us to resort to in- 

 fanticide to get out of our difficulties. What 

 we do to-day we do in ignorance ; we allow 



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