Present and Prospective 219 



of man, itself slowly perfected through the ages 

 and still perfecting, and the growth of man's 

 understanding and power takes place through 

 growing knowledge and observance of its laws — 

 being a growth of Nature through him, a part of 

 it — medical science will obviously play a large 

 pan in the future improvement of the race. In his 

 desire to found a science of Eugenics by discovery 

 of the laws of good breeding in families, Mr. 

 Galton would have well-constituted persons chosen 

 to mate with well- constituted persons, looking 

 forward to the establishment of a suitable 

 authority to grant certificates of good health of 

 mind and body to those who propose to marry, 

 so that eventually a superior human stock may 

 gradually be produced. Inasmuch, however, as 

 the inferior persons would go on breeding after 

 their kind, the result might be two species of 

 human beings ; a result clean contrary to the 

 philanthropic principles of a democratic age, 

 which aspires to embrace the lowest specimen 

 of the race as a man and a brother — in heaven 

 ultimately, at all events, although not for the 

 present on earth. The problem of human 

 breeding, however, is far from so simple as that 

 of the lower animals, both as regards the forces 

 concerned and the nature of the desired product. 

 Man is a very complex organic mechanism, framed 

 to function, not like horse or dog in certain set 

 ways, but in adaptive thoughts and feelings, these 

 being the superior essence of him ; and it nowise 



