188 H. F. PERKINS 



and fields should be put, and the use of land for vacation grounds offers 

 excellent opportunity for the non-resident owner to make good use of soil 

 and terrain too difficult for agriculture. The whole matter was thoroughly 

 gone over by the Committee on Land Utilization of our Vermont Com- 

 mission and, in conjunction with the migration studies made by the Eugenics 

 Survey, it is plainly indicated that a program of land utilization is definitely 

 called for in Vermont, and the same is undoubtedly as true elsewhere. 



I would remind you of the long list of special committees which were set 

 up to carry on the factfinding investigations of the Country Life Commis- 

 sion. It has been possible to touch upon the activities of only a few. The 

 wealth of material gathered by these earnest, intelligent, capably guided 

 and expertly assisted groups bears upon every phase of living conditions, 

 physical, mental, social, spiritual, in the outposts as well as in the populous 

 parts of Vermont. We not only have as background material for future 

 work in Eugenics, for further studies of family trends and racial differentials, 

 the results of this three years' research, but we have the prospect of utilizing 

 in most practical ways the recommendations of all of these groups of workers. 

 A small army of publicity agents has sprung up and they are putting this 

 information into the hands of the people of the state and pointing out ways 

 in which the state and the communities can draw upon it for their own 

 betterment. 



I am not painting a picture of Elysian fields up there in northern New 

 England. We have no illusions in regard to the inertia that characterizes 

 the Vermonter as well as others. We are well aware that people do not like 

 to be disturbed out of the comfortable ruts in which they have become ac- 

 customed to move even though it may be at a snail's pace. But there are 

 plenty of Vermonters, born or naturalized, who are ready and eager for 

 improvement. Our committeemen, and during the past year our volun- 

 teer spokesmen, have discovered them in every section of the state — people 

 who are willing and glad to promote promising measures of betterment for 

 themselves, their families and their neighbors. 



The quixotic dream of five years ago has already been realized in consider- 

 able part and a splendid beginning has been made towards the speeding up 

 of the best sort of progress built upon the fine traditions of the old state. 



Eugenics in Vermont, then, has already accomplished something and 

 this accomplishment opens the way for further gains, first by giving a clearer 

 conception of those elements in the environment of Vermont which may 

 hinder or help human betterment and second by setting in motion the means 

 of improving the good elements and lessening the bad. 



All this may conceivably eventuate in bringing about in Vermonters an 



