THE REDUCTION OF THE FECUNDITY OF THE SOCIALLY 



INADEQUATE 



BERNARD MALLET 



London, England 



It has been stated that "Eugenics involves the study of the principles of 

 human heredity in their bearings upon the conservation and progress of the 

 human race. It aims at improving the race by (1) promoting the repro- 

 duction of sound stock, and (2) restricting the fertility of stocks with bad 

 heredity and inferior capacity." These are the aims of "positive" and 

 "negative" eugenics respectively. 



The question I am asked to deal with, of course, concerns negative eugen- 

 ics. As regards positive eugenics there is little controversy, but it is not 

 easy to see how the tendency towards families too small to ensure the per- 

 petuation of sound stocks can be counteracted. A system of family allow- 

 ances is strongly advocated in some quarters, but no statistical proof of the 

 eugenic effect of the existing systems in such countries as France, Belgium, 

 appears to be forthcoming, and the only system which will have a practical 

 chance of success in England is that of Flat Rate Allowances of 5/- a week 

 for each additional child, which would provide little inducement to parents 

 with a relatively high standard of living to increase their families, but would 

 certainly constitute an inducement to the less desirable element of the popu- 

 lation. There is little hope in these days of further relief from the burden of 

 taxation upon the classes whose limitation is deplored, but there is, perhaps, 

 room for experiments like that of the Eugenic Settlement at Les Jardins 

 Ungemach near Strassbourg, which gives a practical demonstration of a 

 most valuable kind of what can be done to preserve and increase the birth 

 rate among the better type. The only real hope, however, seems to lie in 

 the spread of eugenic knowledge, and of the realisation of the danger arising 

 from the differential fertility of the social classes, which may in time have 

 the result of encouraging and increasing reproduction from sound stocks in 

 all classes. Equally important is the creation of a eugenic conscience 

 among those classes and persons whose fertility there are reasons for wish- 

 ing to see restricted; and the education of the whole community on these 

 questions must, therefore, always be the primary object with eugenists. 

 Propaganda lectures and addresses, combined with the publication of the 



364 



