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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIV. No. 1397 



which we can now profitably exchange one with 

 another, but also our actual experiences; and, 

 as I have been for ten years president of a 

 British society for the promotion of eugenics, 

 it occurred to me that it might interest you to 

 hear something about our aims, our methods 

 and our difficulties. I look forward to the time 

 when eugenical societies will exist in all popu- 

 lous centers, their work being to strive to build 

 up a social superstructure on the scientific 

 foundations laid by central organizations en- 

 gaged in biological and eugenical research. 

 Whilst these much needed societies are passing 

 through the period of their adolescence, we 

 may be sure that they will not be without their 

 growing pains and their difficulties; and these 

 difficulties will certainly be more easily over- 

 come if clearly realized in advance. I hope, 

 therefore, that existing societies will not 

 scruple to air their troubles in public ! 



When an association is being created with 

 any social object in view, a demand is likely 

 to be made for a clear and rigid definition of 

 the policy which is to be promoted by it; and 

 from such demands may arise not only the first 

 juvenile ailments of eugenical societies, but 

 also occasional internal inflammations later in 

 life. Now I was recently asked to state once 

 again in broad and general terms what are the 

 aims of my society, such a statement being 

 needed not so much for our own information 

 as to enable us to make our position more clear 

 to the general public. The main difficulty in 

 replying to this request lay in the fact that 

 experience has taught us that attempts to de- 

 cide in detail exactly what may be advocated 

 and what should be condemned by eugenists 

 are more likely to do harm than good by un- 

 duly restricting eugenic activities. A choice 

 has always to be made between a smaller so- 

 ciety with narrower aims and a larger society 

 tolerating wider divergences of opinion; and 

 although both plans have, their advantages, yet 

 in a young and growing subject like eugenics 

 care should be taken not to injuriously hamper 

 future liberty of action by too rigid definitions 

 of policy. Wliat seemed to me to be needed 

 was a eugenic sign post, with arms pointing, 

 not to every by-path, but to the various main 



roads along which our society should strive to 

 advance; and the conclusions I then reached I 

 now repeat in the hope that they may prove to 

 be of some interest to a wider circle of friends. 



The first words which I uttered as the presi- 

 dent of my society ten years ago were that 

 heredity should be its guiding star, and in that 

 opinion I have never faltered. A good deal of 

 progress has been made since that date, and 

 now the man who calls himself well educated 

 is as a rule beginning to have some dim idea 

 that all human beings are the product of two 

 factors, heredity and environment, and that 

 consequently to both of them some attention 

 should be paid. Now if a eugenical society 

 accepts only one of these factors, namely here- 

 dity, as the foundation on which all its opera- 

 tions ought to be built, its members should 

 as individuals most clearly emphasize the fact 

 that all those who are striving to improve 

 human surroundings have their warm sym- 

 pathy. Of course eugenists cannot approve of 

 such measures as would injure mankind as a 

 whole, the future as well as the present being 

 taken into account; but, putting that possi- 

 bility aside, we personally should give our 

 blessing to many reforms which eugenical so- 

 cieties do not help to promote. We see as 

 clearly as anyone that to take steps tending to 

 produce in the future a race with the best pos- 

 sible natural qualities would be a futile pro- 

 ceeding unless we hoped that when such a race 

 did appear great care would be taken to give 

 to it good surroundings. If eugenical societies 

 confine their attention exclusively to heredity, 

 it is only because so many other societies think 

 only of environment. 



It is true that sometimes it may be neces- 

 sary to indicate that the high hopes entertained 

 by reformers of to-day are not justified by past 

 experiences. It may be said with only a micro- 

 scopic divergence from the truth that all re- 

 forms since civilization began have been based 

 on attempts to improve human surroundings; 

 and we may ask those who found their hopes 

 for the future only on changes being made in 

 environment to consider how much has thus 

 been accomplished since history began. As to 

 our highest moral ideals, is it not true that for 



