Febkuary 18, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



223 



this subject insist that there is but one side 

 to the shield. They see only where Ameri- 

 can life strain has been reduced and resent 

 as a species of treason any reference to ad- 

 verse tendencies. Naturally, this results in 

 misunderstandings and misinterpretations 

 of simple facts. 



For instance, the average person inter- 

 prets the declining general death rate and 

 the increase in the average years of life as 

 a sign that the race is growing stronger, 

 that its capacity to stand the stress of mod- 

 ern life is increasing. The fact is over- 

 looked that the decline in the death rate 

 in recent years is almost wholly due to the 

 saving of lives in infancy, childhood and 

 early adult life from the germ diseases. 

 These diseases are really accidents. They 

 are not the result of the wear and tear of 

 life. The declining death rate means, then, 

 not that we have grown physically stronger, 

 but that we have learned to step around 

 certain dangers. 



The advance in medical science and in 

 general intelligence is saving lives in all 

 age periods. But this does not indicate 

 any gain in our vital strength. In fact, 

 the death rate in middle life and old age 

 from the degenerative diseases has in- 

 creased steadily for years. 



Another factor that is often misunder- 

 stood is the effect of the survival of the 

 weak. Formerly only the strong survived 

 infancy. In the past thirty-five years 

 many lives weakened by germ diseases have 

 been saved, and when they have had time 

 to reach age forty and beyond they will 

 undoubtedly affect the death rate in that 

 period. The increase which has already 

 occurred in the mortality rate in that 

 period must be charged to other causes. 



This low-powered group will need care- 

 ful health guidance to reach middle life and 

 is obviously an element of weakness in the 

 upbuilding of national vitality. 



THE LOW-POWERED GROUP 



We rejoice over our marvelous increase 

 in wealth and in the wonderful develop- 

 ment of time-saving and labor-saving de- 

 vices, and we would not go back to the old 

 living conditions if we could. 



We must recognize, however, that these 

 extraordinary changes in our methods of 

 living during the past two generations have 

 operated greatly to disturb our race stabil- 

 ity. 



Extravagance, luxury, nervous stress 

 and an extraordinary increase in sedentary 

 occupations have resulted, and caused a 

 marked increase in American life strain. 

 In our efforts to crowd a lifetime of work 

 and pleasures into a few years we have 

 developed in a large number of people the 

 intense life with its excessive indulgence, 

 its intemperate eating, drinking, playing 

 and living generally. 



The peril of our nation in this trend is 

 obvious to every reader of history. 



In the natural order of things, there are 

 many millions of physically substandard 

 people in our vast population. These ex- 

 traordinary changes in living conditions 

 have apparently caused an abnormal in- 

 crease in this great group of low-powered 

 Americans. 



But whether or not this impaired ele- 

 ment is increasing, there is no questioning 

 the assertion that this drain on the vitality 

 of the nation, now going on from prevent- 

 able cause, is excessive and should and can 

 be checked. 



INFLUENCE OF EXCESSIVE INDIVIDUALISM 



In the ultra-individualist we find selfish- 

 ness in the most dangerous form. He views 

 all things from the angle of his own com- 

 fort and pleasure. He has an overpower- 

 ing sense of personal independence. He 

 flouts things sacred and semi-sacred that 

 tend to curb it. He freely defies the laws 



