FRANCIS GALTON 31 



scientific estimation than it might. It is smiled at 

 as most desirable in itself, and possibly worthy of 

 academic discussion, but absolutely out of the 

 question as a practical problem." After explaining 

 that the object of his discourse was to "show cause 

 for a different opinion," he goes on with what, in his 

 restrained style, is strong language : "I shall show 

 that our knowledge is already sufficient to justify 

 the pursuit of this perhaps the grandest of all 

 objects."^ 



At the close of the lecture he speaks out as to 

 the diificulties and the pre-eminent value of eugenics, 

 and once more of the oppressive "magnitude of the 

 enquiry." 



No one who reads this lecture of Sir Francis 

 Gal ton's is likely to let eugenics go with a smile, and 

 a remark that it is not a practical problem. It is 

 one of the functions of the Eugenics Education 

 Society to spread the sanely scientific views here 

 set forth by Galton, and as far as I am able to judge, 

 the Society has and is doing sound work in this 

 direction. 



In another essay,' Galton discusses the meaning 

 of the *eu' in eugenics in a characteristic way. 

 He imagines an attempt among the animals in the 

 Zoological Gardens to establish a code of absolute 

 morality. With customary love of detail he 

 supposes the inquiry to be undertaken by some 

 animal, such as a sparrow or a rat, which is intelligent 

 and has easy access to all the cages, and is therefore 



'Essays in Eugenics, p. i. 

 » Ibid., p. 35. 



