32 FRANCIS GALTON 



able to collect opinions. There would be strongly- 

 pronounced differences between the carnivorous 

 animals and those which form their natural prey. 

 There would be a general agreement as to maternal 

 affection, though fishes and the cuckoo would 

 laugh at it. But all would agree on some eugenic 

 principles : That it is better to be healthy and 

 vigorous than sickly and weak — ^well-fitted for their 

 part in life rather than the reverse — in fact, good 

 specimens of their kind whatever that kind may be. 



Sir Francis Galton goes on to give a list of 

 qualities that "nearly every one except cranks 

 would take into account in picking out the 

 best specimens of his class." The list includes 

 "health, energy, abihty, manliness and courteous 

 disposition."^ I wish he had thought of eugenic 

 mothers, and had translated manliness into the 

 feminine equivalents of courage and endurance. 

 When I first read this list it struck me at once how 

 highly distinguished was Galton himself in all these 

 qualities. As we dwell on the qualities one by one, 

 they seem to call up echoes from the image we have 

 of his character. "Ability, manliness, and courteous 

 disposition," how strong these were in him ! I 

 cannot help feeling that he might have added one 

 more quality from his own treasure-house, namely, 

 a sense of humour, which is so priceless an anti- 

 septic to sentimentality, and was markedly present 

 in his character. 



In this same lecture^ Galton sums up the 



1 Essays in Eugenics, p. 37. 

 ' Ibid., p. 42. 



