178 THE TREND OF THE RACE 
Aristotelian doctrine of the golden mean finds its ample justifi- 
cation. 
We agree that in numerous instances family limitation would 
confer an inestimable boon. As Dr. Drysdale well says, “‘There 
are millions of poor physically and mentally unfit creatures who, 
if voluntary restriction were known to them, or they were not told 
it was unhealthy or immoral, would only be too glad to escape 
burdening themselves and the community with a numerous and 
weakly progeny. What is the use of deploring the increase of the 
unfit when the poor mothers among the working classes are only 
too anxious to avoid the misery of bearing child upon child in 
wretched surroundings on miserably insufficient wages, and 
of seeing half their children perish from semi-starvation before 
their eyes?” 
It is argued that the greatest benefits of birth control would 
result from diffusing the proper knowledge among the classes that 
form the rather broad belt between mental deficiency and com- 
mon mediocrity. We cannot reasonably expect that, in this belt, 
a great deal of respect would be paid to the counsel of sexual 
abstinence as a means of limiting the family. Since knowledge of 
the means of preventing conception is so prevalent among the 
upper ranks of society, why become so righteously indignant 
about extending the information to the people among whom it 
would do the most good? 
While much has been said against Neo-Malthusianism on 
hygienic, ethical and patriotic grounds, there can be no doubt 
that opinion in medical circles and elsewhere is coming to be more 
favorable to the movement. It is becoming more and more 
evident that legislation against the dissemination of knowledge 
on the prevention of conception is futile, if not mischievous. It 
now has little effect except that of keeping knowledge of the 
subject away from the more ignorant and improvident, and of 
indirectly leading to an increase of abortion among all classes. 
The attempt to make ignorance the bulwark of morality has al- 
ways broken down, and it might be better to make knowledge of 
the least injurious contraceptive methods the general property of 
