348 THE PRESENT EVOLUTION OF MAN — MENTAL 



exemption from the evils of alcoholism is by the survival 

 of the fittest, and the elimination of the unfittest — at 

 least, in so far as to prevent the latter influencing pos- 

 terity — it is surely only logical to suppose that the way 

 to secure exemption from zymotic disease, is by the 

 survival of the fittest, and the elimination of the unfit- 

 test against the latter ? 



But there is this essential difference between disease 

 and alcoholism : no man craves for disease, whereas 

 many men crave, knowingly or unknowingly, for ex- 

 cessive indulgence in alcohol. We may reasonably 

 hope to banish the microbes of disease ; and, if we 

 achieve their banishment, it will not matter how far 

 the race retrogresses in relation to them, for no man will 

 endeavour to bring them back. But in the face of the 

 craving for alcohol, we cannot reasonably hope to banish 

 that poison permanently ; and if we succeed in banish- 

 ing it for a time, the craving for it (or other narcotics), 

 ever growing in consequence of retrogression, will as- 

 suredly result in some future generation in its reintro- 

 duction, when the last state of the race will be worse 

 than the first ; and, owing to unchecked atavism, the 

 more complete and lengthened its banishment, the 

 worse will be the state of affairs consequent on its 

 reintroduction. 



Moreover, there is no reason why we should not 

 employ against disease, especially against such a disease 

 as tuberculosis, which we can scarcely hope to banish, 

 the same measures it is here proposed to employ against 

 alcohol ; there is no valid reason, for instance, why we 

 should not forbid the marriage of persons weak against 

 tuberculosis, or, at least, why we should not forbid the 

 procreation of children by them, but, having regard to 

 the happiness of posterity, every reason why we should. 

 Such a proposal, also, will doubtless be objected to on 

 "moral grounds"; but of this portion of the popular 



