CONTROL OF HEREDITY: EUGENICS 439 



variety of potential personalities in human 

 germ cells but only an infinitesimal number 

 ever come to development. If this number is 

 still further reduced by artificial means the 

 race wiU be made the poorer not merely in 

 quantity but also in quahty. The optimism of 

 those who beheve that supermen may be pro- 

 duced by artificially limiting the number of 

 children is a foolish and fatal optimism. 



No eugenical reform can fail to take account 

 of the fact that the decreasing birth rate among 

 inteUigent people is a constant menace to the 

 race. We need not "fewer and better chil- 

 dren" but more children of the better sort and 

 fewer of the worse variety. There is great 

 enthusiasm to-day on the part of many child- 

 less reformers for negative eugenical meas- 

 ures. The race is to be regenerated by 

 sterihzation. But unfortunately this reform 

 begins at home among those who because of 

 good hereditary traits should not be sterile. 

 Sterility is too easily acquired; what is not so 

 easily brought about is the fertility of the bet- 

 ter lines. Galton was far wiser than most of 

 his followers for he realized the necessity of 



