268 HEREDITY IN RELATION TO EUGENICS 



should know where the traits are^ how they are being re- 

 produced, and how to eliminate them. It should locate in 

 each country the centers of feeble-mindedness and crime 

 and know what each hovel is bringing forth. In fact it 

 should let the bright lightof knowledge into all matters of the 

 reproduction of human traits, as the most dangerous of its 

 enemies or the most valuable of its natural resources. 



We take our census decennially or at more frequent in- 

 tervals. We learn how many persons there are of military 

 age, their race, birthplace and occupation, and we learn how 

 many are bhnd and deaf, and it is well. But by a very 

 little additional labor we could gain many not less signif-^ 

 icant facts, such as how each of our blind and deaf and 

 feeble-minded came to be, so that the laws of their origin 

 can be studied and the defective germ plasm located. It 

 woxild seem worth while to use the census as a means of 

 securing data on human blood lines and tracing the descent 

 of defects. 



A state eugenic survey should be taken in at least the 

 older states. The organization of the survey could be rel- 

 atively simple; the 630,000 teachers of state and city schools 

 might be used to secure the census of the 24,000,000 chil- 

 dren of "school age'' and their parents. Through a series 

 of visits on Saturday afternoons or during vacations the 

 parents could be interested to furnish the desired data. The 

 teachers could be instructed how to fill out the schedules 

 by superintendents or at teachers' institutes. They should, 

 of course, receive special compensation, but it would be 

 difficult to think of any other method of making a census 

 so cheaply and effectively; the more so since the teacher 

 through her pupil has ready access to most homes. The 

 schedules of questions should be prepared so as to avoid 

 giving any offense, to secure the required data as to phys- 

 ical and mental family traits, and to get such names and 



