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superior element would be increased by 

 cutting off the inferior element from re- 

 production, and I begin to suspect that 

 students of eugenics have overrated the 

 importance of legislative interference 

 with the marriages of the inferior. 



CELIBATE FELLOWSHIPS 



A similar process of reasoning leads 

 to the conclusion that the cutting off of 

 the superior element from reproduction 

 would retard the improvement of the race 

 by lessening the production of superior 

 offspring without injuring the community 

 by increasing the production of the in- 

 ferior elements. 



The establishment of celibate fellow- 

 ships in some of the oldest of the British 

 universities is a case in point. The an- 

 nual grants are sufficiently large to sup- 

 port the recipients in comfort, so as to 

 enable them to devote their whole lives 

 to some branch of literature, science, or 

 art undisturbed by the necessity of earn- 

 ing a livelihood. Of course there is 

 great competition to secure such prizes, 

 and the finest and brightest young men 

 are selected by competitive examinations 

 to receive the fellowships. Thus young 

 men of the most brilliant intellectual at- 

 tainments are enabled to secure a support 

 for life — but only on the condition of 

 celibacy. The moment they marry they 

 lose their fellowships. If there are many 

 of these fellowships, and if the plan has 

 been in operation for any considerable 

 period of time, it might be well for 

 students of eugenics to inquire whether 

 the establishment of celibate fellowships 

 in the past has had anything to do with 

 the scarcity of young men of the highest 

 intellectual caliber that is so much de- 

 plored in England today. Whether it has 

 or has not, it would certainly seem more 

 advisable in the interests of the commu- 

 nity that such fellowships should be 

 granted upon the condition of marriage 

 rather than celibacy. 



PREPOTENCY THE KEY TO THE PROBLEM 



Superior individuals on the whole have 

 a larger proportion of superior offspring 

 than the average of the race. Of course 

 in cases where both parents were superior 



this prepotency is increased. It would be 

 still further increased if all the four 

 grandparents were superior, and if three 

 or four generations of ancestors were all 

 individually superior a thoroughbred 

 would be produced. We are all familiar 

 with the prepotency of the thoroughbred 

 among animals. Indeed, as I have said 

 before, it is mainly through the use of 

 thoroughbreds that we improve our 

 stocks of domestic animals. In the case 

 of men and women who are thorough- 

 bred in respect to the points of superi- 

 ority, it is obvious that their descend- 

 ants, spreading out among the population 

 and marrying into average or inferior 

 families, would prove prepotent over their 

 partners in marriage in affecting the off- 

 spring, thus leading to an increase in the 

 proportion of superior offspring produced 

 from the average or inferior with whom 

 they have mated. Thus not only would 

 the proportion of superior offspring pro- 

 duced by the community as a whole be 

 increased, but the level of superiority in 

 the superior class would also be raised. 

 There would thus be a general advance 

 in the possession of desirable qualities all 

 along the line from the lowest to the 

 highest. Is not this what we mean by 

 improvement of the species? 



LEGISLATIVE RESTRICTIONS UPON MAR- 

 RIAGE UNWISE 



This result, I am inclined to believe, 

 would follow from the simple process of 

 promoting the marriage of the superior 

 with the superior without resort to legis- 

 lative restrictions upon marriage to re- 

 duce the production of the inferior. 

 - Of course, such restrictions should be 

 considered, but the moment we propose 

 to interfere with the liberty of marriage 

 we tread upon dangerous ground. The 

 institution of marriage not only provides 

 for the production of offspring, but for 

 the production of morality in the com- 

 munity at large. This is a powerful reason 

 why we should not interfere with it any 

 more than can possibly be helped. There 

 are other reasons, however, arising from 

 a consideration of the rights possessed 

 by individuals' in a free community. 



Among the inalienable rights recog- 



