GENETICS AND ETHICS 505 



nexus of hereditary strands which are woven 

 into our personalities and which will be con- 

 tinued through us to many future generations, 

 we realize that after all the individual is not 

 really a separate and independent being, but 

 a minor unit in the great organism of hu- 

 manity, and that his greatest duty is to trans- 

 mit unimpaired and undefiled a noble heritage 

 to generations yet unborn. 



It is possible greatly to improve environ- 

 ment. Conditions of life are still hard and 

 cruel for many. A vast amount of good hu- 

 man material is wasted in modern society. As 

 civilization becomes more complex the quan- 

 tity of human wreckage and wastage ever 

 grows greater. Many useful lives and some 

 great possibilities are blotted out by unfavor- 

 able environment. It is the duty of society 

 as far as possible to conserve these lives and 

 to develop these possibilities. 



It is possible greatly to improve education, 

 to make it a potent factor in development in- 

 stead of a conventional veneer. In spite of 

 innumerable educational reforms the essential 

 reform has not yet been reached; mere refine- 



