Eugenics is the science which deals with all influences that improve the
inborn qualities of a race; also with those that develop them to the
utmost advantage. The improvement of the inborn qualities, or stock, of
some one human population, will alone be discussed here.
What is meant by improvement? What by the syllable _Eu_ in Eugenics,
whose English equivalent is _good_? There is considerable difference
between goodness in the several qualities and in that of the character
as a whole. The character depends largely on the _proportion_ between
qualities whose balance may be much influenced by education. We must
therefore leave morals as far as possible out of the discussion, not
entangling ourselves with the almost hopeless difficulties they raise as
to whether a character as a whole is good or bad. Moreover, the goodness
or badness of character is not absolute, but relative to the current
form of civilisation. A fable will best explain what is meant. Let the
scene be the Zoological Gardens in the quiet hours of the night, and
suppose that, as in old fables, the animals are able to converse, and
that some very wise creature who had easy access to all the cages, say a
philosophic sparrow or rat, was engaged in collecting the opinions of
all sorts of animals with a view of elaborating a system of absolute
morality. It is needless to enlarge on the contrariety of ideals between
the beasts that prey and those they prey upon, between those of the
animals that have to work hard for their food and the sedentary
parasites that cling to their bodies and suck their blood, and so forth.
A large number of suffrages in favour of maternal affection would be
obtained, but most species of fish would repudiate it, while among the
voices of birds would be heard the musical protest of the cuckoo. Though
no agreement could be reached as to absolute morality, the essentials of
Eugenics may be easily defined. All creatures would agree that it was
better to be healthy than sick, vigorous than weak, well fitted than
ill-fitted for their part in life. In short that it was better to be
good rather than bad specimens of their kind, whatever that kind might
be. So with men. There are a vast number of conflicting ideals of
alternative characters, of incompatible civilisations; but all are
wanted to give fulness and interest to life. Society would be very dull
if every man resembled the highly estimable Marcus Aurelius or Adam
Bede. The aim of Eugenics is to represent each class or sect by its best
specimens; that done, to leave them to work out their common
civilisation in their own way.
A considerable list of qualities can be easily compiled that nearly
every one except “cranks” would take into account when picking out the
best specimens of his class. It would include health, energy, ability,
manliness and courteous disposition. Recollect that the natural
differences between dogs are highly marked in all these respects, and
that men are quite as variable by nature as other animals in their
respective species. Special aptitudes would be assessed highly by those
who possessed them, as the artistic faculties by artists, fearlessness
of inquiry and veracity by scientists, religious absorption by mystics,
and so on. There would be self-sacrificers, self-tormentors and other
exceptional idealists, but the representatives of these would be better
members of a community than the body of their electors. They would have
more of those qualities that are needed in a State, more vigour, more
ability, and more consistency of purpose. The community might be trusted
to refuse representatives of criminals, and of others whom it rates as
undesirable.
Let us for a moment suppose that the practice of Eugenics should
hereafter raise the average quality of our nation to that of its better
moiety at the present day and consider the gain. The general tone of
domestic, social and political life would be higher. The race as a whole
would be less foolish, less frivolous, less excitable and politically
more provident than now. Its demagogues who “played to the gallery”
would play to a more sensible gallery than at present. We should be
better fitted to fulfil our vast imperial opportunities. Lastly, men of
an order of ability which is now very rare, would become more frequent,
because the level out of which they rose would itself have risen.
The aim of Eugenics is to bring as many influences as can be reasonably
employed, to cause the useful classes in the community to contribute
_more_ than their proportion to the next generation.
The course of procedure that lies within the functions of a learned and
active Society such as the Sociological may become, would be somewhat as
follows:—
1. Dissemination of a knowledge of the laws of heredity so far as they
are surely known, and promotion of their farther study. Few seem to be
aware how greatly the knowledge of what may be termed the _actuarial_
side of heredity has advanced in recent years. The _average_ closeness
of kinship in each degree now admits of exact definition and of being
treated mathematically, like birth and death-rates, and the other topics
with which actuaries are concerned.
2. Historical inquiry into the rates with which the various classes of
society (classified according to civic usefulness) have contributed to
the population at various times, in ancient and modern nations. There is
strong reason for believing that national rise and decline is closely
connected with this influence. It seems to be the tendency of high
civilisation to check fertility in the upper classes, through numerous
causes, some of which are well known, others are inferred, and others
again are wholly obscure. The latter class are apparently analogous to
those which bar the fertility of most species of wild animals in
zoological gardens. Out of the hundreds and thousands of species that
have been tamed, very few indeed are fertile when their liberty is
restricted and their struggles for livelihood are abolished; those which
are so and are otherwise useful to man becoming domesticated. There is
perhaps some connection between this obscure action and the
disappearance of most savage races when brought into contact with high
civilization, though there are other and well-known concomitant causes.
But while most barbarous races disappear, some, like the negro, do not.
It may therefore be expected that types of our race will be found to
exist which can be highly civilised without losing fertility; nay, they
may become more fertile under artificial conditions, as is the case with
many domestic animals.
3. Systematic collection of facts showing the circumstances under which
large and thriving families have most frequently originated; in other
words, the _conditions_ of Eugenics. The names of the thriving families
in England have yet to be learnt, and the conditions under which they
have arisen. We cannot hope to make much advance in the science of
Eugenics without a careful study of facts that are now accessible with
difficulty, if at all. The definition of a thriving family, such as will
pass muster for the moment at least is one in which the children have
gained distinctly superior positions to those who were their class-mates
in early life. Families may be considered “large” that contain not less
than three adult male children. It would be no great burden to a Society
including many members who had Eugenics at heart, to initiate and to
preserve a large collection of such records for the use of statistical
students. The committee charged with the task would have to consider
very carefully the form of their circular and the persons entrusted to
distribute it. The circular should be simple, and as brief as possible,
consistent with asking all questions that are likely to be answered
truly, and which would be important to the inquiry. They should ask, at
least in the first instance, only for as much information as could be
easily, and would be readily, supplied by any member of the family
appealed to. The point to be ascertained is the _status_ of the two
parents at the time of their marriage, whence its more or less eugenic
character might have been predicted, if the larger knowledge that we now
hope to obtain had then existed. Some account would, of course, be
wanted of their race, profession, and residence; also of their own
respective parentages, and of their brothers and sisters. Finally, the
reasons would be required why the children deserved to be entitled a
“thriving” family, to distinguish worthy from unworthy success. This
manuscript collection might hereafter develop into a “golden book” of
thriving families. The Chinese, whose customs have often much sound
sense, make their honours retrospective. We might learn from them to
show that respect to the parents of noteworthy children, which the
contributors of such valuable assets to the national wealth richly
deserve. The act of systematically collecting records of thriving
families would have the further advantage of familiarising the public
with the fact that Eugenics had at length become a subject of serious
scientific study by an energetic Society.
4. Influences affecting Marriage. The remarks of Lord Bacon in his essay
on Death may appropriately be quoted here. He says with the view of
minimising its terrors:
“There is no passion in the mind of men so weak but it mates and
masters the fear of death. - Revenge triumphs over death; love
slights it; honour aspireth to it; grief flyeth to it; fear
pre-occupateth it.”
Exactly the same kind of considerations apply to marriage. The passion
of love seems so overpowering that it may be thought folly to try to
direct its course. But plain facts do not confirm this view. Social
influences of all kinds have immense power in the end, and they are very
various. If unsuitable marriages from the Eugenic point of view were
banned socially, or even regarded with the unreasonable disfavour which
some attach to cousin-marriages, very few would be made. The multitude
of marriage restrictions that have proved prohibitive among uncivilised
people would require a volume to describe.
5. Persistence in setting forth the national importance of Eugenics.
There are three stages to be passed through. _Firstly_ it must be made
familiar as an academic question, until its exact importance has been
understood and accepted as a fact; _Secondly_ it must be recognised as a
subject whose practical development deserves serious consideration; and
_Thirdly_ it must be introduced into the national conscience, like a new
religion. It has, indeed, strong claims to become an orthodox religious
tenet of the future, for Eugenics co-operates with the workings of
Nature by securing that humanity shall be represented by the fittest
races. What Nature does blindly, slowly, and ruthlessly, man may do
providently, quickly, and kindly. As it lies within his power, so it
becomes his duty to work in that direction; just as it is his duty to
succour neighbours who suffer misfortune. The improvement of our stock
seems to me one of the highest objects that we can reasonably attempt.
We are ignorant of the ultimate destinies of humanity, but feel
perfectly sure that it is as noble a work to raise its level in the
sense already explained, as it would be disgraceful to abase it. I see
no impossibility in Eugenics becoming a religious dogma among mankind,
but its details must first be worked out sedulously in the study.
Over-zeal leading to hasty action would do harm, by holding out
expectations of a near golden age, which will certainly be falsified and
cause the science to be discredited. The first and main point is to
secure the general intellectual acceptance of Eugenics as a hopeful and
most important study. Then let its principles work into the heart of the
nation, who will gradually give practical effect to them in ways that we
may not wholly foresee.