Weekly Trinity journal., 1875-06-26
THINNING OUT THE BABIES.
Thoughts On Maishusianisn.

enough for the support of human beings,
and, although Mr.. Gregg has succeeded
in proving that it will be long while be-
fore the delicate question as 20 which of
us shall go to the pot for the benefit of
the rest can arise, even he has only been
able to defer the evil day. Such being
the case, it behooves us as admirers, and
would be preservers of our race, to cast
about for some fitting method by which
the necessity of adopting Fiji diet can be
averted, or, at least, so regulated as to
insure the survival of the fttest, about
which philosophers are continually wor-
rying themselves-and until some better
plan is struck upon, it may perhaps, with
some reason, be held that modification
of that adopted by king Herod for the
case of the small - udeans would be the
most feasible for the accomplishment of
the end desired. OF course it is not req
slaughtered first, because so wholesale
proceeding would bring about very
speedily the end it is necessary to avert !:
and second, because any attempt of this
sweeping nature could rot fail to arouse,
especially among doting mothers, n very
lively opposition. But intanticide, judi
cially conducted under the supervision of
competent officials, and in strict conform
ity with carefully drawn legal enact
IN ents, would be attended with none of
these draw backs, and could hardly fail to
be extremely popular in n short time
All malformed infants, under such regu-
lations, would be summarily disposed of,
and one of each pair of twins, and two
and three respectively Of each set Of trip
lets and bankruptcies would have their
small checks passed in for them immedi-
ately upon presentation but, beyond
this category, peculiar care would be nee
essary in making proper selections tor
sacrifice. Given, that five out of every
ten able bodied infants are to be con
demned, great clearness ofjudgment and
singular crcumspection would be requir-
ed to determine which five had best sur
vive and which not, for babies are good
deal alike, and even an experienced in
spector Of life and death - such would
probably be the official title of the ndi-
viduals with whom the decision would
rest-might readily order the survival OF
a future Pomeroy or Upper, at the ex-
pense of the extinction of future Sum
ner or Tennyson and several mistakes OF
! this description could not fail to be pro-
ductive of the most direful consequences
1t is this difficulty encountered at the
very outset, which offers the most serious
opposition to the scheme, and at the same
time, paradoxical though it may seem,
tends to encourage its development. A
project which is devoid of difficulties is
unworthy the consideration of philoso-
pher. Liebig would never have oondens-
ed beef, nor Babbabe have invented
the calculating machine, if condensation
and invention had not each required a
vast amount of patient effort, and if the
sacrifcial babes could be picked out with
out trouble small praise would accrue tc
the picker.
All things considered, the plan which
seems most feasible is that of phrenolog
ica tests. Phrenology has already assum-
ed prominent, if not particularly val
liable, position among the sciences, and
it is quite certain that from the ranks OF
the professors" there would be no diff
Guilty experienced in obtaining men ready
to take upon themselves the responsible
ity Of deciding what infants might with
proprety be preserved as likely to be Of
advantage to the State and society, a
large, and what, for converse reasons hao
better be exterminatcd. The genera
conduct of the scheme would, of course
be conhded to the central government and
the chief inspector would direct his sub
ordinates from his office in the bureau oil
depopulation at Washington, while in
the capital city of each State sub bureaus
would be established, and placed in the
charge of officers whose duty it would be
to direct and control the actions of the
!
les, and all cases Of peculiar completely
would be referred up from coanty to
State, and even, if necessary, to the cent
raj bureau. References Of this sort would
OF course be productive of tireseme and
vexations delays, but in the conduct of so
grave matter caution rather than rash
ness should obtain, and it would be far
better to waste time over an infant ulti-
mately discovered to be quite useless than
by precipitation to nip in the bud ca
reer destined to do credit to the country.
A system such as this, Astounding in
beneficial checks, would be wholly excel
lent, and although-as politics now exist
1t is to be feared that some promising
Democratic babies would come to grief
under Republican administration, and
that some equally promising Repu
babies would have their hopes Of future
Office efiectualIy quenched under Demo
cratic rule, there is little room for doubt
ing that as whole the plan would work
in manner calculated to give general
satisfaction. That the public at large
will approve the scheme is earnestly to
be hoped, for certain it is that unless these
or similar measures are speedily taken to
avert that catastrophe we will all, &C
cording to Nautilus, Gregg, Mill and tho
rest of them, be in the anything but
pleasant case Of the crew of the Nancy
PtftGde,phta Press,