Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1881-12-17
A UNIQUE SOCIETY.

lNALG1 8VSA6
A society. instituted for the purpose
OF improving the human breed. called
The Institute Of Hsrediiy. recently held
its second annual convention in New
York City. One Of the plans there pro-
posed to improve our race was for the
State to regulate marriages by Law so as
to prevent ill.assorted unions. Another
plan proposed was to open schools. In
which boys and girls should be taught
Asw to select their mates.
Probably the first thought that will
occur to one after reading this brief
notice will be that the purpose Of the
institute named is q ridiculous one. The
idea, the reader may say. Of treating
matters Of love and marriage in such q
cool. calculating manner a. to propose
to improve the human breed. a. We do
horses and cattle. is ~sineulsrly absurd.
But however absurd the purpose oil
the institute may appear to those Who
look only on the surface Of things. the
matter may be worthy Of serious eonsid-
Grafton. When people recognize the
fact that like produces like the world
over. that the seed Of the thistle will
produce q thistle and nothing else. they
are forced to admit that there 10 much
In the Law OF hsrsdity. The man Of
today Is the product OF preceding gen.
srations. and. with the exception Of
slight variations caused BY climate. food.
education aud associations. 10 so nearly
like some Of his ancestors that II il were
possible to place him side by side with
his great. great grandfather. the two
wouli probably DO mistaken for twins.
We know that mental idiosyncrasiss. a.
we'll as physical traits. are transmitted
from generation to generation. and II il
quite likely that the great grandfather Of
tbs hoodlum OF today was q servant to q
hangmap, and that he stole the hang
mans ropes and sold them to old
women for charms against witchcrait.
1t is also very probable that wsll.bs-
havsd. honest people Of today are in.
debtsd more 10 their ancestors for being
good citizens than to their " moral
resolutions. They are probably honest
and viriuous because 1t is natural for
them to be SO: because they have no de-
sire. or are not tempted by dspravsd in
'stincts. to DO otherwise.
II these propositions are accepted a.
facts. the soundnsss Of tho reasoning Of
The Institute Of Hersdity. that by the
regulation OF marriage by the State the
human breed may be greatly improved.
il apparent. BY prohibiting thieves
and rascals generally. and persons Of
diseased blood and feeble constitutions
from marrying. and by the compulsory
selection OF proper mates for physically
and mentally healthy persons who de-
sire to marry. It is evident that in a few
generations, after tho existing bad stock
E. dies Of. there would DO great improve.
msnt In the human race. Stoek.raisers
recognize the truth OF this principle as
applied to animals. And We are told
tina, the Spartans. in the time Of Iycur-
gus. gave this principle the sanction Of
law by not permitting deformsd and
weakly. born. children to live.
To philanthropis,s OF the Howard
class, who In their efforts to ameliorate
the condition Of criminals. arc brought
almost daily face to face with the fact
that the disposition to commit crime is
transmitted from father to son for many
generations, the purpose for which the
Institute Of. Heredi.y was organized, has
In IL nothing ridiculous. They see in
the Institute the beginning Of o nsbls
undertaking. which. 10 carried out in
accordance with the design Of its prOjsc-
tors. will. in time. DO the means OF els-
waiting man. physically and mentally. to
the level Of the gods.