Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-10
QUEST OF SUPERMAN
Committee on EugeniGs Con-
siSting of Six Scientists.
IMPROVING THE HEREDITY
To Urge the Passage of Laws Prohibit
ing Certain Marriages.
DOOMED TO DETERMINATION
Establishments for Giants and Rus
sian Experiments to Produce
Fairer Race.
IMPROVING THE HEREDITY
DOOMED TO DETERMINATION
Copyright. 1906. by John Elfreth watkins)

Copyright. 1906. by John Elfreth watkins)
To suggest methods of improving the
heredity of the family. the people or tie
race committee OF six scientists-aI stu
dents of human heredity-has Just been ap-
pointed by Prof. w. NJ Hays, assistant
secretary of agriculture. on behalf of the
American Breeders Association, of which
he Is the founder and secretary. This as
sociaticn. coo members strong is to en-
large its scope and include the study of
the breeding of human beings as well as of
animal and plant species.
The committee on eugenics' is the desig-
nation of the six scientists appointed. They
will report their theories as to. the i'm
provement OF the human race at the next
meeting of the association at Columbus.
Ohio, January 1918 next Eugenics. ac-
cording to the Century Dictionary Is the
science OF generative or provocative deyel-
opment: the doctrine of progress or eyolu-
tionr especially in the human race through
Improved conditions in the relations of the
sexes. After the committee has reported
the Breeders Association will authorize
series of practical investiga tons but will
not suggest methods for the breeding of
men for experiment. Prof. Hays, who con-
ceiyed this interesting scheme for system-
attic research, has been a scientific breeder
or animals and plants. When appointed as
s.stant secretary of agriculture last year
he was in charge of the Minnesota agricul-
tural experiment station. where he bred
many new and valuable species of plant
life One of the foremost members of the
Breeders AssC cia ton which he originated
is Luther Burbank. the wizard of SANTA
Rosa. who has lately kept the world agoe
by his wonderful inventions of new fruits
and flowers.
To Prevent Marriages Of Detectives.
Whether two deaf mutes should marry.
whether two blind persons. or two persons
otherwise deprived of their senses or fac
ulties. should be allowed to beeet chill
dren are some of the interesting aues-
tons to be reported on by the committee
on eugenics. The members who will give
special attention to this phase of the
investigation is Prof. Alexander Graham
Bell. the inventor Of the telephone who
has been making study of the problem.
especially as II relates to deaf mutes If
Prof. Bell will demonstrate to the associa-
ton that intermarriage of such detectives
causes handing down of their deficiencies
to their progeny the association will prob
ably urge the passage OF laws prohibiting
such marriages.
The effects of immigration will be con-
& especially by Major Charles f.
member of the eugenics committee After
years of study of this problem Dr. Wood
run has lately come to some interesting
conclusions. He says that blond immi-
grants and their descendants cannot thrive
in this country, save in the cloudy regions
OF the extreme northwestern corner and that
Europeans generally who have lived at
home among simple and secluded environ
ments also degenerate after taking up
their lot with us. Nervous disorders are
frequent among them, and although with
their nervous irritability great talent and
genius develop their physiques soon be-
come poor and their brilliant careers soon
end with such diseases of degeneration as
consumption and cancer.
Cause of Nervous Degeneration.
in time. and that our hordes of immi-
grants are not to be assimilated, but
slaughtered of. except those physically
fitted for our climate" says DIR. Woodruff
There Is now a great deal OF thought
being expended on the marked increase of
nervous diseases in America, the main dis
order being neurasthenia. Every now and
then we learn OF some great man collaps-
ing of nervous breakdown before forty
five under loads which Europeans seem
to bear safely until sixty or sixty-fiv
Suicides. which are nearly always due to
mental or nervous diseases, are fncreas-
ing in the United States" DIR. Woodruff
attributes this nervous degeneration to the
unsuitability of our climate to a large
class of our immigrants from Europe. At
. recent meeting OF the American Pediatic
Association. he says. the American girl
OF the middle class was pronounced "a
bundle of nerves incased in fragile
frame-the artificial product of an ad-
vanced civilization = unable to stand
mucn scnOOllng. one IN twenty giving up
school work on account OF ill-health.
These conditions. he adds not found
in Europe. but they are in Australia and
New Zealand. whose white populations.
like ours. are made up of European i'm
migrants. and whose latitude is. like ours,
unsuited. He finds four-hfths of the neu-
rasthenia patients in Vanderbilt clinic and
two-thirds of the insane in New York to
be immigrants or their children. Outside
of New York half OF our insane are Of
foreign-born parents and of the others 30
per cent are foreign born themselves. He
says that many immigrants come here
because they are defective and failures at
home. Especially the Armenians, Slavs
Greeks. Huns. Servians and Bulgarians
thrive best here. because they find the
same environments which they have at
home. The blond immigrants are too far
south even in Boston. and tend to de-
teriorate.
Race With Germ-Proof Lungs.
When the blond types from northern
Europe die out here they did in Italy,
DR.. Woodruff predicts that our civilization
will degenerate into the condition of