The Chanute times., 1906-02-23
g is Over and Now Congress Can Get Down to
The Americans of the Future.

banquet was recently gwen TO
Luther Burbank, the wizard of new
fruits and flowers, by the California
board of trade, and the guest of
honor surprised and deeply inter-
ested the large company present by
devotlng the most of his address to
coming biological improvements in
the race of Americans. Mr.. Bur-
bank considers the physical and
mental development of the future
people of the United States as in
finitely more important than any
thing that can be achieved in the
kingdom of plants or minerals, and
the subject attracts him more than
any other. His "magic" in fruits
and flowers is worked simply by the
patient noting and application of
influences and tendencies. His
changes are brought about by the
practical Interpretation of differences
in color, shape size and perfume.
He has found potent results in d.
versities of heat. sunshine, slight
atmospheric variations and diluted
chemicals. In all his processes ma
ture is the teacher. He is vigilant
to comprehend her hints and follow
her perceptible lines of action. All
the time he has realized that the
most precious product of the earth
is the children, and he took the ban
quet opportunity to present his
theories on what the coming Ameri-
cans will be, even if no more be
done In race culture than to leave
the matter to the forces of evolution.
In the United States, Mr.. Bur-
bank says, the crossing of races has
already occurred without any agency
of government or social provision,
and it will 60 on until the highest
composite is produced. He looks
for the best human strain of blood
ever known to constitute this great
est of nations. He believes that en-
vironment is the controlling element,
and that IN fact heredity is a crea-
tion of past environment. Race i'm
provement must deal with the child,
the most sensitive of living things,
the most absorbant of what is near
est. A child grows peaceful or tur-
bulent according to the atmosphere
in which it is raised. AS the cross
ing of many races has already been
reached in this country, the work
ahead is that of elimination and re-
fining. Mr.. Burbank would keep
the children close to nature. He
advises that "their souls drink all
that is pure and sweet. Rear them,
if possible, amid pleasant surround
ings. Don't terrify them in early
life with the fear of an after-world.
Let nature teach them the lessons of
good and proper living, combined
with an abundance of we'll BALANCED d
nourishment. The best in them
will be evoked and fixed by contact
with the best that is outside, and
they will respond to the true and
the good, as plant drinks in the |
sun and the dew.
What Mr.. Burbank is doing with
plants has long been going forward |
in the breeding of certain animals,
and the suggestions he has followed
had been utilized long ago in i'm
proving domestic creatures, with re-
suits as strongly contrasted as those
between a bison and a Jersey COW.
The fashion is to let mankind settle
his human race question for them
selves, with method or instruction.
A mere pride of numbers is the rule.
Stress is laid on the evils of race
with few to speak for race
improvements. If the glory of man
S in a census, then China and India
ave reached the pinnacle as far as
,rogress has been attained. AS a
natter of fact, they are nearer the
'otton than the top. An American
ees nothing to attract in the Asiatic 1
lensity of population and its atten-
ant feature. A better human race
IL A. 1 \