The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-17
Radio-TeIearaph System.

| The Radio elegraph system, where
! by communication may lie opened be
| tween any pOstOffic6 j. the United
| Kingdom with ships from so to 100
miles distant from the coast, taken
over by the pOstOffice authorities from
| the MarcOni company, SIX months ago,
is proving a successful venture. Not
only does the pOstOffice intend to con-
tinue the working of the nine stations
acquired, but it is probable at no very
distant date that more stations VIII
have to be provided.
Americans take more advantage Of
the facilities offered by this system
than other travellers. The CrOokshaVen
station in the south of Ireland is the
most powerful of the stations, as it ra-
dates a message $50 miles. tele-
gram from an English postoffiee to a
liner costs about 20 cents per word.
Some good service has been done with
the transmission of wireless messages
from ships in distress, and operators
are ever on duty at each station watch
ing for calls on the east coast in the
neighbOrhoOd Of the GoOdwins, there
are six lightships fitted with wireless
telegraphy. These are in connection
with the pOstOffice stations. and i'm
mediately notify those on land, who
in turn acquaint the coast guards If
ships show signs of distress. Though
the calls are frequent, it is only occa-
sionally that the ships are in such real
difficulties as to necessitate immedi-
ate assistance.
First-Born Interior.
The glamour of pr1mOgeniture, so long
maintained by the law, is in danger OF
being destroyed by science-at all
events, by the science of 'eugenics,
which rOundly declares that the first
born is not the flower of the flock.
Sir Francis Cation observes that, in
the case OF the house of lords, the
claims OF heredity should be satisfied
if all the sons of peers were equally
eligible to the peerage and a selection
made among them, late researches haV-
ing shown that the eldest-bOrn are, as
a rule, inferior in natural gifts to the
younger born in a small but significant
degree
These views were fully endorsed by
DR. Heron of the Gallon laboratory for
natural eugenics at University College,
who was appealed to for an ampler
statement Of the facts. It was pointed
out TO him that the teaching of euSen-
les as to the inferiority. as a rule. of
the first-born was directly opposed TO
the popular idea that the best come
first
Popular opinion is always wrong"
said DR.. Heron. The first-bOrn in
family is more likely to be insane, tu-
bercuiOus or criminal than the others.
1t follows. therefore, that the tendency
to diminish the size of families in
creases the average number of such in
dividUals in the community"
Law of Eusenics.
DR. Heron referred his interviewer
to the conclusions arrived at on this
subject by Professor Karl Pearson and
expressed by him in a recent lecture
at the eugenics laboratory.
IF our observations are correct, and
I believe them to be So" said DR.. Pear
son. then the mental and physical con-
dition of the first and secOnd-born
members of a family is differentiated
from that of later members. They are
of more nervous and less stable con
stitution We find that the neurOtic,
the insane, the tuberculous and the
albinOtic are more frequent among the
eIder-born. DR.. Goring's results for
criminality show the same law.
THE result of this law is remark
able II means that if you reduce the
size of the family you will tend to de-
crease the relative proportion of the
mentally and physically sound in the
community. You viii not upset this
conclusion in the least, If. as / suspect
the extraordinarily able man. the gen
ius. is also among the early-born. For
you will not lose him If you have
larger family. although you will lose
the 9oupdpr members if VOu c11rtafl it