The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-05-10
A Law Vermont Needs

New York has a measure aimed to
prevent the propagation of the men
tally defective That the great and
rather slow.movlng Empire State
should pass a measure which a few
years ago would have been consider
ed radical to the point of horror is
significant of a shift of public thought
in this matter, and such a shift as
makes for the preservation Of a
sound humanity. Discoveries Of sci
entists only recently given practical
application, have done more than any
thing else to help forward this more
sensible way OF thinking. by making
ii possible to obtain the effect Of ster-
ilization without involving in the pro-
cess a change in the whole nature Of
the subject Mere sterilization, or a
equalization, as it is called, is no
worse than segregating the subject
by putting the unfortunate in an
asylum.
There is an audacity about this
measure which staggers the average
human being. Modern states have
taken a scientific interest in safe
guarding. developing and improving
the agricultural, mineral and indus
trial resources their only attempt
TO promote the human asset has been
by education. II is probable that ed
ucation will always remain the last
word in the direction of the positive
advancement OF the human asset. Be
cause the side OF man which "passeth
understanding" is so all-important a
factor to him, IL is the conclusion Of
even such daring thinkers as II. G.
Wells that men can no more improve
their race by artitcially breeding men
In the direction in which they wish
the race to grow. than the individual
can lift himself by tugglng at his
bootstraps.
But laws OF the type OF the New
York act are very different from this
So different are they that the only
excuse for mentioning the other kind
of eugenics in connection with them
is that the two things may be ex.
pressly distinguished and kept apart.
Measures like the New York law con.
template no positive step along lines
of eugenics but merely the sane and
sensible attempt to stop the spread
OF the unfit, who on the whole pro
pagate their kind rather more rapid.
~. II let alone. than do the mentally
sound, and II left unchecked dilute
the manhood of a community and are
a burden for the rest to carry.
Those who are most closely in
touch with the facts tell us that here
in Vermont We have need of such
legislation. We are small state.
whose chief asset has always been
It's manhood Furthermore we are.
for this country, n long settled com.
munity and one which has under.
gone no overturn or change of devel.
opment or other shaking up OF the
population. Under such circumstan.
ces, the general tendency Is for PEG.
pie OF a certain more vigorous type
to gradually draw apart and breed
up, and for their opposites to draw
apart and gradually breed down.
They tell MS that In certain localities
OF our state this process has gone so
far that on the breeding down side
there Is need OF state interference.
This seems unreasonable enough
and not very alarming II the state
has sense to take up the matter with.
out delay We hope with the next
session OF the legislature to see the
passage of a law not unlike that
which New York has recently added
to her statute books.-Burlington
Free Press.