The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-25

IN an article in the January American
 Magazine entitled 'Is It True?' ab \ hears the startling and convincing re- suits of Karl Iearson's investigation ol inc families of drunkards and teetotalers made in the Galton Laboratory for H'p- genies, at the University of London.
 The author says that he was aiWavs taught that drunken parents are apt to produce imperfect children. It was sur prise to him and probably it will be 10 most readers to flnd the following results'
 "First. putting all ages together, they found that the average height Of the chii- dren whose parents drank was 47,9 inches, and of non-drinlxing parents 4.5 inches. The average weight of the former 5o.o pounds and the latter 53.s pounds.
 But the children whose parents drank averaged s.S years old, while the children of sober parents averaged s4 years. Making allowance for this correction py strict mathematical means, the conclu- sion was that the drinking of parents had no appreciable effect upon the helght or weight of their children. The old maxim of intimate household hygiene, Drinking stunts one's children, was shown to De devoid of foundation as far as the ma terialof this investigation was concerned.
 "second, as to the child's general health Here the children were divided into four categories: the healthy, the delicate, the epileptic and pnthisicai and those who died young.
 Surveying this table, it is really hard tc say whether the connection lies be- tween parental drinking and good health or bad health on the part of the children Clearly. there is no significant association either way.
 Third concerning intelligence. Of all things that we have been accustomed to assume as likely, enc of the foremost is that parental drinking weakens children's s wits.
 But 1t was distinctly untrue of these English school children; so very untrue, in fact, that there is a slight balance the other way. The returns show that there ere born to drinking fathers 34 per cent of defective sons and 30 per cent of dc feotive daughters; to drinking mothers 11 per cent of defective sons and "A per cent of defective daughters. While there were born to sober fathers, fl per cent of de- fective sons and S1 per cent of defective daughters: to eober mothers, S9 per cent of defective sons and 30 per cent of defec- tive daughters.
 ''Fovrth regarding eyesight. The chil- dren were examined for normal vision, short and far sight and three varieties of astigmatism. Fathers, mothers. sens and daughters were all considered sepa- rately. I omit the tables to save space; but their summary shows two remark able facts
 "u) The large proportion of normal eyes is found among the children of drinking parents.
 "(2) The larger proportion of hypernie- tro pia, myopia, mixed and myopic astig- rnGtism. is found among the children Of sober parents
 An anlysis of the tables themselves re- vesls no correlation between parental drinking and bad eyesight in the child If anything, it is the other way: the ch'l- dren of drinking parents have the better eyesight
 "Professor Pearson sums up the results Of the 1NeSllSallOn DN sdSiiS 'hoe '-o marked relation O. any kind has been found between intelligence. physique. or disease of the offspring and parental al ooholism in any of the categories invest.- gated This conclusion. I repeat, Is net final. Finality, in a matter of this kind is an affair of many years and much re- search. But as far as the investigation has gone it is dependable; and Professor Pearson, who Invariably speaks with the reverent caution of a true man of science, goes so far as to say that nothing in sight at present seems likely to modify it.
 Ut is a startling conclusion. especially 10 those trained. as I was. to believe otherwise. To some 1t may be unwelcon.e and shocking. 1t may make upon them the painful impression of an attempt to whittle down the seriousness of the prob lem of drink.
 But truth, if one is but willing to trust it, is never found unfriendly to good cause. If Professor Pearson's conclu- sions are finally proved beyond question. the cause of reform will not be weak ened. but strengthened. The moral bur-