South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-08-15

of the hands and feet and of other parts
of the skeleton.
I'VE do not appeal primarily to physi-
clans for this information, but to the
thousands of intelligent Americans who
love the truth and want to see its interests
advanced At the same time. physicians
can aid in the work by inducing persons
with bodily or mental peculiarities that
run through their families TO send to the
Record Office for blank schedules on
which to record the method of inheritance
of the trait in question. Thus every one
can share in the eugenics movement.
The Eugenics Record Office will be
glad TO assist in the establishment of local
eugenics societies which shall become
centres for the study of local blood lines
and for local instruction. The office
seeks to assist State officials in the study
of the classes which are supported and
protected by the State and to assist the
States to locate the centres in which their
detectives and delinquents are being bred.
Ii is believed that a little money spent in
studying the sources of reproduction of
persons who are destined to become State
wards will prove a highly profitable in
yeStment, since it may lead to steps that
will diminish such reproduction"
In a chapter devoted to The Need of
Eugenics" DR.. Davenport says the humanI
babies born each year constitute the
worlds most valuable crop Taking the
population of the globe to be about one
and one-half billions, probably about
fifty million children are born each year.
I'm the continental United States says
the author. probably two and one-half
million children are born annually.
1t is a reproach to our intelligence that
we as a people. proud in other respects
of our control of nature, should have to
support about half a million insane. feeble
minded. epileptc blind and deaf. eighty
thousand prisoners and one hundred thou
sand pauperS at a cost of more than one
hundred million dollars a year. \ new
plague that rendered four per cent of our
population. chiefly at the most produc-
tive age. not merely incompetent but 4
burden costing a hundred million dollars
yearly to support would instantly attract
universal attention. But we have become
so used to crime. disease and degeneracy
that we take them as necessary evils
That they were SO in the worlds igno-
rance is granted; that they must remain
SO is denied
The general programme of the eugenist
Il
ducing young people to make a more
reasonable selection of marriage mates,
to fan in love intellgently. 1t also in
cludes the control by the State of the
propagation of the mentally incompetent.
Ii does not imply destruction of the un-
fit either before or after birth. 1t Ger
tainly has only disgust for the free love
propag anda that some Unbalanced per
sons have sought 10 attach To- the name.
Rather it trusts 10 that good saDse
with which the majority of people are
possessed and believes that in the life Of
such there comes a time when they real
lie that they are drifting toward mar
riage and stop TO consider if the contem-
plated union viii result in healthful, men
tally well-endowed offspring. At present
there are few facts 50 generally known
that they will help such persons in their
inquiry. i is the province of the new
science of eugenics TO study the laws Of
Inheritance of human traits. and as these
laws are ascertained 10 make them
known.
There is no doubt that when such laws
are clearly formulated many certainly un-
fit matings will be avoided and other fit
matings that have been Stunned through
false Scrunlas vrill be- ha nnilv contracted -