Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1913-05-15
THURSDAY, MAY IL, 1919.
Social Problems And
Eugenics.

k'SiSIltiCc' Wv h'oo ES'A"'' 80 >-Nf>'
ments in eugcnics. They do not have
to. The human race does all of that
for the needs of science, and sad to
observe, a great deal more. Such is
the sentiment expressed by DR.. Chas.
B. Davenport, director Of Carnegir's
Institutions Station for Experiment.
al Evolution at Cold Spring Harbor.
He breaches no doctrine of scientific
mating as opposed to the marriage of
personal choice; instead, he and his
associates Gull data for correlation
and deduction, purposing the ulti-
mate publication of results which will
assuredly further the science of Gu
genics and in turn benefit humanity.
This Eugenics Record Office aims to
be the country's CLEARING house for an
investigation of race, OF hcrcdity Of
blood lines; and from this station is
issued to all desiring it personal adj
vice as to the suitability of marriages
and the probabilities of inheritance.
The applicant will recriv" a series of
blank records to be filled out Thus
far the data collected hy this office
have been mainly of abnormal type
feeble mindednrss, the inheritance
OF epilepsy, the inbrecding of drgen-
crate strains but this has been be-
cause such information is easier to
get. The collection of normal data"
has been difficult, because a number
of people have imagined eug"nics t."
br concerned only with imbeciles and
drgenerates. DR.. Davenport aims
now to collect from whosocvcr may
send names, information about nor
nal people, the talented, the genius,
even the respectable, the right-mind.
Ell and the right moralrd; and it is
his hope that the American citizens
idea of social duty will include the
recording and depositing with the
Record Office of full information
about his family tree"
This Record Office is but two years
old, yet thus far such facts a. the
following have been established: Ii
two epileptics marry, their children
will all be epileptics; the same is true
Of two imbeciles. If an cpileptic or
one insane married normal individ-
ual, one half or one fourth of the
progeny will usually inherit the par
ents abnormality; the others will
probably be normal. A reccssive
trait tone present in undevcloped
germ form and never becoming act
i've in a given individually may re-
main recessive for generations, but
will very likely become active when
it meets like trait-recessive or not.
The marriage of cousins is not bad in
itself if both families are of sound
stock; but such marriage will natur-
ally bring out any common traits,
and intensity weakness, recessive or
otherwise. The redhaired are mark
eddy antipathetic and seldom marry
those having red hair. A good envi-
ronment strengthens good traits, but
will not guarantee the conquest of
bad inheritance. Love, in a mature
and sensible human being lis ever a
human being, however mature, SEN
sible in these premises?) may be in
itself a eugenic choice; the fact of two
wholesome persons wishing to spend
their lives together may be founded
on instructive traits that will make
for a good inheritance; but love offers
practically no more than an even
chance. (Nevcrtheless the eugenist,
wise man that he is, would not do
away with love; but would combine
with it, if possible, common sense
and forethought.) Marriage with an
individual of bad blood will tend to
drag down the inheritance of good
blood; imbecility is often introduced
into "bloodlines" that have hitherto
been good. Ones Inheritance can
not be judged by consideration of
the parents, for normal parents may
have abnormal, even criminal child
rem; the inheritance must be traced
back for generations. and the records
Of cousins, uncles, aunts, brothers
and sisters must be examined; one
does not inherit from his parents.
but from the family germ plasm,
The work Of the Eugenics Record