The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-06-30

BY MRS. JOHN HAYS HAMMOND.
Every woman should study eugenics.
Such knowledge should not be withheld
until women have reached motherhood.
At heart and soul We are all mothers.
The instinct of motherhood Is In US and
IL it is not exercised toward children of
our own, its influence at least can be
extended to those who actually are
mothers. =
Those OF US who see and feel the i'm
portance Of bringing home the plain
truths of eugenics to every woman in
the land have also felt the need Of ex-
amples and influence in the most re-
spected quarters. Thus came about the
organization of class composed OF wom-
en- who are politically and socially the
highest placed in the nation-a class vir,
tuaIly in the White House.
This class includes Mrs. Woodrow VIII
son. wife of the President of the United
States; Mrs. William Jennings Bryan,
wife of the Secretary of State; Mrs. Jus
tice Hughes, and others in the Cabinet
circle All of these are students of the
science of eugenics and were eager to
extend and perfect their knowledge. We
met at my home in Washington and ar
ranged for a series of lectures by DR..
Elnora c. Folkrnar, a woman OF profound
scholarship clean mind and spiritual wi
sion For these qualities We chose her
as our guide. Each quality We deemed
extremely important, but the greatest
were the last two.
We adopted as our textbooks the re-
ports. pamphlet and more ambitious
works-everythins We could CLEAN that
they had written-by DIR. c. b. Daven-
port, DIR. Llewellys Barker, DR.. H. B.
| Goddard. DR.. J. f. Jordan. DIR. Prince
A. Morrow. Drs. Galston, Pearson, Bate
son. Saleeby, bell, and Starr Jordan.
| Reports of DIR. Davenport's work at the
Carnegie Institute for Experimental Evo-
| luton, located at Cold Spring Harbor,
near Oyster Bay. on Long Island. we
| know 10 be among the last words on
tn, great theme Of how to make the
race better.
Much MeretrfciOus Literature.
| purposely cite these authorities at
the beginning lest the conscientious stu
| dent be led into by-paths of worse than
! fruitless study through meretricious works
| that to my mind. have no excuse for
| having been written.
Thus the weekly lectures were well
started by several meetings under DR..
Folkmars guidance. before the summer
| dispersion to our country homes, and
| each member of the class had received
| an impetus to summer study that will
undoubtedly displace the summer novel
| in her interest, and in its far-reaching
| effects.
We are eager for the formation of SINH
lar classes among other women In this
! country. and will be glad to give them
n help and direction as We can. for,
while each life in this world is the
product Of two half lives, yet the chief
| responsibility for the uplift and better
ment of the home rests with the mother
so-called childless woman is a spir-
mother OF the race, and in no
, e escapes the responsibility OF pro-
lg ideals for the improvement Of the
omen who wish to know more of
anne science can form in classes and
and hear lectures by a woman
--.cal authority. ! do not advise the
selection of a. male lecturer. because
there is inevitably the sex barrier to
| frank discussion. A high minded,
| clean-souled woman is the right guide
| for women in these researches. ! am
| glad to see that womens clubs in Iowa
| have arranged for baby shows at their
annual country fairs. at which there
are lectures on Standardization of in
fants. so that all who attend will know
| the good points of a baby as well as
! they know those of a dog or horse.
| Oregon is preparing for baby fair
this fall. preparatory to a great baby
fair at the exposition in San Francisco
in 1915. All these movements are
placing an ideal of race before us-and
individuals and the race are better for
| ideals.
Conservative stand Taken.
| We have taken land we would ad-
wise others taking up the study and
| aligning themselves with the students
. and apostles of eUgenics) conserva-
i tive stand. In eight States measures
| have been taken to prevent the con-
tinuance of a blood line of the unfit
those who are mildly termed the so
cially inadequate" or. more brutally
put, those who are unable TO earn their
own living and have TO be taken care
| Of by the State, or those with the
| criminal faint. There is much to be
said for this. especially when we are
faced by the appalling fact that New
York State, for instance, spends one
| fifth of it's income in caring for its
unfit-unft either through criminal
bias, or by reason of feeble-minded-
| ness Yet, in such cases, there are
possibilities of succeeding viciousness
that are anna zing and alarming. These
measures are still in an experimental
state 1t is encouraging to learn that
in one institution in Indiana $50 of the
inmates voluntarily acceded to such a
measure for the good of the commu-
nifty.
We believe in the custodial care of all
those persons who, by mental or moral
faint, would make bad citizens. Call it
| colonization, If you will, the custodial
care should be effective. 1t would in
volve a great expense to the State; yes.
but il would save that other enormous
drain, the founding asylums. most of the
homes for friendless children and the
maternity hospitals maintained by
| charity.
| We believe that public sentiment (and
| IL that fail. the law) should require that
all clergymen performing marriage cere-
monies should first have a certificate of
| health and character of both parties. If
| it can be made practicable to give also
an abstract of the health and character