The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-02-09

We take care Of them and allow them
all OF the liberties that the physically
strong and the mentally superior en-.
10y. The result threatens disaster TO
the race; aud now the problem that
is engaging the attention Of biologists,
wish well to the race is to head of this
threatened deterioration Of humanity
and stay tho flood Of unfit generation;
to save us from the effects of our hu-
name successes.
The world would not suffer any lapse
toward the shocking conditions under
which the weak and the inferior were
allowed to die Off "a in past ages. But
the preservation of the inferior Gle
ments Of the race threatens the SUBJ
mergence Of tho better clements, the
strong and the mentally able. What
is to be done to prevent this destruc
tionf The alleged science OF eugenics
is urged by many while at the same
time those who urge it admit that it
is not a science at all, and that the en-
forcemcnt of It's principles are impos,
sible. There is urged the denaturing
Of the conspicuously unfit, the insane,
defective, and criminal elements. This
latter affords a starting-point that
would be definite, certain, and absolute.
But that would be mere beginning.
The result Of making marriage diff
cult is that the mating out of marriage
would become prevalent, just as it al
ways has in every region and among
every community whore obstacles in the
way OF marriage are unduly restrictive
upon the people; and this mating would
carry on to future generations the very
defects that are to be guarded against
The evil referred to in the matter Of
Objectionable breeding is q general one
throughout the civilized world. The
Secretary of the Massachusetts Civil
League is out in an emphatic protest
against it, saying that f'for the past
one hundred years Boston has grown
steadily worse as place OF residence, Z"
this energetic language;
In Boston today we are breeding more
immortality, crime. sickness. and poverty
than our Institutions can take care OF.
We are breeding feeble mindedness In
this State faster than we can care for 1t.
there are more admittedly feeble-minded
persons at large In Massachusetts today
than there are In her asylums. When we
realize the large territory that Is almost
dangerous because of criminals, when we
are doing almost nothing to curb their
Influence, 1t almost seems to me that
n r,sif l6GfT ia,,
The conditions thus so emphatically
described are becoming more and more
prevalent throughout the civilized
world; and 1t Is evident that humanity,
for its own self-protection, must make
an energetic fight against the swarm
ing generation of the unfit, who are
unfit by reason Of so many causes.
The lesson Of it all is that drastic
remedies are needed; but that great eau
tion must be used in the restrictions
put in the way Of marriage, because
marriage is, after all, the effort of So
ciety to protect itself morally and to
build up the strength of the race and
OF community life and civilization. 1t
is the best means thus far found for
the upbuilding Of the human race, and
its perfect development; and any meas
ures or restrictions that will mako mar
riage difficult are evidently against
sound morals and clean community life
The immediate remedy evidently is
in the denaturing of the conspicuously
unfit and in the discouragement by
community sentiment of the marriage
of the diseased, the defective, and the
unsound. How far this discouragement