The Washington herald., 1913-01-19

DaTInerS IN IldIIld6c CH sdSh a bdclSs
there would be a rapid diminution In the
percentage of weakly children and weak
ly people.
Texas is leading the country in this
matter. II proof be demanded that II Is
not all mere fad, reference may be
made to the fact that whereas the aver
age school-teacher in Texas commands
a wage of only so a month, graduates
of the Matrimonial College are in such
demand, for giving instruction in these
and other related matters, that they get
SO A woman is at the head of this
department in the college. Efforts are
constantly made to persuade her to make
speeches and deliver lectures In various
parts of the State. But she declines.
She saws: My duty is hereto train
other women to go and talk
''The college does not teach disease Tin
connection with the course In physioi-
ogy); IL teaches health. Its hospital Is
not called a hospital, but is known as
Hygeia Hall. There are no sick rooms;
The girls do not go there to be SICK.
but to be well At the beginning OF the
year every girl is on the health roll
OF honor" She Is expected to take care
Of herself, in order that she may con-
tinue 10 be we'll II girl catches cold
or has a headache, she goes to the
directress as II 10 a mother confessor,
and tells what indiscretion Of. diet or
what not she deems accountable Tor tne
trouble. She is taken of the roll OF
honor, and is not restored to It until she
Is all right again.
school Teaches HousekeepinE.
One important object Of the tnstruc-
ton Is to make better housekeepers.
The average American woman Is poor
housekeeper compared with the woman
OF Germany. of France. or of England
She does not pay enough attention to her
kitchen, to the selection of food sup
plies. or to the preparation of food Tor
the table. Commonly she does her dust
ing with a feather duster. thus distribute
ing the dust; the German housekeeper
wipes II UP with cloth Where oapies
or older children are concerned, good
housekeeping has an obvious bearing
upon health.
AS always happens with any new idea,
the "eugenics'' movement has been over
whelmed with ridicule. The public at
large fs wholly unaware OF the substan-
tial progress II has made in the last
half-dozen years Eighteen scientists OF
high reputation in this country are bus
ily engaged on its problems-at their
head Dr. Charles B. Davenport, of Cold
Spring Harbor, Long Island. At that
place the Carnegie Institution maintains
an extensive plant for the study OF
everything imaginable that has to DO
with breeding and heredity in animals,
and a eugenics building has recently
been erected there, with vaults for stor-
ing family records. The idea in view Is
to apply to human beings the same
methods of inquiry as are used where
breeds OF chickens, pigs or horses are
concerned.
Hn. "Baby, Section.
The great scientific organization known
as the Breeders Association. whose work
covers all questions having to do with
inheritance IN animals and plants, has
one section that is devoted to "eugenics"
which means, in a word. the produc-
ton of better babies. 1t Is of this sec
ton that DR.. Davenport is the head. The
work undertaken has consisted mainly
ap to the present OF collecting so-called
'-efn.Iency records of families OF people.
V such records were at hand in suffi-
eient numbers and sufficiently complete,
as for breeds OF live stock, family eff
ciencies could be put on a percentage ba-
sis. 1t goes without saving that chill
dren of high-efficiency parents may be
expected to be markedly superior TO the
offspring OF low-efficiency parents.
One should understand that the term
efficiency covers mental and moral, as
well as physical, characteristics. Event
ually. It is believed, there will be such
records for all families. People will ap-
ply the idea for themselves, and there
will be a tendency for those of a kind to
flock together. The high-efficiency man
or woman will not want a low-efficiency
mate.
The present tendency in our cities, un-
fortunately. seems to be in the direction
OF breeding for lower types. People who
are the best physically and in other
respects. are inclined to have few chill
dren. while the less efficient produce a
great majority OF the offspring. Thus
race suicide" as 1t is now practiced.
tends not to the determination OF the
race, but TO the production of lower
types.
The problem is being studied In its
relation to immigration. Take for IN
stance the matter OF feeble-mindedness.
Many feeble-minded aliens are landed
upon our shores. despite all precautions.
A family of seven. say, arrives from Rus
sia or Roumania-the parents and five
children. Two of the children. being
found to be feeble-minded, are sent back.
But the parents being admitted, pro-
duce more feebIe-minded offspring later
on; and the three children that are al
lowed TO come in are themselves the
minded persons. It is in their blood
for nothing that We know is more surely
handed down by inheritance than the
tendency to mental deficiency.
Extends to Immigrants.
Thus It will be understood why many
institutions for the feeble-minded and
insane are standing behind the work that
is now being done by the eusendc Sec
ton of the Breeders Association. We
exclude immigrants who are AFFLICTED
with infectious diseases, but We. admit
the production of criminal. insane. or
tubercuiar offspring. It Is obvious that
every such alien welcomed to our shores
ought to be provided with clean
''genetic'' bill OF health. guaranteeing
that he or she has no hereditary taint
The object of breeding plants and ami
mails is to discard the undesirable and per-
petuate only the desirable. But our boast
ed civilization works Just the opposite
way. Defective individuals and families
which could not survive under the condi-
tions of society in earlier periods are now
protected. Ten per cent of the human
race are detectives. The problem is TO
reduce this percentage and to improve
the 30 per cent of efficients. There are
now 1,sOo. o.0o0,0oe people in the world. BY
the year 1000 there will be 3,oco0o,Oc, ana
eventually, it>is estimated. the population
of the earth will be 1000. .oo00Co Shaii
announcement be given to the indefinite
propagation OF inferior types?
II is urged that there ought to be
general efficiency record for every family
and for every person of special efficiency