The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1914-08-21
AMERICAN IDEAS ON
USELESS
SAYS BATESON
British Scientist Continuing
Discussion of Heredity at
Melbourne Meeting Says
Our Theories Are Bum.

aNM|NA MANN sNM sc III
%tinuing nm address ON "Hercdity'
which he began at Melbourne last
week, Professor Batcson. president Of
the British Association for the Adj
Vancement o. science. interested me
members of that famous organization
here today with many observations
upon heredity In the case 81 man, par
ticularly touching the problem 81
c%ugonics.
THE remedies proposed In Amer
lea, 50 far as they aim al the eugenic
regulation of marriage on q compro-
henFiye scale he said. struck him as
devised without regard Go the needs
either of individuals or q modern
state"
ON this point he made these FUR
Their remarks:
Undoubtedly 10 they decide TO
breed their population Of ono uniform
puritan grey. they can do 10 In 70 few
Ecner-tions; but doubt " timid re-
J spectnhility viii make a nation happy,
and ! am sure that qualities Of "a ali
ferent sort are needed II II is TO COM
pete with more vigorous ana moro
varied communities. Everyone must
have q preliminary sympathy with tho
aims of eugenists both abroad and at
home. Their efforts ~ the least are
doing something 90 discover ana
spread truth NJ 20 the physiological
structure of society. The spirit Of
such ORGANIZATIONS, however. almost
" necessity suffers from n bias to-
wards the accepted and the ordinary,
and 10 they had the power o. would
\ go hard with many ingredients Of 500
clety hat could be ill-spared. II IS
not the euRenists WHO win give us
what Plato has called divine releases
from the common ways. II some
fancier with the catholicity Of shakes
peare would take us In hand, well
and good. but | would not trust even
Shakespeare meeting as q committee.
Let us remember that Beethoven
father was an habituaI drunkard and
that his mother died Of consumption.
But he saw the possibility that
through genctic research @ nation
mirht elect by what sort OF bc.ags II
will be represented not very many
generations hence. at will he yer,
surprising indeed Il some nation does
not make trlnl Of this new power,
he said. They may make awful mis-.
takes. hut ] think they viii try
"The definitely feeble-minded ~,
may with propriety restrain, he con
tinuod. "as We are beginning 20 dc
even In England, and We may sifeiN
prevent unions in which both partlc0
are defective, for the evidence show
THAT as a rule such marriages. though
often proiidc. commonly produce u'
normal children al all. Tho union o
such social vcrmin We should mo- mor'
permit than We would allow parasite.
TO breed on our bodies. Further thar
that in restraint 81 marriage v' ough
p not To 60. az least not yet.
Something too may be- done by
reform Of medical ethics. Mcdtca
students ate Taught that il is theil
duty TO p%rolong life at whatever cos
In sumering. They may have beer
right when diagnosis was uncortai'
and interference usually Of small ei
feet, but deliberately 90 interfcr'
9 now FOR the preservation 0f an "a
q liant 80 grnycly diseased hat it car
IS never be happy or come TO any goo'
d. very like wanton cruelty. Ia pri
lyatc icw men defend Interference
Most who have seen these cases I'm
grlng on agree that the system rs dc
plornblc, but ask whore can any li1'
be drawn. The biologist would rell
that in an ages such decisions have
been made by civilized communitie
with fair success both IN regard 4
crime and in the closely anaioRou
case of lunacy. So soon NJ scientih
knowledge becomes common prop
erty, views more reasonable and,
may add, more humane. are likely 4
prevail.
ITO all these great biological PROT
lens that modern society soone
or later face there are many aspect
, besides the obvious ones. lntan
( mortality we are asked Ia lamen
without the slightest thought OF whh
: IN. world would be like u the major
ity OF these infants were To SURVIVE
THE decline in The biTth-rate IN coun
tries already over-populaied Is oftel
%deplored. and We are told that a ma
= ton in which population II not rap
q idly increasing must be OF "A decline
u The slightest acquaintance with bi
oioey, or even %school-boy natural his
h tuty, shows thai this Inference ma
!. be entirely wrong