Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-01-16
DOES THE DEPARTMENT IN.
OORSE IT?

CulIH f1OHOiulu OldF- buil0llu,
Sir: Following up DR.. Wilcox's
very able and timely article in your
paper recently on the subject of
engenics. would like to ask some
questions. about publication called
the Hawaii Educational Review.
would like to know when, if ever, the
people of Hawaii or their represen-
tatives decided that eugenics in its
most absurd and repulsiVe form was
a doctrine to be taught by the depart
ment of public instruction. In the
monthly sheet referred to, published,
as it says, by the Department Of
Public Instruction and the Extension
Department of the College of Ha-
waii," and given the widest kind of
circulation among parents and chill.
dren, is appearing series of articles
Of a most outrageous character. I
would like to cite few extracts.
introducing an argument for the
elimination of the unfit, there is the
following:
Who are the Unfit?
AS used by eugenists, at the pres
ent time, the Unfit are those men and
women who are incapable of provid-
ing themselves with food and shelter.
under favorable conditions.
For further definition, study the
chart Eelow; and, look about YOU"
This preposterous definition leads
to Appealing conclusions. It makes.
a successful robber quite as fit as An
drew Carnegie C), calls the parents
of Abraham Lincoln unfit and in the
invitation to look about you" in
vites US all, children included, to size
one another up with a view to judg-l
ing fitness for parentage apparently
solely by a standard of wealth. =
The article is by professor in a
local school,, supposedly Christian
With. all the power Of one-sided stat
istfcs,t he cites the WORKOUT Jukes
argument; with more than an intima-
ton that all would have been very
fine if the mother had died before
she became mother Are we pre-
pared to have our children taught
to look about them" and apply this
monstrous doctrine?
Here are some more statements
from this article circulated by our
schools and among our schools:
The most intelligent fathers and
mothers Of today-those who feel the;
responsibility of bringing conscious
ness to human flesh, are limiting the
number of children, in their families.
= 4
only the Unfit reproduce their
kind without limit. And they do this
simply because they lack the intelli-
gence to feel their responsibility.
The question is, who gave the de-
partment of public instruction of the
territory of Hawaii authority to teach
this kind of stuff? There is lot
more of It. Read this: ~ -e. ..-~
There never was a family line so
strong but that at some time in its
members became degenerate And
what has come to individuals of 9TH
er lines will come to your line, to my
line
Which kind of elimination for
these unfortunate ones of yoGr line
do you prefer-elimination by sci
ence, or by natural laws? There is
no escape from a choice. Which
shall it be-"
OF course, the first part of this re.
flutes the general argument of the
eugenist, for naturally the reverse
must be true: There never was a
family line so weak but that at one
time in its history, in some way, in
dividual members became strong"
However, I wanted to call notice to
the interesting family picture it sug.
gests: We are no longer going to
welcome, or try to help, the Prodigal
Son, Not at all-put him out of the |
way. And worse yet, and speaking
seriously as applied to every family.
the PrOdigal Son is no longer to re-
turn and say, Father, have sinned." |
Quite the reverse. He should hasten |
Indignantly home with his crimes on |
his head and angrily reproach his |
father.
FILIUS TERRAE.
Honolulu Ian ID