Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-12
RACE bETTERMENT
SPEAKERS THEME
causes of the Decline in
Birth Rate" and "Segre-
cation" Discussed.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
| AT BATTLE CREEK, MICH.
Eugenic Selection Of Mothers as
Means Of Improving and Pre-
serving Human Product.

here since Thursday, entered this morn
ing upon the last day of its meeting AR.
rangements were made to hold three SEES.
sions. SO as to complete the program be-
fore midnight. Many subjects were up
for discussion and they were the most
varied In nature of any day since the
conference began.
THE Causes of the Declining Birth
Rate" and Segregation were two OF
the interesting subjects taken up. Eu-
genie selection Of healthy mothers and
provision for the cost of bearing and
rearing children shouldd be made. if the
race is to survive. according to DR.. ].
McKeen Cattell, professor of philosophy
of Columbia University.
| Suggests Remedy.
In order that the existing population
may be maintained or. indeed, that the
race may survive, 1t will apparently be
necessary to make eugenic selection OF
healthy mothers, and to provide that the
cost of bearing and rearing children shall
| be equally shared by ALL" declared DR..
| Cattell.
| THE completed family of contemporary
| scientific man." said he, lis about two.
| the surviving family about 1.S. and the
number of surviving children for each
| scientific man about 16. Twenty-Five per
| cent Of the families are childlesS; on.y
| one family In seventy-five is larger than
six. The same conditions obtain for other
college graduates.
III the size of family of college grad
yates should continue to decrease as 1t
did during the nineteenth century, stu
dents graduating in 1925 would have no
children.
If the birth rates in England, Ger
many and France should continue to de-
crease as they have since 1880 there would
be no children born a hundred years
hence.
No Advance in France.
TN France the population is now sta
tionary, while in some departments there
are four deaths for every three births
In other nations an increasing popula-
ton has been maintained tn: ough a de-
creasing death rate: but in England and
elsewhere the death rate must increase,
being now SO low on account OF the age
constitution of the population. 1t is only
in Japan that the birth rate is increas-
ing, though it still remains high in Rus
STA Five dreadnoughts built annually In
England are fragile toys compared with
100000 children born annually in Rus
STA.
Answers from 46l leading scientific
men giving the causes which led to the
limitation in their size of their families
show that 116 were not voluntarily lin
| tied. while 2S5 were so limited. The cause
| voluntary Limitation being health in 1873
cases, expense in 9S cases and various
other causes in 81 cases.
.'Childlessness was involuntary in two
thirds of the cases. In the standardized
| family of two, the condition Is desired In
six cases out of seven.
IN over one-third of the families, the
| limitation was involuntary, due to in
n. -S ~<Y1
but II these had not obtained. voluntary
Limitation would have occurred later, in
nearly all or perhaps all cases. Neither
the prevalence of the voluntary limita-
ton of the size OF family nor the fact
that the size of the family is limited d.
rectIy or indirectly through fertility or
| ili-health in more than three-fourts Of
/ the cases can be regarded with satisfac-
ton"
For Protection of the Race.
| The restriction of the propagation of
| feeble minded persons is necessary if the
production of defective delinquents is to
be avoided, declared Hastings II. Hart
of the Russell Sage Foundation, New
York.
In order to restrict and ultimately to
put an end to the production of defective
| delinquents, Mr.. Hart said, lit is neces-
sary to restrict the propagation of the
feeble-minded variety of the human race.
4 This may be undertaken by educating the
people in the principles of eugenics. by
| laws restricting marriage, by sterilization
Of detectives and by segregation. Seq
regation is the most practical and effec-
tive method.
"Education against the marriage of the
unfit" said Mr.. Hart. reaches only the
intelligent, and is entirely unavailine
with the classes that are most dangerous
to the public welfare. Restrictive mar
Ay,lH toll tpf1,I
ence. for the reason that the unfit repro
duce their kind regardless Of marriage
laws. Sterilization is at best partia
remedy Its use is restricted by public
sentiment. It is operative in only one OF
the eight states which have passed ster
ilization laws, and there is little reason
to anticipate that public sentiment car
be educated to the point OF sterilizinE
all detectives, including high-grade i'm
beetles, within the next fifty years
| Segregation Most Practical.
effective method. It has been thorough.
and successfully tested with the Insane
There are in the United States more
that 10000 persons segregated in hos
pitfalls and asylums for the insane Thirt,
years ago the segregation of the insan'
seemed almost hopeless undertaking
Multitudes of insane people were a
large, and great numbers were kept IL
aImshouses. What has been done 70,
the insane can be done for the feeble
minded.
'Tf the several states will establish
colonies for the feeble-minded to &C
commodate those who are now kept al
public expense in insane hospitals. aims
houses. prisons and reformatories, the.
will make room in those institutions fol
persons who properly belong there. ant
, will obviate. for the time being, tn,
necessity for their enlargement. Tn,
money which would otherwise enlarg,
those institutions will build colonies fo
the feeble-minded; and these colonies
II properly organized and administered
will give good care to their inmates TO
less money than is now being expended