Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-08-21
PROF. BATESON
TALKS OF PR0P0S-
Ed EUGEN|C LAWS
America Might in Time Breed a
Uniform Puritan Gray Race,
But Doubts If Tindid Respect
ability Will Make a Nation
Happy

ing an address on "Heredityp which
he began at Melbourne last week, Prof
William Bateson. president OF the Brit
ish Association for 'the Advancement
Of Science, interested the members OF
that famous organization here today
with many observations upon heredity
In the case of man, particularly touch
ing the problem of eugenics
THE remedies proposed in America,
so far as they aim at the eugenic regu-
lation Of marriage on a comprehensive
scale" he said, struck him as de
vised without regard to the needs
either Of individuals or a modern
state" ,aa-
On this point he made these further
remarks:--
Undoubtedly II they decide to breed
their population of one uniform puri-
tan grey, they can do 1t in q few gen.
erations; but I doubt IL tirnid re-
spectability will make a nation happy
and I am sure that qualities Of a. diff
ferent sort are needed II it Is to COM
pete with more vigorous and more
varied communities. Everyone must
have preliminary sympathy with
>NS 0Aiho VA Vh6ShAoNo bOlH dDIOdu
and at home. Their efforts at
the least are doing something to
discover and spread truth as to
the physiological structure Of So
ciety. The spirit of such organi-
cations, however. almost of necessity
suffers from bias towards the ac-
cepted and the ordinary. and II they
had the power it would go hard with
many ingredients of Society that could
be ill-spared. It Is not the eugenists
who will give US what Plato has called
divine releases from the common ways.
II some fancier with the catholicity of
Shakespeare would take us In hand,
we'll and good; but / would not trust
even Shakespeare's meeting as a COM
mittee. Let us remember that Bee
thoven's father was an habitual drunk
ard and that his mother died of con-
sumption"
But he saw the possibility that
through genetic research nation
might elect by what sort of beings IL
will be represented not very many gen.
erations hence. "It will be very sur.
prising indeed IL some nation does no,
make trial of this new power" he said
They may make awful mistakes, but
/ think they will try"
The definitely feeble minded we
may with propriety restrain" he con-
tinued, las we are beginning to dc
even in England, and we may safely
prevent unions in which both parties
are defective, for the evidence shows
that as rule such marriages, though
often prolific, commonly produce M
normal children at all. The union Of
such social vermin we should no more
permit than We would allow parasites
to breed on our bodies. Further thar
that in restraint of marriage we ought
not to go, at least not yet
Something too may be done by 9
reform OF medical ethics. Medical stu.
dents are taught that 1t Is their dut,
to prolong life at whatever cost In
suffering. They may have been right
when diagnosis was uncertain and in.
reference usually of small effect; but
deliberately to interfere now for the
preservation of an infant SO gravely
diseased that 1t can never be happy o,
come to any good Is very like wantor
cruelty. In private few men defend in.
reference. Most who have seen these
cases lingering on agree that the sys.
tenn is deplorable. but ask where car
any line be drawn. The biologist
would reply that in all ages such de-
cisions have been made by civilized
communities with fair success both ir
regard to crime and In the closely
analogous case of lunacy. So soon as
scientific knowledge becomes common
property, views more reasonable and
I may add. more humane, are likely
to prevail.
ITO all these great biological prob.
lens that modern society must sooner
or later face there are many aspects
besides the obvious ones. Infant NOR.
tally we are asked to lament without
the slightest thought of what the
world would be like IL the majority OF
these infants were to survive The
decline in the birth-rate in countries
already over-populated Is often de-
plored, and we are told that nation
In which population Is not rapidly in
creasing must be In decline. The
slightest acquaintance with biology. or
even school-boy natural history, shows
that this inference may be entirely