The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1914-03-19
THE PEOPLES FORUM.
EnSeniCS.
TO the Editor of The Republican.

10 the Editor of The Republican.
We are hearing a good deal now-a-
days about q new movement called
Engenics. 1t is an imposing name.
1t claims to be very scientific and so
wraps itself in mantle of mystery so
that the ordinary mind thinks it is be-
yond its grasp. 1t simply means we'll
born, so the farmer, the stockman and
the ordinary person knows its practical
meaning though they do not understand
the anglicized Greek word. 1t proposes
to do for the race what the stockman
does for his herds. 1t proposes to
change the human society and human
conduct to insure that the children of
the coming generation shall be well
born, that is free from hereditary
diseases. degeneraCy and the predis-
position to insanity. To do this they
will not permit the diseased or the
very dipraved or criminal from mating
or becoming parents.
In other words it proposes that
society as a whole shall shall select
those who shall be the parents of the
future generations. But it does not
tel! us how society gets this authority
They propose to pass laws regulating
this. 1t would be like a good many
other laws on our statute books-a
dead letter
In 1912 great Congress DEVOTED to
the spread of Eugenics was held in
London. About 500 from all parts of
Europe and America read papers, pro-
posed theories and discussed the subject
and doubtless were greatly benefited
because of the opportunity to blow off
steam, thereby preventing an explosion.
Its real starting point is Darwln's
Natural Selection" which is supposed
to dominate among plants and animal
nature, it is claimed selects so well,
that high standard is maintained
She kills off the weaklings and de-
generates before they can transmit
their infirmities to Others.
This law has been ignoredor suspend
ed in the case of man, who oppose the
destruction of his less capable offspring
and resist the selection of a limited
number to take the place of those who
vacate by reason of death. He cares
for the sick and weakly and allows
them to translate their defects of body
and brain to new generations. These
wise-acres lose sight of the awful fact
that the real trouble with society is Sin,
dwelling in and corrupting the hearts of
men. They recognizing the fact:that
things are going bad with the race,
and that succeeding generations are
not exhibiting the betterment which
is so generally believed to be accomplish
ing.
A society of Engenics has been es-
tablished to these facts and evolve
some means, if possible. of checking
the progress of civilization IN this direc-
ton. Things have evolved in the
wrong way for them, so thisisociety of
Engenics, composed of the best scien-
tific leaders of humanity, for the pur-
pose of devising WAYS and means to
counteract what pet scheme of Evou-
ton has accomplished in developing
man, who after all has not sense enough
to use his intelligence to work havoc in
his race. These scientists have worship
ped at the shrine of their god Evolution,
who has made failure of his work.
The Evolution theory is a miserable
failure
1t is somewhat significant that the
son of Charles Darwin, who is at the
head of the Eugenic Society should lead
in the forlorn hope of trying to find
some remedy for the evasion of the
supposed law of % Natural Selection. "
If the race owes its existence to OAR
wins theory, then it is ungrateful and
foolish for human beings to cast off the
authority of that benefcent Flaw of
nature" If the Eugenist is right in
his theory, then to nullify the law of
natural selection would mean race sui
eide. The Eugenist is very much con-
cerned, for he sees, or thinks he does, a
danger that threatens to eXterminate
the race, or make it race of demons.
From his poin of view everything de-
ponds on the adoption by man of ''some
method of selective breeding" to use
their own words. This is the only sal
walton for the race. They say the
feeble minded, diseased and criminal
are allowed "to wander about without
restraint, and owing to the very fact of
their feeble nhindedness and want of
self control they constantly, among the
poorer classes, produce children and in
crease the number of semi-idiots and
feeble minded helpless individuals in
the population"
GAS to the future, " they say, at is
probable that, if the civilized races of
men do not adopt some method of
selective breeding. struggle and com
petition will develop at later period
between the different race groups of
mankind, when the surface of the earth
and the available sources of nutrition
ara f1llu talon I'm hU tha dapSa DonT-