The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-10-19
The Eugene Human
Stock Registry
~ DR.. FRANK CRANE
Copyright. 1915. by Frank Crane)

Ii is the proposition of the Race Bet
terment Association 10 establish a regis
terry for human beings, analogous to the
existing registeries for blooded cattle,
thoroughbred horses, and fine dogs.
1t is aimed to have select list of
eugenically inspected and certified men
and women. A board of five well known
men have been named to organize the
registery. They are DR.. {. B. Daven-
port, of the eugenics record office at Cold
Spring Harbor. l.. l.; Prof. Irving Fisher,
of Yale Prof. David Starr Jordan, Of
Leland Stanford university; Luther Bur-
bank, the plant wizard and DR.. j. II. Kel-
logg. the leading American exponent OF
biological living
The argument is that, as the estab-
lishment of registrieS for horses, cows,
sheep, and the like has resulted in pro-
ducing breeds far superior to those OF
generation ago, SO a reliable and ofnclal
record of superior men and women ought
to result in far finer products in time.
These scientists seem to think there is
no reason why we should not have
strain of human stock consisting of We
muses. and Apollos, il we can breed the
trotting horse down from three to two
unto young maStodons, if we can develop
marvellous setter and pointer dogs, and il
we can reach the perfection in cows il
Illustrated by the celebrated Finderne Ho-
hgan Fayne.
This is q deliberate attempt to create
a new aristocracy, or rather to establish
aristocracy upon basis of scientific
fact.
The world has always believed in aris-
tocracy, in spite of its inyariable fail
ures. The first families among old
world nobility soon peter out. They are
unscientific. They exist in a world where
tradition, sentiment and superstition
take the place Of fact
Why not have a real, genuine, depend
able lot of first families" whose claims
shall rest upon provable truth and not
upon buncombe?
So say the race-betterment folks. All
applicants for registration will be exam
iued and their qualifications determined
by aboard of experts
This board will record individuals with
reference to their physical fitness and
their hereditary traits. entering in the
books such as measure up, whose qualifi-
cations conform to the requirements of
established standards.
The association will also collect data,
the expert study Of which may result in
better knowledge OF the influence of en-
vironment upon the life quality. and also
the effects Of hercdity in transmitted
clements of strength and weakness.
Instead Of an aristOcracy of health and
efficiency, built up by organization and
forethought. we are actually charging,
by our maudlin and undirected sympa-
thies, the number Of lunatics, idiots,
paupers and criminals.
Those unfit persons writes Or. Kel-
logg in a recent article. already have
reached the proportions OF vast multi
tude, 100000 lunatics. 10000 criminals,
100 600 paupers, 10000 idiots, 10000
epileptics. and We are supporting these
detectives in idleness like real aristocrats
at an expense of $l00,000,000 year, and
this mighty host OF mental and moral
Icripples is increasingly due to unre-
strictcd marriage and other degenerative
Influences that work at a much more
rapid rate than the sounder part Of the
population, so that they are bound in
time to constitute the majority unless
some check is put upon the increase.
Every one Of these lunatics possesses the
right TO vote even in states where wom-
en- are not given the right of franchise"