Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-08-12
MPROVEMENTOF
RACE THEME Of
LUTHER BURBANK
Noted Scientist Gives Views to.
Conference al San Francis
CO.. Kellogg Would EStab-
Iish EugonicS Registry,

San Francisco Aug. 6-OnN by
constant selection of the best can any
race be improved, said Luther Bur
bank. the plant Specialist. in an adj
dress tonight before the second ma
tonal conference on race betterment
His subject was Evolution and Nari-
alton With the Fundamental Purpose
OF Sex.
Environment and education alone
cannot, he said, make appreciahle pro-
gress in the Improvement of the race.
But with favorable surroundings and
the selection Of the best types, the
field for Improvement is limitless
Mr.. burbank described the POSSIBLE
tiles i'm plant life Of fixing charac-
ters which benefit the species through
natural selection giving the new com
ninations new abilities to advance
Abundant, Wen balanced nourish-
ment and thorough culture Of plants
or animals, he said. will always pro-
duce good results in holding any spe-
cies or variety up TO its best heredi-
tary possibilities. beyond which u eau-
not carry them and lacking which,
maximum development can never be
realized. But "A sharp line must all
ways be drawn between the transient
results, temporarily attained through
favorable environment and the perma-
nent results of selection of the best
individuals for continuing the race.
Comparison With Plants.
What would be the result If all
apple, plum, corn, melon or petunia
seed was indiscriminately planted
soon worthless mongrels only, having
no character and no value for amy
purpose.
only by constant selection of the
best can any race ever be improved
No education. no environment of any
nature can ever make any appre-
ciable progress, even though these
same favorable surroundings may pro
duce through ages definite but in-
finitely slow increment, which, by con
slant repetition becomes slowly avail
able in heredity but by no means
fixed, SO that reproduction true TO the
better type can be depended upon
1T is becoming increasingly ncces-
sary 10 impress the fact that there are
two distinct lines in the Improvement
of any race. one by favorable environ
ment which brings individuals up t0|
their best possibilities. the other ten
thousand times more important ana
effective selection of the best indi-
viduals through a series of genera
tons by this means and by this only
can any race Of plants, animals or man
be permanently or radically improved
When these two lines Of action arcI
combined. al the best qualities of
any type are brought forth and fixed
and the field for improvement isI
limitless.
Kellogg Wants New Arlstocrncy
The world needs "a now aristocracy
IA real aristocraey made up Of
Apoios and Venuses and their for
tunate progeny said Or. j II. Kel-
loRg. of Battle creek. Mich. in an
address on THE Eugenics Registry /
Instead OF such an aristocracN' I
DR. Kellogg continued we are ac-
tually building up an aristocracy off
idiots, paupers and criminals
These unfit persons already have
reached the PROPORTIONS of a vast null
tltude. 500 900 lunatics, so 600 crimi- |
mails, 100000 paupers. 10000 idiots, |
900 epileptics and we are support !
ing these detectives In idlentss like
real aristocrats. AZ an expense Of ono
hundred million dollars "A year. and
this mighty host Of mental and moral |
is increasingly due TO unre-
stricted marriage and other deRener- |
alive influences at a more rapid rate |
than the sounder part Of the popula |