Evening star., 1939-03-19

greatly retarded by ignorance intolel
no science has received more black {
science Of eugenics. Unfounded and
often absurd claims have been made.
Fanaticisms of all sorts have used it as
a hobby horse.
This has just been recognized by the
American Eugenics Society, the recog-
nized scientific body in the field of hu-
man genetics. To clear the muddy
waters and to allay some of the preju-
dices aroused by the too enthusiastic
hobby horse riders, and at the same time
to make clear the body of solid fact on
which the science rests, the society,
headed by Prof. Samuel J. Holmes of
the University of California, has Just
formulated solid, conservative eugenics
program for the United States It at
tempts to steer middle course between
the old anarchy of reproduction which
used to be the American ideal and the
race publication absurdities of the dicta-
forbidden nations which are almost
certain to result in race destruction.
Called Great Melting Pot.
For century the United States
spurned eugenics. This Nation, its pa
triotic orators proudly boasted, was the
great melting pot" in which the virtues
of all races and all elements of society
were being melted together. The ideal
whatever may have been the actual
practice-was ra-democratic and egal-
itarian. The long continued eugenics
experiments of Europe were favorite sub
jects for ridicule and coarse humor
Scions of royalty and nobility-distant
descendants of men who had risen to
power through their own abilities and
energies and who had been able to make
their gains hereditary-were pictured as
feeble, contemplate creatures. At the
best they were nincompoops. At the
worst they were malevolent scoundrels.
1t was almost taken for granted that
the sons and daughters of poor men had
better stuff in them than the children
Of rich men and for a couple of genera
tions birth in log cabin was almost
requisite for high Office. Only a few
biologists shook their heads. They were
not taken seriously. Unfortunately dur
ing the last century there was no WORTH
while biological training to be had on
this side of the Atlantic and every out
standing practitioner of that science had
been trained in European university
where he had absorbed un-American
ideas.
But at last even America began to get
crowded and the melting pot started to
boil over The good mingled with the
bad and the best and worse elements of
the native Americans were thrown into
the seething cauldron for good meas
ure.
Concern Over Eventual Product.
For the first time some concern WAS
voiced over the eventual product of this
hodge-podge. Would there ever be q
homogeneous race? If so, would it be
race in any way in keeping with the
American ideal of sturdy independence?
Criminals of all sorts multiplied. They
were the kind of human beings to be
expected from the melting pot. said some
of the European-t trained biologists with
an "1-told-you-so" air. Along came the
depression-and then the w. P. A. and
the other helping agencies. Somehow or
other the expected virtue of sturdy in
dependence did not appear very prom
inently and thousands seemed perfectly
content to let their neighbors support
them. The one activity they were willing
to continue-and in which they showed
considerable proficiency-was the pro-
duction of progeny. Those who were
earning the money and paying the bills
didn't make much of mark in this field.
For one thing, they couldn't afford to.
Supporting other peoples children re-
quired too much of their energies.
From the first there have been two
outstanding difficulties. One is that rela-
lively nothing is known about the laws
governing human heredity. Biologists
have discovered a lot about the genetics
of fruit flies and white rats. They must
take great deal for granted when they
seek to transfer their findings to human
beings. Moreover, these findings are al
most entirely on the physical level. Fruit
flies and white rats do not have those
qualities with which those concerned
with the future of people are most
concerned-mind and character.
With the experimental animals, the
fruit flies in particular, many generations
can be produced in few months. The
results Of various matings can be noted
with precision and differentiated from
the results of chance. But no biologist
can hope to observe more than two or
three generations of man. A controlled
experiment is impossible. Few human
beings would submit to it. No biologist
would live long enough to make it.
Humans More Complex.
And the human being is vastly more
complex organism than the fruit fly, or
even the white rat. It is extraordinarily
dimcult to isolate discrete qualities in
man. His whole hereditary complex is
a mess. This applies even to the genetics
of physical characters. Some outstand-
ing features-such as the curly hair of
the Negro and the almond eyes Of the
Chinaman certainly are hereditary.
Stature, color Of hair and eyes, etc., run