Eugenics Record Office. BULLETIN No. 10A - DNA Patent Database ...

THE SCOPE OF THE COMMITTEE’S WORK. 57
modern social conditions have themselves in a large measure brought
on the problems that face us; and it behooves society to bestir itself
to solve them. Natural selection would continue to cut off the individual
blood lines grossly unadapted to modern conditions if it were permitted
to operate. It is the bolstering up of the defective classes by a benefi-
cent society that constitues the real menace to our blood, because it
lowers the basis of parenthood. Usually nature does not long main-
tain an unused function. If she gave mankind reason and under-
standing, and such reason and understanding are not used for pro-
moting their own conservation, then such faculties are apt to be dis-
carded in the ruthlessness of natural selection. In this case the means
would consist in disseminating defective traits among the general
population, and such deterioration would continue until society itself
would no longer be able to bolster up the defectives. Then fortunate
combination of traits and natural selection would again operate, and
in the long cycle a few worthy strains of mankind would again rise.
There must be selection not only for progress, but even for maintain-
ing the present standard. To the degree we inhibit natural selection,
we must substitute rational selection, else our blood will deteriorate.
The marvelous rise of plants and animals under domestication—
accomplishing in a few years results that in nature might never have
been wrought, or if wrought would have consumed many times the
length of time found sufficient by man—has been due to man’s applying
a rational method in selecting parents. A similar possibility for the
rise of the innate specialized qualities of the human stock is within the
grasp of society; but like all great prizes it must be fought for and
purchased at the price of great effort.
SUMMARY
Human society needs to avail itself of every possible means for its
own advancement. Quite naturally, these means fall into two classes—
(1) those pertaining to improving the condition of individuals already
born; (2) those concerning the improvement of the innate qualities of
future generations. The latter means is the concern of the science of
eugenics, and eugenics in turn works quite naturally along two chan-
nels—(1) concerning the increased fecundity and fortunate matings
of the better classes; (2) concerning the cutting off of the supply of
defectives. Eugenics is at best a long-time investment, and will appeal
only to far-sighted patriots. Like all other long-time investments, the