SPENDING OUR BRAIN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 45, 18 November 1918, Page 7

SPENDING OUR BRAIN

SOME CONSEQUENCES OF THE' ' ' WAK. ' .At the. Summer School of Civics, and Eugenics, held at Oxford, an interesting address was delivered by Professor J. A. Lindsny, of Belfast, on the subject of "The Eugenic and Social Influence of the War." Ho. said.n fundamental question was, What would be the'wastage of manpower in this war and what would be the effect.of that wastage? Dr. LoiiiS C. Porkes reckoned tho number of males in the five chief combatant nations to the end of the. year 1015 killed or unable to support a, family at. nine millions. Tt would hardly bp raeli to assume that this figure had been more' than , trebled eince that date. ;■■'•■ The low of life in wnr was/a question not only of quantity, but 'of quality? l.hb casualties among officers had been except ionnily heavy. Jinny : only sons had--fallen; und mnny old' families had beiomo extinpt. The loss'to literature, science, politics, and ndministralion had been very grave. Poets, writers, nrtiste. thinkeiw, and scientists-the intelligence of the nation—bad fallen in , large numbers. The universities had in some cases been practically emplied, with the'inevitable result that the supply of trained intelligence would lereaffjr'fend to run short; Tho nation wos .'pending 'in this great conflkt not only its blood, but its brain, and tho Infler could only be replaced nnich inoro slowly than ' the former. '

One of the mosi obvious results of die slaughter of young men in this war wodkl be tn accentuation of the disproportion between tho sexes, which wa* already. marled in the pre-war period Jn ft moderate calculation there would no three million more women than men ■m the-British islands 'n tho .not distant future. Tho sociil effects of this disproportion were likely to be intricate ?n<i tar-roncuiitt!, • and-' were not to lie judged' exclusively from tho standpoint ot matrimony. . > One of the mo.=t certain results of the ■present war wonM be a vast extension of temiile employment, not olone bet-nupc there would be fewer men, but alvo be•■iiiiw H-omon had fully established their rapuciry to do work, and to do it well which was formerly thought to be naturally reserved for men. When they came to count .up Ihn gniiw and losses ot the war the.ro could be little doubt ,wi winch side the balance would incline Die nnhoii would hcvn Inst heavily in iii.iii-i.ower in brain-power, in capital, and iii industrial resources.