EUGENICS DURING AND AFTER THE WAR.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 87, 24 September 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

EUGENICS DURING AND AFTER THE WAR.

Major Darwin, in liis presidential address on '•Eugenics During and After the War" to the Eugenics Education Society ac the Grafton Galleries. London, recently, said that our military system fv emed to be devised with the object of ensuring that all who are defective shall bo exempt from risks, whilst the strong, courageous, and patriotic shall be endangered. Men with noVe qualities were being destroyed, while the unfit remain at homo to become, fathers of families; and, a.s like tends to beget like, this must deteriorate the natural qualities of the coming generations. Putting aside the differential effects, between the victorious and the vanquished nations, primitive warfare was terrible though in somo ways beneficial, whilst modern war was more terrible and utterly and entirely harmful. Tho c hances of stopping war were, however, small, and we must consider how to minimise its evils, if conscription were adopted, future wars would produce

LESS INJURY TO THE RACE. because the casualty lists would more nearly represent a chance selection of the population; though whether a conscript army would ever fight at well cs our men are doing in France was very doubtful. The injurious effects of the war on all useful sections of the community should lie mitigated. Military training was eugenic if the men were kept with the colours or.iy for short periods. Officers must of course be engaged for long periods, and amongst them the birth-rate was very low. An increase of pay would be beneficial in this respect, but orpy if given in tho form of an additional allowance for each living child. In the hope of increasing the birth-rate attempts were more than likely to be made to exalt the "unmarmaintain the high standards of home life which have ever cx : sted in o:sr race, and which have been in large measure the bps : s of our social 1 and racini progress in the past.