WOMEN AND EUGENICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 October 1919, Page 11

WOMEN AND EUGENICS.

ADVICE TO W.CT.TJ. . ■ AN" INTERESTING PAPER. ' The fact that the future of the race depends upon its women was emphasised in a treatise on "Eugenics," written by Mrs. Bogle, MA., at Wanganui, and read by Mrs- Clara M'Neal, of Feilding, at Thursday's sitting of the Wellington Provincial Convention of the W.C.T.U. Mrs. Bogle, in the course of her paper, pointed out that there were eugenic societies in several countries, including Now Zealand, and in" America the Eugenics Record Office was amassing quantities of information which even now was yielding up some of Nature's secrets. When the idea of heredity was first propounded it naturally caught the public fancy. Surely, it was thought, py correct choice of parents it would be possible to produce any quality desired in the child. In short, it would be , possible to produce a genius at will. Now, however, it had been established that the jnjatter was extraordinarily pomplicated. After a tremendous amount of patient investigation and untiring labor the students of the subject were able to lay down a few definite rules with regard to a few definite diseases—diseases which were not even normal qualities. The increase in feeble-mind-edness, idiocy, and insanity in all civilised countries was causing alarm to all who realised it. It was certain that there could be no decrease while such unfortunate people were allowed to become parents. For the sake of the unborn they must in some way be restrained from parenthood. Incidentally, there were many cases of normal people who might pass on defects not visible in themselves, and defective people wfio could have normal children. AN AMERICAN PRACTICE. In America the Eugenics Office was be, coming more and more used by those who: wished to marry, and were not certain whether they should become parents. They submitted their cases, and those qualified to judge advised them. This seemed to be an excellent method, and a most encouraging sign of the conscience which was growing—at any rate, in America- "1 should like to think," added Mrs. Bogle, "that it will become customary for all people who contemplate marriage to think first of their possible parenthood, and what it may entail upon their children. Definite knowledge has now been gained as to the heredity of the tendency of drunkenness, so that alcoholic victims must also be barred from parenthood." Mrs. Bogle went on to point out that erven if parenthood were denied to all the feebleminded, fnsane, and alcoholic, we could not hope to get entirely rid of such types from our race unless we combated the racial poisons. Authorities spoke with certainty of three racial poisons:—The venereal diseases, lead poisoning (on house painters and other workers in white lead), and alcohol. The first was well recognised, and measures were being taken to combat it, though they still left much to be desired. The second was still prevalent, but a great discovery had been made that an electric bath would remove the poison from the body. Possibly such a bath taken periodically would be made compulsory for workers in lead. The poison which was least dealt with as yet, in all countries except, perhaps, America, was that of alcohol. Yet there was abundant evidence that alcohol in anything like large quantities—even though the drinker was never drunk—could have disastrous effects upon the offspring, and chiefly upon its mental power. Drawing to a close, Mrs. Bogle urged that it would be a fine thing if a women's society, such as the W.CT.U., would form classes for the study of eugenics, so that women would be able to take a really intelligent interest in all legislation which affected the race. The ambition of the eugenist was to create such a public opinion as to make uneugenic parenthood impossible. The eugenist did not want, as many people seemed to think, to pair off people, and marry them by the police, so to speak, They believed that human love was the greatest of eugenic influences, but they did want prospective parents to be prepared for their great office.