THE MAKING OF MAN.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 333, 21 October 1908, Page 14

THE MAKING OF MAN.

RAISING THE STANDARD OF THE RACE. . OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. [Br a New, Zealand* Shepherd.] •• 1 [I dedicate this essay to our-Empire with the fervent hope that a little of what I have •aid may reach its gr.eat and good, heart, and induce someone with far better, qualifications than myself to throw, a searching light on, . this great subject.. I ask forgiveness" for literary' defects on the plea that I never was Bducated.—A New Zealand Shepherd.] The subject of this essay is, I am aware,' ene that soine may consider almost improper, and even ; irreligious, therefore let me say at the outset-that it is. intended to be neither - the one nor the other, but it. is written from a deep conviction that what is here expressed may tend towards a .truer and higher.'development, and it is sincerely hoped that .when people are brought face to face with these possibly -hard,,but I think indisputable facts, it may lead them to devote their highest intelligence towards raising a better, stronger, i and . more-noble race of men and women than have possibly ever inhabited the earth before. You may say that this is a dream, .it'is, impossible. I reply—dreams at times come true—that it is perfectly' possible, and can and will some day be a matter of history.. What We are Doing. ; , Now let me turn for a time, and -show that what we as a nation are doing towards the making of men and women is often criminally cruel and merciless in the extreme. ' Take for instance the marriage; of cousins, sanctioned by our law-makers, winked at by , our clergy, and often urged by parents. Think for a moment you law-makers and you clergy and parents of . the suffering eyes'of tbe thousands of physical wrecks that'look at you and say, "yes, you have done this, you are the real authors of-our misery." What ■ are your hospitals, homes for cripples, and houses .for imbeciles and the insane? Truly;noble '.works of mercy; and so they ought to be, when you consider how far you are directly/,or indirectly'responsible 7 for- this misery, through your utter disregard of the ordinary laws that govern reproductionthrough vice, drunkenness, and immorality. ■ So by all means palliate .the sufferings of those, you. have , produced ; but . in the name of the Almighty, who will be your' Judge, stop, as far as in your power-lies, the perpetuation'of their affliction. The number of rejections, from our Army as physically unfit for service, is, I - understand,, between' thirty and forty per cent.,, and those rejected from the Navy last year 'were so many . that the 'Admiraltyvhave.refused to publish the.numbers. .The Army and the Navy absorb a large number of our best men—most of whom are prevented from marrying—and thus the degenerates are left to replenish the nation , with their' infirmities. think! What sort of men and women '.are: being produced in the east end of London, where the degraded, and vicious of all nations herd together , under, filthy conditions, bringing the unfortunate poor to a sense of poverty '-they ' otherwise would .never Lave ' known. ' • Let -.us' learn one more lesson, from the animal world. Think of what haß been done with care aiid selection. Think of the Arab and our great draught horses and what' we have, brought them, from. If all this can be done foranimals, what could not be done for, man P, Surely.imen could. be produced of higher , higher intelligence, physical and moral qualities, giants in science, in intellect, Bpiritual. insight, and' capacity—true, "noble-" men —an aristocracy. .'.Nay I a nation fitted, to rule the world—make of it a/ heaven. All this may be done by using the highest intelligence in careful selection.: Men have the , God-like power given them of leaving happiness or misery to the futurejjgeqejai' tions; therefore reverence it, make laws ancf councils to help to regulate this power. The body is an animal body, but it is the house, " and should be the instrument of the mind, the soul, the life—call it what you will—that glorious-Ego that is made in God's images with almost infinite possibilities. Think of the .unutterable cruelty of rivetting the chains that bind it to a decaying and enfeebled, body or half-developed, brain. 'Oh.l' ihen and women, mothers and fathers of our nation; what divine power is yours of giving to the world yet another -nation, more perfect; - more blessed than your own generation. What more perfect gift ca.n -you ■ give to the world than a child with a beauti-' ■ 'ful body, untainted with hereditary vice and laving an.unclouded-inind. What sortiof! • miserable conterfeit is the love thai would load the world with misery, yes, and make' those you, profess to love in part the authors of it. And yet this is being done daily in our midst.

Unsuitable Marriages. The parents who urge-their daughters to taarry an almost imbecile because of his "title or position or an advanced degenerate for his money, the man who marries,a physi-. «al wreck or his near relatives for their wealth, these people, consciously or unconsciously, are criminals of the worst' type, for they are not injuring the life or prosperity, of one. person, they are mutilating an indefinite number of those i who- come after them. Rea.d your Burke's Peerage and / Landed Gentry for a record of intermar- J riages of families. Why there are records . there that would fill an ordinary-pedigree stock-breeder ■ with contempt, -and= what ex-, cuse have.-those who have'these records before them for repeating such discreditable blunders?. Perhaps it pleases you to bring forth .cripples that your virtue .may. be proclaimed in the market place when your charity is published in the lists of hospital donations, but' this form of charity'■ will hardly please your Maker. There are many already who, on learning that they were physically unfit for; marriage, l from parent or physician, have shown the highest-wis-dom, morcy, and lovo by refusing to marry, and by their unselfish lives have added to the number of-saints upon earth. The medical profession' have done, and are doing, splendid work in wrestling with disease and death, fighting an innumerable, invisible, ancj relentless host that ultimately, invariably, win. Might I suggest . that it would bo better if a larger proportion of their great abilities were turned towards' the solving of the problem of how .to produce men, with constitutions better able to withstand the attacks of these terrible foes? Our statesmen and politicians ,are also doing yeoman service in improving the housing, feeding, and general conditions of the people,. but they must grapple with the whole/subject of the marriage laws if thoy would not only give the nation .but the in'dividual that inestimable blessing—a sound constitution—for, • believe me, ono without' the other is useless. . , . Survival,of the Fittest. - The best type of American, with active ; body and alert mind, is obviously the product of the best European races, in a country where there is a great absence of localism, and individual effort is given its full scope. On the other head, the-worst type will generally be found to be the half-breed of two races that are so widely divergent in their leading characteristics as really to show that they belong to different periods of development, or at least may be said to bolong to quite'distinct branches of _the human family. These half-castes, it is well known, often develop-the evil traits of ■both races, and it may be pointed out that these characteristics are often brought out by . :their finding themselves in the unfortunate position of noither belonging to one race or the other. For instance, in India the Eurasian has the ambitions of the European, with all tho craftiness of the Asiatic. 'It'is''these people that sow the seeds of trouble in India, America, and Africa. May I be pardoned for once more calling up a witness from the animal kingdom? The muie may be a useful animal when kopt in his place, but he is apt to behave at times as if he resented his existonce, and also the fact that ho finds_ himself neither a donkey or a horse. The climate is a large factor in race production. The British cannot thrive in the tropics, the second generation are -generally called by the Natives,tho "poor whites"; the third generation is best not mentioned. 1 believe there is no fourth. The .survival of the fittest is an "XBchangeablo lawj we must work with it,

rather than against it. A large proportion of our present charities "tend towards tho porpetuatioh of the unfit; whereas every effort, should be mado towards the perpetuation , and improvement of. tho most fit, ior the one course leads to deterioration and extinction; .the othor to tho. strength, pnrity, and salvation of the nation. And let me say that it is the very: height to which individual Englishmen can climb that makes one liope even for-greater things. . . Tha Problem—Some Suggestions. : 'I now'come'to/thp.great question of how to' deal with dhese problems, and will maKe a few suggestions, but T most sincerely hope these questions may bo dealt with by more trained and able minds, in the centres ol civilisation. It is not that I do -not admire the splendid work being' dono all over onr Empire, tending towards the health and education of our people,- but what I do maintain is that-we mustigo one step further, and see that our children are the children of healthy parents,- of,"sis far as possible, thei best types. ' There appear to bo two courses .that may be taken—the one, the wholesale exportation or transplanting of the unnt from ,a nation. This sounds drastic and even cruel. Yet, a. nation has the courage to do it, and-do'it' well, it might prove the greatest-kindness possible, as people, lite sheep, require"change'of country and conditions, "and thrive and improve in a most astonishing way when transplanted. Ihe other course would seem to be as far as possible the separation of,the most fit, and their,isolation, and the granting tliem special privileges. ' My suggestion's'are:— (1.) To abolish once-; for all, by statute, that infamous' thing, the marriage of cousins, and discourage all marriage of connections of any "kind,""and" disseminate a knowledge of the evils resulting from such man-iages. . (2.) To allow, no marriage to tako place in a church' l or registry office without both parties producing medical certificates. (3.) That the .age at which marriages are legal be raised to '20 for' women and 24 for men. No' criminals;" drunkards, or imbeciles, or insane persons be allowed to marry. • (4.) To-form'-a' strong council, composed of ■leading doctors,- anthropologists, - statesman, •bishops,.; generak-officers, admirals, physical culture and educational experts, and leading comnjercial men. ; i . (5.); The of this council to be .to draw up; from time £o time, standards of examination of' inoAl," mental, and physical powers, for .which' ? certificates would/ bo granted. : (6.) That a society of men and-women bo formed, sworn to abide by.- certain rules ■ regarding marriage, and undertaking to marry only those.'holding certificates granted by the above-mentioned, council. Any members breaking the rules ■td be struck off the rolls and cease to enjoy the privileges and benefits of the society. ... (7.) That a colony be formed granting special privileges and land-to those holding special'certificates, and marrying those holding-- similar .certificates. - You will doubtless" now ask how about the ■ money-to do- all'this. Well, it is an undeniable fact 'that'aflarge proportion of the inhabitants'of Great- Britain and tho King's dominions [ beyond •'■ the seas have far more money .'than ks' good 'or, wholesome for them—. which tbey spend... in .'all manner or rubbish,' simply from force of habit. But behind all this' their hearts , are good, and I firmly believe that if they could be shown that their money- would- bespent-in a direct effort to improve the race on reasonable lines they would, give, and'give liberally, .towards the improvement, of the race. And now, with many' apologies- for r meiddling' in other people's, business,; I will say farewell,, and go and look after my sheep. , A NEW .ZEALAND SHEPHERD. - -bctober-16,-1908..