THE PROBLEM OF THE UNFIT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 461, 20 March 1909, Page 14

THE PROBLEM OF THE UNFIT.

- '• —-»'■ .. - . NATURAL INHERITANCE AND MORAL , RESPONSIBILITY. ! The second lecture of the course on "Natural Inheritance ' and Moral Responsibility given by the Rev. P. N. Waggert at .Cambridjjo University was listened to by such a crowded audience that even the dais upon, which'he stood was used; by listeners sitting literally at his feet. Ho began by adding a few. remarks to the position he laid down in his first lecture as to the task of our generation in dealing with .the conclusions of science as to heredity, he \pronouiiced to be not only -to> defend moral *" or V it necessary, against doubts raised by these conclusions, but to us© them to guide our. own personal aims, and especially'to moderate'our'judgment.upon others. , He.dealt with the. .effects of the new turn of thought upon - the r individual and upon the - general idea -of social;-progress; but' first .called air tention to ;the'consideration-that though the conclusions were'new, tho facts bad existed from the' beginiiirig, and that our view :of tistory ihust be profoundly modified if we accepted any determinist position. It :Would bo'impossible to give up ideas of freedom of action for ourselves and at the samo time admire, tb©'good qualities or detest the bad ones,of the'great historical characters; and yet "most meh were apparently reluctant to change their views of the past than their manner of regarding- their present selves.. - •" One of* tho' anticipations raised by modern work on'heredity .which had not yet been fulfilled,' ."'thb'iigh .-it - ' was !•»-perfectly -. legiti-> mate anticip^tioij,' was, that success, in trac- • ing tho law of physical inherited characteristics might- 'lead v to similar ' success • in the realm of mental and -moral characteristics; and it wasj'cle'ar that ' any such discoveries would; have an oyou more profound effect on the ' theories; ithat ~went by the name ,of "eugenics,"; or opinions ,as.;to the .elimination: of tho unfit. Dealing '.with this latter point, the lecturer returned 'a.threefold' negative' answer ;to.; .the suggestions; /already being niade;. he said, in. ; private,, and, perhaps soon to . appear .on., the . public, platforni, that 'it would 'be better "for-tlie: raco.at'largfeuf the w.eak land' ill were allowed 'to" disappear. , :Hii first.objectionLwasJogical—that talk of. '"iiiterf6renco "njlth. the .'course of Nature" . came! without; meaning-from tho dotcrminist, to whom hospitals and charitable institution's, must .bp- as much in .the . cburso-of Nature as anything.else; the. second, scien-tificr-that/observed facts did not show that the nations in which such institutions prevailed least'wore stronger or. harder than those.in 1 which'everything possible was done to help the weak. Tho last, objection was moral—that if we did gain anythmg by such a course it- would-be at the expense of , those very characters (mutual ,help,' pity, love) for which alone tho race was worth preserving.

; The lecture concluded with a warning as to the terrible danger of- sapping!moral responsibility in tho' mind, as "being 'worse than any metaphysical arguments, directed against Theism; for the former closed tho. in;ner sense 'and ' vision by .which the existence of' Grod. or- good could be' felt or' ■demonstrated.. .•