EUGENICS.

White Ribbon, Volume 19, Issue 226, 18 April 1914, Page 1

EUGENICS.

(Paper read by Mrs Bendeley at Gisborne.) At the Medic al Congress recently held in Auckland an address on Eugenics was delivered by Dr. Truby King. This Dominion is much indebted to Dr. King for the excellent work he has done towards the preservation of infant life; it would have been under a still deeper debt to him had he, when dealing with this subject, been able tc free himself to a greater degree from sex bia>, medical etiquette, and inherited ideas, and to take a wider, fairer, deeper view of the subject. According to the | üblished report of his address, iis keynote was struck in the sentence, “Parenthood stands at the* top of all forms c.f human happiness,” yet its substance wis “an efo quern and closely reasoned appear tha» high education should not be allowed to unfit gills, or give them a disinclination for domesticity and parentage.” And throughout the report runs the same idea, that it is the / r irls and women who an* all to blame. Our dress, our education, our alleged love of pleasure and disinclination to undergo the trials of motherhood, or the self-denial which it entails, arc* all passed in condemnation. Even the “commercial flapper,” product of a commercial age and primarily of the desire of men to secure c heap and efficient labour, fell under the ban, along with her other sister', the* daughters of Eve. We grov somewhat weary of being lec-

tured by these superior ecclesiastics and doctors, through whose utter ances we hear again the* voice of the old Adam, saying, with joint condemnation both of God and the* woman, who is the hist and most perfectly adapted product of His creation, “The woman whom Thou gavest me, she tempted me.” They accuse us of love of dress, yet feminine fashion is largely dictated by men, for commercial reasons; they accuse us of fostering false standards of education, made for us again by men ; tbev acoi'e us of being unwilling to undergo the sacrifice, the fatigue, the* limi tation of intellectual and so< ial pursuits, all necessary for thc f working cut < f the vast plan of evolution, yet while they say that “parenthood stands at the top of all forms of human happiness,’ ’ their utterances show as little recc gnition of the share which man has in tha’ parenthood, as if man’s share were no greater than that of the male of our domesti< animals. What shall we say in reply? We accuse them that the doctor and hi' brother, the churchman, have stood by through the years, and seen innocent girlhood and womanhood delivered into the embraces of the* libertine cr the manhood which has “sown its wild oats,” knowing that a pureminded, clean-bodied woman was being delivered to a life of certain disease and misery, and that they have raised no voice in protest. We accuse them that they have persistently concealed from women, and connived at keeping them in ignorance of, the true laws of health in matters of sex. We accuse them that the> have helped

to maintain the* denial to women e t the* sanctity of then own bodies. We acc use tin m that they have wronged woman doubly througa her brothe r man. by failing to freclaim to him that on the physical no less than on the 'i iritual plane, the “wages < f sin is death." We accuse them that they have helped to foster the* idea that man’s physical l ature needs satisfactions which are denied to woman, and that while indulgence in thoe satisfactions on the part e.f woman involve, outlawry from society, the same indulgence is at mo't only a pardonable indiscretion on the part of man. W e ac< U'e them that they have instigated and maintained as long as they could, the infamous ('.!). Acts in various countries, ard th t even now their affection is net fully weaned from those legalised en rage, on womanhood. We accuse them t! :t they have failed, and still fad, to c e the splendid opportunities they | o sess of giving sound advice to 1 u - bands and wives; of teaching tic virtues and \ leasures c f conti ic*a e in marriage; of teaching Husbands the ne*e*d for giving the* e rgans of mater nity full oppe rtunitv for rest and re <uperation; of counselling both to so live that their parenthood 'hall indeed be on»* of the highest forms cf human happiness, and he productive < f the* best possible children. We accuse them that, cither unwittingly or ignorantly, they are fostering masculine disregard of the laws of sex hygiene, by proclaiming that heredity is a secondary consideration. We accuse them that, well knowing the* physic il effects on womanhood, produced • v violation of the laws of cleanin ' s

and proper living between the the> lift no hand to help cx< ept with the surgeon’* scalpel. We accu.o. them that, under cover of tneir pro* fession and the plea of alleged necessity, they violate too often with exploratory knife the holy of holies in which the infant life is borne. We accuse them that, as a profession, they have failed to purge themselves of the stigma of maintaining the double standard of morality for the sexes, of which we and the generation* yet to come must reap the harvest. Turn we now to the proper subject of this paper. Eugenics may be defined as the study of the agencies within individual or social control, which tend to the* improvement or debasement of the future members of the human race. The word is derived from two Greek words, meaning “well born.” In the public, and, so to speak, official presentation of eugenics at present, the work of the eugenist consists of the collection and study of statistic s relating to the birth-rate, the rates and proportion* of infant mortality, the propagation of the* diseased or defective in body or mind, and what steps, if any, should be taken by the re mmunity to restrict the multiplication c.f the unfit, the color'd by the* community of marriage, or at least the* enforcement of some degree of physical fitness, and any other epic stions bearing upon the ph\ sical or mental fitness of the next ane succeeding generation*. In the wider view, the scope of the eugen i*t’s study and work will cover the whole* field of individual and social life, in so far a> it ha* any bearing, direct or indirect, upon the birth and upbringing of the children who are to carry on the* rac e. The eugenist must *et hi* face against the alcohol evil, which saps the* vitality and taints the physical and mental life of parents ai'd children, against the* tobacco habit, a scarcely less insidi ous evil; against the slums which, for private profit, arc* allowed to house ihe poorer and weaker members of the* community in conditions which are a disgrace and a danger to physical and moral health. He must take note of the factory, shop, and office conditions, in which again private piofit too often holds cheaply the health and safety of the* worker, and mu*t stand for the payment of such wages as will afford a comfortable

maintenance, with reasonable margin for recreation, provision for the future, etc. He must stand fo; the improvement of our e ities, for ample public gardens and play grounds, fe.r cleanl.ness and sanitation, for artistic and healthfu 1 buildings, good to see and good to live and work in, for all necessary public services carried c ut in the most efficient manner possible, for the endowment of the community 1 with all that tends to its convenience, health, and enjoyment. He must pay attention to the education of the young, demand open-air buildings, hygienic surroundings, 'bathing facilities, efficient teaching, but not cramming or stunting of natural development, the abolition of competitive examinations (at any rate to the extent now practised), and aM the other agencies now so detrimental to the physical powers of growing children, and the opportunity for children e f every class to develop their faculties to the utmost. He must study the laws in their bearing upon the life of the nation, in so far as they fail to iestrain individual greed, which disregard* the rights of others, or to fairly and adequately punish offence* against the* individual, or set the value of property above that of life. He mu't study the amusements of the community, and demand that adequate provision be made for healthful and innocent amusement, and that the conditions of life be such that re »- sonable opportunity for recreation is enjoyed by all. In a word, he mu*t stand for a community in which every individual ha* an opportunity to develop the best that is in himself or herself, for only so can the foundation* he laid of a physical and mental health that will flow with bounding vitality through the veins of the generation* yet unborn. Generally speaking, however, the present development of the eugenic idea deals either with community action through legislation, or with the endeavour to ascertain and act on certain tendencies of reproduction, and in either case it is not therefore adapted at present for individual action. Hut there is scope* for the immediate application of eugenic principles by every individual who is doing or contemplates doing his or he r part in the propagation of the race. In this direction, by example or precept, there is work for each of us, and I wish to suggest for consideration some of the principles upon

which individual effort* must be bashd. First l shall place, on the part of all, the maintenance of the highest possible standard of health of body and mind. It is fortunately true that health is more infectious than disease otherwise the world to-day might be one vast hospital—and, believe me, we are doing some service to r»ur fellows by keeping our own l)odjes healthy and fit. For that Will involve) on our part, temperance and sober living in the widest M*nse of the term; living that will do no wrong to our fellow creatures. And coupled with *uc h plain living, we need high thinking, a cheerful and healthy outlook on lib*, not shutting our eyes to its evils, but recognising its possibilities of improvement; meeting our fellow* freely and equally, dealing with them fairly, giving the hand of fellowship, and, what our American cousins expressively call, “the glad eye,” that will awake a responsive echo .in them. Especially is the highest possible health of body and mind needed on the part of those who have entered or may enter the married state, and while* we emphasise for them the need of healthy living, of forbearance, of mutual helpfulness, of all the little attentions that arc* needed in intimate personal relationship, we et above all the* need tor continence .n marriage. We wish to *cc abolish'd the idea that continence i* a virtue to be practised only before marring *. The instinct of reproduction was not given to men and women in order ;o be perverted into a means of phy*i ,d enjoyment, but in order to provi !r for the perpetuation of the race. I speck plainly on this subject, because 1 believe that this i* one of the roc *<s on which the happiness of the* married state toe often finds shipwreck. If the *ex act were used only for the deliberate and intentional purpose of reproduction, both the health and happiness cf the parents and the children would be increased. VVe reed to cease to look at thi* subject solely from a personal point of view, and to remember that the child whose life, health, and happiness depends upon our action, has a paramount claim and right to consideration. In this, perhaps, more than in any other human relation, it i* essentially true that “none of u* liveth to himself.” hollowing on this aspect of the subject, we must emphasise the need

for preparation, so that at the time of begetting the child, the bodies and minds of both parents shall be in the healthiest possible condition. If it be accepted as an axiom that competition for any athletic or intellectual test needs special preparation of body or mind, if success is to he hoped for, how much more should preparation be needed when the test is the making of the man or woman < f the future. If we are not content to leave the issue of the lesser tests to chance, but use every effort to ensure success, how much less should the begetting of the child be left to chance? And, further, in doing so, we may well consider the time of the year at which the child is to be born, so that its entrance shall be at the season most favourable and least trying to infantile growth.

The mental and physical condition of the mother, both at the time and during the peiiod of pregnancy, is a matter of the utmost importance. The latter ran be kept up by reasonable walking exercise; abstention from over exertion, but not idleness; rest, bathing; and suitable diet, excluding, of course, all stimulants, and, as far as possible, meat; the former by artistic surroundings, by the effect of good pictures (especially excluding scenes of war), by good books, and by keeping a high mental and physical ideal of the child that is to be. It may be said that some of these things are out ide the power of many a mother to secure. True, and to that extent the community has failed to realise its duty to the mothers and to itself. The mothers are the most important asset it has; they are providing the children who have to carry on its civilisation, and should have all the help and protection that the community can afford. Not from the point of view ot the employer, who advocates full cradles for the working classes, so that there may be abundance of labour; nor from the military point of view, which de mands food for powder ; nor from the point of view of those who urge quantity, regardless of quality, do we urge the protection and encouragement of all that will give us the bc>t possible citizen- for the future.

Next consider the eugenic needs of the infant. For the physical, n< • ral feeding, fresh air in abundance, suitable clothing, sufficient exercise; for the mental and moral patures,

quietness, freedom from excitement, and a rule that shall be wise and tirm, but reasonable. It is diftie ult to say at what age infants begin to intelligently understand the parental rule; certain it is that before we realise it, they have weighed the value and reliability of a parental promise or command, and assessed to a nicety the amount of crying or persuasion that will obtain the one or alter the other. Jhe foundations of respect or contempt for the parental control (or lack of it) arc laid in the cradle, and there is no age too early to teach the child obedienc e and self control. The less toys and excitement the child gets, the better; its inventive faculty will find natural playthings, and its imagination will have freer scope to “make believe” if its toys are limited in number, while its mental and physical growth will be more natural and steady the less excitement it gets. It is no less true of the child than of the adult, that “in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” It may be said that this has little to do with eugenics, but it means laying early the foundations of a character of temperance and self-control that will be a blessing to the individual, his community, and his descendants. Our eugenic ideal will follow the growing child to school, and as parents, and, let me add, as voters possessing a tangible’ influence upon the education system of the country, we have a right to demand for our child ren that the schools shall be healthy and artistic; adapted for work in the open as far as weather will permit; provided with the best facilities obtainable for sanitation, bathing, and cleanliness; and that the' instruction shall be calculated to encourage the development of the individual, to stimulate powers of observation, of thought and reasoning; not moulding childr, n into a parrot routine nor drilling them into intellectual regimentation, but developing the* latent powers that each child posse ses, so as to bring out its best for be future service of the communov.

And lastly, in the education of the* citizen of the future, we shall teach them reverently and purely the farts of the beginning of life, no longer committing the wrong of sending them out into the world uninstructed, but teaching them the natural laws of human life for their guidance, on-

forced, not with the “thou >halt not of the decalogue, but with tlie* “do thi'. and thou shalt live*” of .1 in re fully developed knowledge. In dor.g thi>, we shall teach our boys and. guls an equal standard of morality, a> the condition of fullest life for all, and we shall crush down once and for all the bad old lie that man's nature needs privileges that are denied to woman. A woman writer on this subject has well said: “Boys and

girls must be trained to a common standard of honour, morality, and chastity. It has been said that women should be* pure and men brave. It is equally important that men should be* pure and women brave.” And an English Bishop has said that no man has any right to say that lie* cannot control his passions until he* has tried the* effect of hard physic il or mental exertion, or both.

In presenting this view of eugenic s I have endeavoured to show it as

matter for individual regulation of life, rather than a question of legislative* or community action. The latter may, and no doubt will, have its place, but our greatest hope of reform must lie in the education of the individual. We are told that man was created in the image and likeness of God; we may see every day how far he has fallen from the standard of that beauty as the* result of the work ing of the infallible* law embodied in the commandment which declares that the sins of the fathers are visited on the children unto the third and fourth genera'ion of them that hate God or, in other words, that do not order their lwes by standards of righteousness and truth. In keeping Hi- commandments man may yet rise to the place in which it may bf truly said of him, in the words of Shakespeare: “What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! inform and moving, how express and admirable! in action, how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a god! the* beauty of the world! the* paragon of animals!” W ith the Master’s injunction before us, “Be ye perfect,” we dare* not affirm that it is impossible of attainment.