THE

A RT

OF

H o wa rd

E dw a rd

SE RI E S

LIF E
G r ig g s ,

E d i to r

A N A ME RIC A N P RO B L E M

BY

SC O T T N E A RIN G , P h D
.

WH

ARTO N

SC H O O L ,

A U T H OR OF

U N I V E R SIT Y O F P E NN SY L V

A A

SOC I L

D $UST ME N T ,

N EW YO R$
B

H U E B SC H
191

A NI A

E TC .

F O REW O RD
FOR

ages m en have sought to p e rp e tu

ate their m emori es in endu ring monuments
Yet in thei r e fforts
o f brass and o f stone
to build l asting memorials they have neg
le c te d th e most end uring monum ent o f all
the M onument o f Posterity
T hese
farseeing ones h ave overlooked thei r
real opportu nity ; f o r in posteri ty
in the
achievements o f their children s children
m e n m ay best hop e to re ect a lasting
re
atnes
s
g
.

C ON TE N TS

C H A PTE

II

P AGE

T H E C A LL

OF T H E

SU P E R RA C E

E U GEN IC S T H E SCI EN C E

OF

I3
RA C E

C U LTU RE

III

SO CIA L AD$ U ST ME NTT H E SCI EN C E

MO LDI N G IN STI TUT IO N S

ED U C A T I O NT H E SCI EN C E O F IN DI
V ID U A L D E V E LO P M ENT
T H E A MERIC A N O P P ORTUN I TY
OF

IV

26

44

55

75

Th e Sup r Ra ce
CHAPT E R I
THE C

A LL

OF T H E

As

S U P E R RA CE

a very s mall boy I distinctly remem

ber that stori es o f the discove ry o f Ame r
ica and Australia O f the exploration O f
C entral Africa and o f th e invention o f the
locomotive the steamboat and the tel e
graph m ade a deep imp ress ion o n my
childish mind ; an d I shall never fo rget g o
ing o ne day to my moth er and saying
O h dear I wi sh I h ad been born b e
fo re eve rything wa s discovere d and in
vented N o w there i s nothing le ft f o r

m e to do
B rooding ove r it and wondering why it
should b e s o my boyish soul felt deeply
the tragedy o f b eing born int o an u ne v e nt
ful age I fully b elieved that the great
a chievements o f the worl d Were in the
Ima g ine then my j o y when in the
p ast
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

I4

course O f my later stud i es it sl o wly dawned

upon me that the age in which I lived was
a fter all an age O f unp a rallele d a ctivi ty
I saw the much vaunted discoveries and
inventions o f b y gone days in their true
prop ortions T hey no longer p re empted
the Whole world
prese nt and futu re as
W ell a s p ast but freed from romance they
ranged themselves in the form o f a foun
dati on upon which the structure O f civili
z atio n i s building
T h e success ive steps
in hum an a chi evement from the use O f
re to the harnessing o f electricity con sti
tu te d a
process o f evolution creating
a stage where eve ry ma n must play

his p art
a p art exp anding and b ro ad
e ning with each succeeding gene ration ; and
I s aw that I ha d a place among the acto rs
in thi s play O f progress Th e forward
s teps o f the p ast need not and would not
prevent m e fr o m achi eving in the p resent
nay they m ight even make a place i f
I coul d but nd it f o r my feet ; they might
hold up my hands and place within my
grasp the keen tools with whi ch I shoul d
do my work
Th e scho ol boy p assing from an atti
,

'

Th e Supe r Ra c e

15

tu de o f contemplation and wonder be fore

the things o f the p ast into an atti tude o f
a ctive recognition of the necessiti es o f the
p res ent p assed through the evolutiona ry
process o f the race T h e savage Sir
Henry M a ine tells us l ives in a state O f ah
e
c
t
a
fea
r
bound
h
and
and
foot
by
the
s
j
y
ings and doings o f his ancestors and
blinded by the terrors o f nature Th e
lightning ashes and the untutored mind
trembling bows b e fore th e wrath o f a j e al
o u s God ; th e ha rvest fails an
d the savage
h umbly submits to th e vengeance o f an
incensed deity ; p estilence de stroys the p e o
ple and the p rimitive m an s ees in thi s
catastrophe a punishment inicted o n him
for his failu re to p r o p iti ate an exacting

in these and a thou s and oth er

spi rit
ways uncivilized p eoples accept the phe
momena i n which n ature displays h e r
p owe r a s the exp ress ed will o f a n o m nip o
tent b eing O ne course alone i s op en to
them ; they must b o w down b efore the u n
known a ccepting a s inevitabl e those fo rces
whi ch they neithe r can unde rstan d no r
conquer
C ivilization has meant enlightenment
'

T h e Supe r Ra c e

nd achievement

In

lightning Franklin
saw a potent gi ant which h e ensl ave d fo r
th e servi ce o f m an ; in famine Burb a nk
discovered a lack o f prop e r adj ustment b e
t ween the soil and the crops that men were
cultivating thereupon h e produced a
wheat that woul d th rive o n an annual rain
fall o f twelve inch es ; in p estilence Pasteu r
recogni zed the ravages o f a n o rgani s m
whi ch he p rep are d to stu dy an d destroy
Lightning famine and p estile n ce are to
th e primitive m an the thre at e ning o f a
wrath ful god ; but to the p rogressive
thinke r they a re m erely forces wh ich must
b e utili z ed or counteracted in the wo rk o f
human achi evement
As a b oy I b eli eved my o pportu niti es
to b e limited by the a chiev e m e nts o f the
past As a m an I s e e in th ese p ast
achievem ents not hindrances b u t th e foun
dati on ston es which the p ast h as laid down
up on wh ich the present must buil d in o r
der that th e future m ay er e ct th e p er
f e c te d structu re o f a higher civili zation
I se e all o f this cle a rly and I see one
thing more In the ol d days wh i ch I h ad
erstwhile e nvi e d o ne ev e nt o f world im

Th e Supe r Ra c e

port might have been chronicl ed f o r ea ch

decade but in the nineteenth and twentieth
centuri es such an event m ay b e ch ronicled
fo r each year o r month o r even f o r each
day Th e achi ev e ments o f the p ast were
notewo rthy : these o f the present are stu
,

'

n
d
o
us
e
p

p roce ss o f s o ci al evoluti on reveal s

itsel f in these p rogressive step s B ecause
the p ast has built the p resent is building
building in order that the futu re m ay
stand higher in its reali z ation o f p otential
li fe T h e past was an age o f uncertain
hes itating advance T h e p resent an a ge
o f dynami c a chi evem ent leads o n into the
futu re o f hum an developm ent
In the twentieth centu ry :
T he

nowledge p rovides a basis for

a ctivi ty
T h e soci al atmosphere p alpitates
with enth usi asti c resolve and
abounds in noble endeavo r
T here i s work f o r each o ne to
p erform
.

T he

desp ondent boy ha s thus evolved

T h e Su p e r R a c e

into the en thusi a stic worker w h o se watch

wo r d is F o rwa rd l
fo rwa rd towards
a ne w goal whos e ve ry existence is m a de
attainable through the achi ev e ments O f the
p ast : a go al b e fore whi ch the trium p hs o f
bygone ages p al e into ins ig ni c anc e
T h e past worke d with things
Pyra
mids were built cities const ructed moun
tains tunnel e d trade augmented fo r tunes
amassed Hea r Ruskin s comment o n
this devotion to material we alth : Neve r
th e le ss it is open I rep eat to seri ous ques
tion
whether among na
tio nal m anu factures that o f souls o f a goo d
qu ality may not at l ast turn o u t a quite lu
c ra tiv e one
Nay in som e far a way an d
yet undreamed o f hour I can even imagine
that England
a s a Christian
m other m ay at las t a ttain to the vi rtues
and the treasures o f a heathen o ne and be
able to lead fo rth her sons saying :
1
T hese are my j ewels
T h e p ast worked with things : th e f u
tu re rlslng highe r in the scal e O f civili za
tion must work with men
with the plas
'

HN

RU S$

h is L as tEss ay

Unto t

II

Th e Supe r Ra c e

19

tic l iving clay o f humanity A S So lomon

l o ng ag o said
He that ruleth hi s o wn

sp irit is greate r tha n he that taketh a city

T h e men o f the past built cities and to ok
them T hey b rought the forces o f natu re
into subj ection and remodeled the wo rld
a s a living pl ace for hum ani ty yet save
for a sha dow in Rom e and an echo from
Greece there i s scarcely a trace in histo ry
O f a consistent attempt to evolve nobl e r
,

men

Material obj ects have cost th e nations

ff
untold e ort but human b e r
the li fe

o
blood f nations
has b ee n overlooked
o r forgotten
T h e wor ld is weary o f thi s
emphasis o n things and this fo rgetfulness
o f men ; the ether tr e mbles wi th the cl amor
f o r m a nhoo d
T h e fi elds white to ha r
vest a re awaiting the laborers wh o build
ing o n the discoveries and inventions o f
things in the p ast will so mold the hu
m an clay o f the p resent that the future
m ay b o ast a soci ety o f men and wom en
p osses sing the qualities o f the Sup er Race
What is a Sup er Race $ Nothing m ore
nor less than a race rep resenting in the ag
t
f
r
a
e
the
qualities
o
th
e
up
er
Man
e
S
g g
,

Th e Supe r R a ce

20
.

the qualiti es which enabl e one p os s essing

them to live what Herbert Sp encer de

s cribed so luminously a s a complete li fe

namely
,

5
6

Physical normality
M ental cap acity
Concentration
Aggressiveness
Symp athy
V ision

T hese

character i stics o f the Super M an

e xp ress themselves in his activi ty :
1.

Physical norm ality p rovides ene rgy

M ental capaci ty gives m ental grasp
Ag g ress iveness
f

roduce
e
ci
en
c
y
p
Concentration
Symp athy l ea ds to ha rmony wi th
things and c o Op e ratio n with men
Visi on shows itsel f in ideals

Th e

energy to do ; and the m ental grasp

to appreciate ; together with the cap acity
to choose e i c i e ntly furnish the b asis f o r
a chievement Achi evement however is
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

2I

not in itsel f a gu arante e o f worth unl ess

its cou rse is s hap ed by symp athy and di
re c te d toward a goal which i s determined
by the propheti c p owe r o f vision Such
are the cha racteristics which co m bine d in
o ne indivi dual insure completeness o f l ife
Ab o ut them philosophers have reasoned
and poets have sung T hey are the acm e

o f human p erfecti on
the ideal o f indi
vi du al attainment
T hough they h ave been thus i deali z ed
these qu alities a re no t new
T hey have
existed f o r ages as they exist to d ay o c
c as io nally comb ined in o ne individu al but
usually app earing separately in members
o f th e soci al group
T hey form p a rt o f
th e he ritage o f the human race and in
spite o f neglect and l ack o f fostering they
are widesp read in all sections o f the po pu
l ation Th e p roduction o f a race O f men
and women a great maj o ri ty o f who m
shall possess these qualiti es will mean th e
next great step in human achievement
T h e Sup er M an has liv ed f o r a ges
T h e Greeks tra ced th e des cent o f thei r
heroes and heroines their Super M en
from the Gods It was thus that they
.

Th e Supe r Ra c e

22

explained exceptional ability Exceptional

men live to day a s they di d in ancient
Greece di recting the thought and wo rk
T hey possess th e qualities
o f the times
physical no rmality
o f the Sup er M an
mental capaci ty aggressiveness concentra
tion symp athy and vision ; and above all
we now understand that they are no t the
o sp ring o f the g ods but th e sons o f m en
and women whose combine d pa rental qual
ities inevitably p roduced Sup er M en
T h e Sup er M an i s not a theory no r an
a ccident but a natu ral product o f natural
conditions
T hough the Sup er M an m ay b e met
with occasionally in modern society and
though the qualiti es ascribe d to him are
m ani fest eve rywhere among those wh o
have ha d an opportuni ty f o r their devel
o pm e nt ; opinions still di ffer as to the p o s
s ib ility o f producing a Sup er Race
An
even greater d i fference o f opinion i s e n
countered when an attempt is made to f o r
m u la te the m eans which should b e a dopted
to secu re such a n end ; yet the re can b e
little di ff erence of o p inio n as to the de
s i rab ility from a national a s well as from
.

Th e Supe r Ra c e

23

an individual standp o int o f creating a race

o f Sup er M en
T h e call o f the p resent age f o r a Sup er
2
Race is thus v o iced by Ye ats
,

O Silve r T ru mpe ts $ B e yo u l ifte d u p ,

A nd c ry to the g re at race th at is to c o me
.

a d

L o ng

th ro te

am i

sw ns,

the

W av es

l o u dly

Sing

It w ants ,

e
n
f
o
r
b
o
,
y d th e w all o f the
and it m ay h ear and co m e to

T ime ,

of

W o rld
u s.

We long f o r the c o mi ng o f the Sup e r

Race
We a im toward this go al C an
i t b e com passed in fi nite time $ IS
Ni etzsche right wh e n h e says
I teach

o
beyond
m
an
All
beings
hi
herto
u
t
y
have created som ethi ng beyond th em

selves
What is great in m an is that

h e i s a bridge and not a goal

No t
whence ye com e b e y o ur hono r i n the fu
ture but whither ye g o $
In your chil
dren ye shall make: am ends f o r being you r
father s children T hu s ye shall redeem
3
all that i s p ast
.

'

W ILLIA M B Y EATs
Mac millan C o N Y
2

P o e ti

c W orhs

Vo l I I, p
.

407

FREDER C $ N ET$ SC H E Th
M cmi ll n C N Y
2 96
3

u:
.

Spo ke $ ara thu s tra,

pp

Th e Supe r R a c e

24

we make amends to the futu re $

Come then let u s reason together con
cerning the measu res which must b e
a dopted to raise the standard o f succeed
ing g en erations T h ere a re three m e ans
whi ch li e ready at hand : thre e sci ences
which lend thems elves to o u r task : th ree
tools With whi c h we may Shap e th e Sup e r
Race
T hey are :
Shall

E ugenics

T h

sci ence

race

culture
Soci al a dj ustment T h e sci ence
o f m olding institutions

T h e s cience o f in
E ducation
divi dual development
.

T he

sci ence o f Eugenics treats o f those

forces which through the biologi c proc
e sses o f he redi ty m ay b e relied upon to
p rovi de the inherited qualiti es o f th e Su
p er Race T h e science O f Social Adj ust
m ent tre ats o f thos e forces which throu gh
the modication o f soci al institutions may
b e relied upon to p rovide a congeni al e n
v iro nm e nt f o r the Sup e r Ra ce
T h e sc i
ence o f E ducation aims to assist the child
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

25

in unfol ding and develop ing th e he redita ry

qualiti es o f the Sup er M an p rovided
through eugenic guarantees Hence Eu
n
i
e
c
s
Social Adj ustment and E du cation
g
are sci ences the m astery o f whi ch i s a
p re requisite to the develo p me nt o f the
Sup er Race
,

CHAPT E R I I

G
E
N
I
C
S
EU

T H E SC I E

N CE

TU RE

OF

RA C E

CUL

THE

obj ect o f Eugenics is the c o n s cious

imp rovem ent o f the hu man ra ce by the ap
plication o f the l aws o f h eredity to human
Eugenics i s the logical fruiti on
m ating
o f the p rogress in biologic science m a de
du ring the nineteenth cen tu ry
T h e l aws o f heredity studi ed in minute
deta il have b ee n applie d with m arvel o us
success in the vegetable and anim al king

doms
I s there any goo d reason de
mands the eugeni st
why th e formula s
which have operate d to re combine the
physical p rop e rti es o f plants and animals
should not in like m easure op erate to
modi fy the physical p rop erti es o f m en and

women $
T h e s tudies whi ch have b een m ade o f
eye color length o f a rm h e ad s hap e and
other physical traits show th at the sam e
.

26

Th e Sup e r Ra c e

laws

27

f heredity which a pply in the

a ni

m al and

vegetable kingdoms apply a s well

in the kingdom o f man Since the sp eci es
o f plants and animals with which man has
exp erimente d have b een imp roved by s e
le c tiv e b reeding there seems to b e no goo d
reason why the human race should not b e
susceptibl e o f sim ila r imp rovement What
intelligent farme r sows blighted p otatoes $
Whe re is the dog fa ncier wh o woul d
strive to rea r a St B erna rd from :1 mon
r
$
e
l
o
dam
Neithe
r
yeste
rday
yet
n
r
t
o
g
mo rrow do m en gather grap es o f thorns
T hose wh o have to do with li fe in any
form a war e o f this fact refuse to p ermit
prop agation except among the best mem
bers o f a sp eci es : hence with e ach succeed
ing generation the ox increases in si z e and
strength : the apple in color ; the sweet
p ea in p erfum e ; and the horse in sp eed
IS this law o f improving sp eci es a uni
versal law $ Al as no $ it rarely i f eve r
appli es in the s election o f m e n an d women
for p arenthood T h e human sp ecies h as
not du ring hi storic times imp roved ei ther
in p hysiqu e in mental cap acity i n ag g re s
siv e ne s s in concentration
in sympathy o r
.

'

'

Super Ra c e

$Th e

in vision Nay there are no t wanting

thou ghtful students who a f rm that i n al
most every o ne o f these resp ects the exact
contra ry holds tru e
T here app ea rs to b e s o me question as to
Whether the b est o f the Greek athletes ex
ceed ed in strength an d skill the modern
p ro fessional athlete but there is no doubt
a t all that the average citiz en o f Athens
wa s a mo re p erfect sp ecimen physically
than the average citiz en o f twenti eth cen
tu ry America
Some students insist that the l evel of in
te lle c tu al cap acity ha s been raised yet Gal
ton, a fter a careful survey o f the eld
concludes in hi s H e re dita ry Ge nius that
th e average citiz e n o f Athens wa s a t least
two degrees highe r in the scal e o f intel
lectual attainment than the ave rage Eng
1
lishman ; Ca rl Snyde r boldly mainta ins
tha t the intellectu al abili ty o f scientic m en
is l ess to day than it wa s i n past centuri es ;
2
while M rs M a rtin in a study more novel
,

RL S NYDER Th W r ld M ch in Ne w Y rk
L ng m n
Gr n C
9 7
PR E S ON A M N N M RTIN I M nkind A d nci ng $
N w Y rk B k r
T yl r C 9
1

CA

s,

ee

11

va

Th e Supe r R a c e

29

than scienti c ins ists that the genius o f

the modern world is o n a level d istinctly
below that o f the genius o f Greece
Perhap s American commercial a g g re s
s iv e ne s s i s equal to the military aggressive
ness o f the Rom ans the e arly Germans
and th e followers o f Attila We have
concentrated most o f o u r efforts upon in
du stry yet even here ou r concen tration
i s no greater than that o f the poets o f the
Eli zab ethan e ra o r the religious z ealots
o f the M i ddl e Ages
O u r sympathy with
b eauty i s at so low an ebb that we fail
even to app ro ach the stan dard o f past
a ges Neither in art in sculptu re no r
in poetry do ou r achi evements comp are
with those o f the e arli e r M e diterranean
civiliza tions ; while o u r knowledge o f men
a s reveale d i n o u r literature i s not above
that o f the Rom ans o r the Athenians As
for vision we still accept and strive to
fulll the comm andments o f the Prophet
o f Naz areth
In all o f thes e elds twen
tie th centu ry America is equaled
if not
ou tdone by the p ast
T hus the distinctive qualiti es o f th e Su
p er M an app ea r in the p as t with an intens
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

0
3

ity equ al i f no t sup erio r to that o f the p res

ent History records the transmutation
o f vegetable and animal sp ecies the revo
lu tio n o f industry the modication o f s o
c i a l institutions and the trans formation o f
governmental systems ; but in all histori c
time it a i rm s no p erceptibl e improvement
in the qualiti es o f man
We must re

place the man by the Sup er M an write s

3
G B ernard Sh aw
It is frightful fo r
the citizen a s the yea rs pass him to se e
hi s o wn contempora ri es so exactly rep ro

du c e d by the younger gene ration

Nevertheless th e p ossibility o f race im
p rovement exi sts
Wh at no w cha rac
te riz e s the exceptionally high m ay b e ex
f
o
r
e
c
t
eventually
o
characteriz
e
all
e
d
t
p
that which the best human natu re is capa
ble o f is within th e reach of human natu re
4
a t large
A fte r years o f intensive
stud y Sp encer thus condently exp ressed
himsel f Since h e ce a sed to wo rk e a ch
b it o f s ci entic data along eugeni c lines
s erves to conrm hi s opinion Arm ed
G B ER NARD SH AW M n nd Sup r M n P 8
.

219
4

N Y B re ntano s
H E RB E RT S P EN C ER T h e
.

21

pp l t n
e o

Co

D a ta
1

8 93

E th i cs

P r

a a

97

Th e Supe r R a c e

with such a beli e f and with the a ssurance

which sci entic res earch h as a fforde d we
a re p rep aring in thi s eleventh h our to ful
ll Sp encer s p redictions
T here are two elds i n whi ch eugeni cs
may b e applied
the rst Negative th e
second Positive T h rough the establish
m ent o f Negative Eugenics th e unt will
be restrained fro m m ating and p e rp e tu at
ing thei r u ntne ss i n the future T hroug h
Positive Eugenics the t may b e induced
to mate and by c o mbining thei r tness in
thei r o ffspr ing to rais e up e ach new gen
Neg
c ration Ou t o f the ower o f the o ld
ative Eu geni cs eliminates the unt ; Posi
tive Eugenics p erp e tuates the fit
T h e eld o f Negative Eugenics has b een
well explo red N o question exists a s to
the tran smissi on through heredi ty o f fe ebl e
m indedness idiocy insanity and certain
T here i s o ne way
forms o f criminality
only o n e way o u t o f this dif cul ty Mo d
ern soci ety
must decla re t h at
the re shall be no unt and d efective citi
5
T he Greeks e lim in
zens in the State
,

S A ML

A m e r i c an

Th e Re e mpti o n
na l o f So io lo g , Vo l 1 4 ,

B ATT EN,

$o ur

th e

24 2

Unt,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

2
3

ated u n tne ss by the des tructi on o f de f e c

tive children ; thou gh we m ay deplo re such
a p racti ce in the li ght o f ou r modern ethical
codes W e rec o gniz e the end a s o ne essential
to race p rogress By denying the ri gh t o f
pa renthood to any wh o have transmi ssible
dise ase o r de fect o u r mod ern knowle dge
enables u s to a ccomplish th e s am e en d
without recourse to th e destruction o f h u
m an li fe
Sir Franci s Galto n the founder o f th e
science o f Eugenics writes in his l ast im
portant wo rk
I think tha t ste m com
pulsio n o ught to b e exerted to p revent th e
free propa gation o f the s tock o f tho se wh o
are seriou sly a lic te d by luna cy feeble
m indedness h abi tual c rim inality and p au
6
r
i
s
m
e
Yet soci ety in dealing with
p
he redita ry de fect pres ents som e o f its most
grotesqu e inconsistencies
I t i s a curi
o us c o mm e nt o n the a rti c ia lity of o u r s o
c i al system that no stigm a atta ches to pre

An emp ty purs e o r
v e ntab le ill heal th
a ruine d home may m ean social o straci s m
but break down in p erson whateve r th e
t

RA N CIS G ALTON Memoi :

P D u tt n 9 9

F
E

My L ife p
,

31 1

Th e Supe r Ra c e

33

cau se evokes symp athy subscription and

7
s ilence
Certain de fects are known to b e trans
m issibl e by he redity from p a rent to child
until the c re ti n O f B alza c s C o u ntry D o c to r
i s rep ro duced f o r centuri es T h e reme dy
fo r this form o f soci al self t o rtu re lies in
the deni al o f p a renthoo d to tho se who
h ave transmi ssible de fects Indivi dually
such a denial work s ha rdships in this gen
c ration : socially and to th e future genera
ti o ns it mea ns comp a rative freedom from
individu al and hence from s o ci al de fect
T h e p roblem of Positive Eugeni cs p re
sents an essenti ally di fferent a sp ect As
Ruskin so well observe s
It is a mat
te r o f no n al concern to a ny p arent
whether he shall have two children o r fou r ;
but m atte r o f quite nal conce rn whether
those he ha s Shall o r shall not deserve to b e

hanged
T h e qu ality i s always the s ig
Whether in family or na
n i c a nt facto r
tio na l progress an e ffo rt mu st be m ade to
insu re aga inst hanging o r a gainst any
tendency that lea ds gallowswa rd
,

'

AR N OLD W H T E
n
M th u n C

do

Ei c ie ncy

90 1

a nd

E mpi

re p
,

97

Lo n

Th e Supe r Ra c e

34

Po sitive Eugenics is th e science o f race

building through wis e mating
As long
a s ability m a rries ability a large p rop o r
8
tion o f able o ff spring i s a certainty
What p rosp ective p arent do es no t fondly
imagine that his children will b e at lea st
n ear gre at $ Yet h o w m any indivi du als
in their choice o f a m ate set o u t wi t h the
delib erate intention o f secu ring a li f e p a rt
n e r whose qualities when combined with
his o wn must p roduce greatness $
T h e D a rwin G alton We dgw o o d fam
ilie s boas t sixteen men o f worl d fam e
i n ve ge nerations ; in the B ac h family
there were fty seven m usicians o f note in
eight generations ; Wood s study o f H e re d
i ty i n Ro ya lty sh o ws the evident transmis
s ion o f special ability ; yet men and women
o f abili ty anxious for abl e o ffsp ring m a te
wi thout any rational e ffort to s ecure th e
end whi ch they desi re
Ninety nine ti m es
o u t o f a hundred o u r m ath ematici an ma r
ri es a woman whos e family did no t count a
single astronomer physici st o r othe r m ath e
m atic al m ind among its memb ers
T h e re
.

t o ns,

C
.

C
W ET A M, Th e Fa mi ly
85
N Y , Lo ng ma ns, 1 90 9

D
.

H H

a nd

th e

Na

Th e Supe r R a c e

35

f
c
d
e
t
e
p

sult

such a union is what could b e ex

Although genius does no t gener
ally di e out right away in the rst genera
ti on it decreases by hal f and further dilu
9
ti ons soon bring it down to nothingness
T hi s i n bri e f i s the proble m o f Nega
tive and o f Positive E ugenics B oth de
f e c t and ability are trans m itted by here d
i ty ; both a re the p roduct o f the mating
p rocess known a s m a rri age ; since s ociety
can and do es control ma rri age it may
th rough thi s control exercise a real in
u e nc e upon the cha racter o f future gen
o

e rat o ns

sci ence o f Eugenics i s in its in

fancy yet wi dely established and vigor
o u sly applied it m ay revolutioni z e th e h u
m an sp ecies
T h e Sup er Race may c ome
because loo ked at from th e s oci al stand
p oint we se e how exceptional families by
care ful m arriages can within even a f e w
generations obtain an excepti onal stock
and h o w directly this suggests assortative
m ating as a moral duty for the highly e n
dowed O n the othe r hand th e exc e p
GU STAV E M CH A UD Sh ll W I mpr
Rac
O
T h P p u l r Sc i nc M nth ly V l 7 2 p 7 7
Th e

ov e

ur

e,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

6
3
tio nally

degenerate isolated in the slums

o f o u r mode rn citi es can e a s ily produce
p ermane nt stock also : a stock whic h no
change o f environment will p ermanently
elevate and which n o thing but m ixture
with b etter bloo d will imp rove But this
i s an imp rovement o f the ba d by a soci al
waste o f the better We do not want to
eliminate b a d stock by watering it with
good but by pl acing it u nde r condition s
where it is relatively o r absolutely in fe r
1
tile

But what o f love $ wails the senti

m entali st ; in you r sc hem e Eugeni cs out

Perhap s but what o f

w eighs Cup id l
it$ Cup id has p roved in th e p ast a s a d
bungler whos e mi stakes and failu res
grimace from every p age O f our divorce
court records Far from hindering his a c
tiv itie s however Eugenics will a ssist Cu
pi d by bringing togethe r p e rsons t ruly c o n
geni al hence capabl e o f an endu rin g
love T O O many m en have m arri ed a
natty E aste r bonnet o r a cleverly tail o red
suit
T o o many women have fallen a prey
,

10

$ A
.

P utn

am s

TH OM
So ns,

P SON ,

90 8

H e re dity,

3 31 .

G P
.

Th e Supe r Ra c e

37

a tempting bank account o r a p a ir o f

glorious mu sta chios Blind C upi d limp s
but lamely ove r the rugged p ath o f m atri
moni al bliss Th e questionable succes s o f
his best e ffo rts prove s his sure need o f a
guide
Eugeni cs represents an e ffo rt to b ring
together those p e o pl e who h ave c o mple
m entary qu aliti es and complem ent ary in
te re sts ; who are cap abl e o f m aintaining
congeni al relationships in th e p res ent ; and
creating abl e o ff spring in the fu ture Se
lection and p arenthood a re the cra dle o f
the futu re Hence the ind ivi du al who in
th e exercis e o f his choice overlooks thei r
signicance overlooks o ne o f hi s most im
portant raci al responsibil iti es
Soci ety i s interested in E ugenics b e
caus e it i s throug h E ugen i c s t h at the he
to

ate d and p e rfected Eu genics rightly u n

de rsto o d a nd appl i ed 18 a So c laI asset O P
unexcelle d valu e H o w lo ng then shall
o u r -soci ety continu e to fee d o n the husks
neglecting the grain which lies eve rywhere
ready at hand $
Eugenics is ind eed o ne m eans o f race
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

8
3

salvati on yet What care do we take to p er

f e c t eugenic measu re s $
I f through
Sheer chance some gre at m athe m atician is
evolved one day out o f the crowd the
state
wh o Should b e ever o n th e watch
fo r such events and whos e m a i n ca re s hould
b e to p res erve and increas e su ch sou rces
o f light
p rogres s and national glo ry
does nothing to p rotect the m an O f genius
a gains t care disease o r anything likely to
sho rten li fe no r to multiply the splendi d
11
thinking m achin e
A great state
m ust h ave for its component p arts great
m e n a nd wom en
Did we truly seek
grea tness h o w m any m easure s f o r i ts a t
ta inm e nt li e neglected at o u r ve ry doo rs $
Every well re g ulate d state o f antiquity
eliminate d de fectives in the inte rest o f the
r
f
u
t
u
What
mo
re
e
g
eff ective m eans o f soci al pres ervation
$coul d b e imagine d than som e m easure
through whose op erati on th e de fective
classes in soci ety would b e elimi nated and
the soci al structure bulwarked by stalwart
manh oo d and w o manhood m ade proof
,

11

G USTAVE MICH A UD Sh
,

P p u l r Sc i nc M nth ly
o

a ll

W e I mpr ov e

Vo l 7 2 ,
.

77

O ur

R a ce $

Th e Supe r R a c e

39

against the ravages o f time How s erious

a thing i s the p rop agati o n o f de fect $
Murder is a c rime punishabl e by death
e unit
from the social group Th e destru ction
o f thi s o ne li fe m ay caus e sorrow ; it may
dep rive soci ety o f a value d member ; but
inis a fte r all a comp a ratively i nsignicant
o ff ense Th e p e rp etu atio n o f hereditary
de fect i s
g
ons 1 er o r example a m a rri age sanc
tio ne d by chu rch and state between two
p e rsons both having in their bloo d here d
ita ry feeble m ih de dne ss
Investi gations o f thous ands o f feeble
m inded famili es Show th a t in such a cas e
eve ry o ne o f the o ffsp ring m ay b e an d

e
p robably will b feeble minde d
a curs e
to himsel f and a burden to society Pau
crim
e
so
ci
al
de
vi
ce
all
r
i
m
e
n
d
e
n
c
e
s
e
p
.

the

WW

me
untold M
time s in more so m etimes in le ss virul ent
form but al ways b ringing into the wo rl d
b eings not only incap able O f c aring fo r
thems elves but fatally cap able of handin g
-

'

Th e Supe r R a c e

0
4

their defect to the futu re T h e mur

derer robs soci ety ; th e m entally de fective
p arent cu rses so ci ety both in the p resent
and in the fu ture with the ta int of degen
c racy Th e mu rderer takes away a li fe ;
but the feeble minde d p arent p a ss es on to
the future th e s eeds o f ra cia l decay
T h e r st step in Eugenics progress
t
e 1m 1nati o n o e e c u p reven mg the
procreat i on o f de fectives
is easily stated
on

)
of

tens o f
de fectives freely p ro p a g a t
ing thei r kind we continu e to build b attle
shi ps fondly b eli eving tha t ri ed cannon
and steel a rmor plate will p rove suf ci ent
f o r na tion al de fen se
T his i s but a p art and by fa r the least
important p a rt o f the eugeni c p rogramme
T h e elimination o f de fect p revents degen
c rac y but does not insu re the phys ical nor
,

Th e Supe r R a c e
m ality,

mental capacity aggre ssiveness

concentration symp athy and vi sion o f the
Sup er M an
While the elimination o f de
fe et i s imp e rative i t is a fter all only th e
rst step toward th e creation o f positive
qu aliti es
Po sitive Eugeni cs m ay b e a s obvious as
Negative Eugeni cs b u t the pr omulgation
A
o f its doctrine s i s not equally easy
seri e s o f legisl ative enactments will p re
vent the m ating o f the h e redi ta rily de f e c
tive ; nothing but the most p ainstaking edu
cation can b e reli e d upon to secu re the
Never
m ating o f thos e eugenically t
th e le s s for th at modern state which seeks
to p ersi st and dominate no lesser mea sure
will su i c e A fter all why should not s o
c ie ty educate its youth to a sense o f wis
dom in mating $ T h e United States
sp ends ea ch year s om e four hundre d mil
lions o f dolla rs in publi c educati on te ach
ing children to rea d to spell to s e w to
draw T h e importance O f these studi es i s
obvious yet from a so ci al standpo int they
cannot c o m pa re in signicance with su ch
training in the l aws o f h eredi ty and biol
o g y as will insure wis e choice in mating
,

T h e Supe r R a c e

state in i ts e ffo rts at self p r eservation

cannot l ay too much e m p hasi s on the train
ing for eu

Th e

ti c
Eugenics it i s tru e in its negative and
positive phases holds o u t a gre at; hop e fo r
the future But Eugenics a lone will not
su f ce T h e sci ence o f Eugeni cs must b e
couple d wi th the s ci ence o f So ci al Adj u st
ment to insu re the production of a Sup er
Ra ce
Th e necessity of this uni on i s well
recognized by the students o f heredity
while the students o f Soci al Adj ustment
found thei r theories o n premises essenti ally
biologic in or igin O ne of the m ost wi dely
known write rs o n heredity concludes a re
cent boo k with the stateme nt th at
At
p resent we can only indicate that the f u
tu re of our race dep ends on Eu genics $in
some form o r other ) combined with the
simultaneous evoluti on o f eutechnics and
eutop ias
B rave word s o f course ; but
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

43

surely not
Thus the
kno wledge and practice of the l aws o f
heredity must b e supplemented by a knowl
edg e and practice o f th e l aws o f Soci al
Adj ustment
12

ARTHU R T HOMP SON

G P P u tn m S n 9 8
12

s,

H ere d ity, p

30 8

Y,
.

CHA PT E R I I I

T H E S C IE N C E
A D $ U STM E N T
MO LD IN G I N ST IT U T IO N S

S OCIA L

OF

AFT E R a gardener has produced h is seed

gua ranteeing a go od heredi ty by breeding
together those individu al plants which pos
s ess in the highest degree the qu alities h e
desi res to secure he tu rns his atten
tion to the seed b ed First o f all the lo
the b ed must b e o n
c ati on must b e good
a southe rn Slop e where i t will benet by
the rst warm rays of the sp ring sun ; then
the soil must b e nely pulveriz ed in o rde r
that the tiny rootl ets may e as ily fo rce thei r
way downward nding nourishment ready
a t hand ; when the seed s have been planted
in g ro und well prep ared and fe rtilized
they must b e wate red cultivated weeded ;
and a s they develop into la rge r pl ants
thinne d transplanted p runed and sprayed
T h e wise ga rdener considers envi ronment
a s well a s he redity By s o wing choi ce
,

44

Th e Supe r R a c e

45

seeds in well prep ared soil he ensu res the

excellence O f his crop
M odern society m a well b e Com p ared
,

to a

ing b eings with some freedom to a ct

o n thei r own 1n1t1a t1v e
M o reover it i s
they who m ake and tend the ga rdens in
whi ch they grow Like the gardene r i n
the story they mu st look to envi ronment
a s well a s to heredity T h e s ee d bed
must b e care fully p rep ared and the young
plants as they app ear must b e given all
the attention which sci ence makes possible
M ode rn soci
o f which the
,

'

mg cultivat i ng
carried fo r

in
ward through soci al institutions deter
m ines by its character whethe r the ra ce
shall decay a s other races have done o r
rogress
towa
rd
the
r
M
an
p
,

'

So

c ia l Adj ustment
has been given a great

imp etus in recent yea rs by the increas ed

knowledge o f th e relative inuences o f
heredity a nd envi ronment in determining
the status o f the indivi dual T his knowl
edge h aS l ed u s to a beli e f in men
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

6
4

E arli er

belie fs concei ved of th e maj ority

Som e indeed
o f men a s utterly depraved
were among the elect but the rema inder
born to the lowest depths o f the social
gehenna were outcasts and p a ri ahs h elp
l ess in this world and hopeless in the next
T his doctrine o f total dep ravity s et a t
nought all p rogressive e ff o rt H ere

stands a man
soci ety h a s called him a
criminal Last yea r h e attempte d to steal
an automobile l ess th an three weeks a fter
h is release from serving a two yea r se n
tence fo r grand l arceny T o day h e i s in
court a gain cha rged with entering a lo d g
ing house and stealing three p airs o f
T he m an is o n
trous ers and an overcoat
tri al for bu rglary
what sh all b e the s o
c ial verdict rega rding him $

Alas mourns the advocate O f total

depravity
It is not
Go d so made him

o ur right to interfere

Wait says the soci al sci entist until

I investigate the case

Th e case is hel d over while the sci entist
m akes his investigation
A fte r careful
inqui ry he reports that the young man s
cri m inal record be g an at the ag e o f nine
.

Th e Supe r Ra c e

47

when h e wa s a rrested fo r stealing bananas

from a freight ca r Locked up with olde r
criminals he soon learned thei r tri cks

He w as
nimble
an d coul d
handle

himsel f s o his p rison m ates taught him

the science o f p ocket p icking and initiated

him into the gentle a rt o f shop li fting

H e$ was rel eased a fter two m onths o f this
schooling a nd slipp ing o u t into th e big
black city he tri ed an exp eriment Su c
c e e ding
h e tri ed again and yet a ga in
B e fore the month was o u t he was d e
te c te d stealing a silk ha ndkerchi ef a nd wa s
b ack in p rison T here his e ducation was
p erfected and he entered the world to try
once m ore From the world to j ail from

j ail to the wo rld

this boy s li fe history
from the age o f nine ha d been one long a t
temp t to l e arn his trade ; fortunately or u n
fortunately h e was som ewhat of a b ungler
and s ooner o r l ate r h e wa s always caught
When he was a boy h e sneaked up a
d ingy cou rt a nd three p ai rs o f di rty stairs
to a l anding where in the re ar o f a b at
te re d tenement wa s an abo de which h e
had b een taught to call ho m e H is father
a dock labore r earned o n th e ave rage
.

Th e Su pe r Ra c e

8
4

about $ 3 0 0 a yea r Sometimes he wo rked

stea dily day and night fo r a week and
ea rne d $ 2 5 o r $ 3 0 ; the n there w o uld b e
no work fo r ten days or p erh ap s two
weeks ; the money would ru n o u t ; th e gro
cer woul d re fuse credit ; and the fa m ily
would be hungry I t w as du ring one o f
these hungry intervals th at the nin e yea r
o ld urchin m ad e his de s cent o n the b a nanas
in the freight car and received hi s rst
j ail sentence
His moth er good hea rted but woefully
i gnorant ma de the b est o f th ings taking
in$washing doing odd j obs he re and the re
tending to her children when opportunity
o ff ered and at other time s letting the m
run the streets

T here
concludes the soci al scientist
is the sto ry o f that boy s li fe His only
p icture o f manhood i s an inef cient father
wh o cannot e arn enough to support his
family ; his concept o f a mother exp resses
itsel f in good hearte d ignorance ; his vi ew
o f soci ety has b een s ecured fr o m the re ar
o f a Sha b by tenem ent the curb of a na r
ro w street a nd a cell in th e county j ail
T h e s eed bed h as b een neither p rep ared
.

Th e Supe r R a c e

49

watered nor tended and the young shoot

has grown wild

T h e soci al sci enti st has not been content
with an analysi s o f soci al m ala dj ustment ;
going further he has transpl anted the
young shoots from the de fective seed bed
to b etter ground Dr B erna rdo organ
iz e d a system fo r taking the boy criminals
out o f the slums o f Engli sh citi es and
sending them to farm s in Australia South
Afri ca and Canada N early
boys
have b een thus di sp os ed of T hough i n
their home citi es m any O f them had al ready
entere d a criminal li fe in their new su r
roundings l e ss than two p e r cent o f them
showed any tendency to revert to thei r
fo rm er criminal p racti ces A little tend
ing and transplanting into a congeni al e n
v iro nm e nt p roved the salvation O f these
boys who would otherwise h ave thr o nged
the j ails O f England
Ca reful analysis has convince d the so
In the a hs e nc e of mal
c ial sci entist that
,

0
5

'

T h e Supe r Ra c e

in less tha n ve p e r cent o f th e p o pula

tion ; and as only a small p erce ntage O f the
population p erh ap s two o r three$pe r cent
i s above the average in abili ty more than
nine ten ths o f the p eopl e rema in average
shap e
y t e 1r env i ronm t ; capable
according as the good
o f good o r o f evil
o r evil force s o f soci e ty inuence thei r
youth and early m aturi ty
Th e eighteenth century philo sophers
h a d e mbodied th e sa m e conclusion in th e
doctrine that all m en are create d free and
equal V i ctor Hugo in the rst h al f o f
the nineteenth centu ry based most o f hi s
inspiring novels on the theory th at in eve ry
m a n there i s a divine sp a rk
a conscience
which will b e developed by a good e n
v i ro nm e nt o r crushed an d blackened by a
b a d on e
E a c h ye a r a d de d ne w p roo fs o f the
theory o f universal cap aci ty until Ward
wa s able to write hi s A pplie d So c i o lo g y
dem onstrating that opp ortuni ty i s th e key
1
note o f soci al p rogress
Fo r says h e
up to the p resent ti me nine tenths o f the
.

B os

L E STE R F
t n G inn
o

W A RD

Co

A ppli e d So ci o log
90 6

y pp
,

2
2 4 281 .

Th e Supe r Ra c e

and ten tenths o f the wo m en $nine

teen twentieths o f soci ety ) have b een de
nied a l egitimate opportunity f o r develop
m ent
Grant this oppo rtuni ty and at
once without any c h ange in hereditary
cha ra cte ri stics you can incre as e nineteen
fold the achi evements o f socie ty
Wa rd s estimate m ay b e o r m ay no t b e
exactly correct Hi s c ontention that uni
v e rs aliz e d opp ortuni ty would grea tly aug
m ent social a chievem ent is however fun
Adj ustm e nt
d am e ntally sound
Soci al
aims through the shaping s ocial institu
tions to p rovide every individ u al wi th a n
op p ortunity to secure a strong body a
trained mind an aggress iv e attitud e th e
p o we r o f con centrati on and the vision o f
2
a g o al toward whi ch h e i s working
In
Short the obj ect o f Soci al Adj u stment i s
the provision o f univers al opportuni ty
T h e dark unfathomed cave s o f ocean
b ea r m any a g e m o f pu rest ray serene
Even the most gi fted individual thrown
into an a dv ers e envi ro nment wi ll either
m e n,

r c

p
S

Fo r a mo e o m lete
So ci a l A dj us tm e nt, C OTT
la n C o m an , 1 9 1 1
2

p y

state

me nt o f th e p r ob le m, se e
I N G, Ne w Y o rk : Ma c mi l

NEA R

Th e Supe r Ra c e

2
5

fail utterly to develop his p o wers o r els e

will develop them so incom pletely that
th ey can never com e to their full fruiti on
T homa s A E dison cast away o n an i sl an d
in the South Pa cic would b e u sel ess to hi s
fellows Ab raham Lincoln living am o ng
the Apache Indi ans would hav e l e ft sm all
impress o n the w o rld A s culpto r to b e
really great must go to Rome b ecause it
i s in Rome tha t the great wo rks o f sculp
I t is in Rome
tu re d a rt a re to b e found
furthermore that th e great sculptors work
and teach A lawyer can sca rcely achieve
disti nction whil e p racticing in a backwo o ds
county cou rt no r can a surgeon rem a in
p rocient in his science unle ss h e keep in
constant touch with the wo rld o f surgery

I must g o to the city cried a woman

with an unusual vo ice
He re in the
country I can sing but I cannot study m u

Sh e must o f necessity g o to the

si c
ci ty because in th e ci ty al o ne exists the
stimulus and the example which are ne c e s
sa ry fo r the p erfection o f her a rt
A congeni al envi ronm ent is n ecessary
f o r the p erfecti on o f any heredi ta ry talent
Lester F Wa rd concludes a fter an ex
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

h au s tiv e

53

analys is o f sel f m ade men that

such men are the excepti o n T hat they
exist he must admit but that thei r abiliti es
would h av e come to a m uch more c o mplete
devel o pment in a congenial environment
h e clea rly demonstrate s
T h e ri gorous p e rs ecuti on o f the M iddle
Ages eliminated any save the most da ring
thinkers M en o f s ci ence wh o p resume d
to ass ert facts in contradiction o f the a c
c e p te d dogma s o f the Church
we re ruth
l essly Sile nced hence the ages were ve ry
dark T h e nineteenth centu ry o n th e
contra ry through its cultivation o f sci ence
ha s re aped a
a nd s ci enti c atta inme nts
ha rvest o f sci entic achievement u np aral
l eled in th e history o f the world M en
to day ente r. sci entic pur suits f o r the sam e
reason that they form erly entered the mili
ta ry service because eve ry e m phasis i s
lai d o n sci enti c ende avor T h e nine
te e nth century sci entist i s the logical o u t
come O f the ninete enth centu ry desires f o r
sci entic progress
Yet
T h e environment shap es the man
equally does the man Shap e th e envi ron
ment A high standard indivi dual m ay
-

Th e Supe r R a c e

54

be handi capp ed by social trad ition but in

like m anner progressive soci al institutions
a re inconceivable in the absence o f high
standard m e n and women

h
o
its
institutions
f
a
society
T e
home s school s government indu s try
are create d by the p as t and shaped by the
p resent Institutions a re not subj ect e d to
sudden changes yet o ne generati on ani
m ated by the e ff ort to re aliz e a high i deal
m ay res hap e the s oci al structure Ca n
o ne conceive o f a pap er strewn campus
in a college where th e sp irit i s strong $
Pa ri si ans beli eve in b eauty hence Pari s is
beauti ful Social institutions combine
th e achi evements o f the p a st with the
ethics o f the present
Let m e s e e where you live and I will

tell you what you a re i s a true saying

T h e social envi ronment moldable in e ach
generation i s an accu rate index to the
i deals and aspirations o f the generation in
whic h i t exists
,

CHAPT E R IV
E

U CA

IO N

UA L

E U GE N I C S

th

N C E O F I N D I VI D
D E VE L O PM E N T

THE

SCI E

p rovides the hereditary quali

es e
ains

h
g

E ducation a word whi ch me an s for o u r

pu rpo ses all pha ses o f characte r shap ing
from birth day to death day
T h e indivi du al ha s b een re discovered
d uring the p as t thre e centuries
He was
kn o wn in s om e of the earli e r civiliz ations
but during the M i ddle Ages the pla ce that
ha d seen him knew him no more H e wa s
submerged in the group and forced to sub
ordinate his interests to the dem ands o f
group wel fa re T h e dis tinctive work o f
the eighteenth and ninete enth centuri es ha s
b een a reve rsal o f thi s en forced individu al
oblivion and the formulation of a dem and
,

55

Th e Supe r Ra c e

6
5

fo r individual initi ative and activity T h e

individual push ed fo rwa rd in p olitics in
religion and in comm erce h a s freely as
ser red and success fully m aintaine d his right
to consideration until the opp ortunities o f
the twenti eth centu ry free citi zen far ex
c e e d those o f the convention b o und citi z en
T h e twentieth cen
o f the middl e a ges
tu ry c iti zen i s fre e b ecau se h e m ake s e f
T h e continuance o f his
c ie nt choices
freedom dep end s up on the continu ed wis
dom o f his choi ce
T h e chi e f o bj ective point O f mo dern e n
d e av o r ha s been individu al freed o m o f
choice T h e la is s e z f a ir e doctrine in com
m e rc ial relati ons democracy in politi cs
the n atural p hilosophy and natu ral theol
ogy o f the eighteenth century a re all ex
p ressions o f a beli e f in equality When
m e n are made free to choose they are
placed on a basi s o f equ ality since they
h ave a like opportunity to succeed or fail
Th e m an who chooses rightly wins suc
cess
the man who cho oses wrongly fails
T hus the fre edom to choose i s for th e
ave rage m an a right o f inestimable value
because i t p laces in his hand s the o pp o r
.

Th e Supe r R a c e

57

to a chieve Rights do no t h o w
eve r com e alone Th e freeman is bound
in his choices to recogni z e the l aw that
rights a re always accomp anied by duti es
E a ch right i s a ccomp ani e d by a propor
tio nate responsibility there is no dinner
withou t its dishwa shing T o b e sure you
m ay shi ft the bu rden o f dishwashing to the
m aid and the bu rden o f voting to the

other fellow but the resp o nsibili ty i s

n o ne the less p resent Ga rbage is still
garb a ge even when thr o wn into the well
and your responsibi liti es shi fted to th e
m ai d and the other voter retu rn to plagu e
you in the form o f a se rvant p r o bl em and
o f vicious p olitics M en who have a right
to choose h ave also a duty to fulll and
this right and this duty a re insep arable
T h e eighteenth century began the dis
c o v e ry o f the individu al man ; the nine
at least the latter h al f o f
te e nth centu ry
it
was responsibl e for the di scovery o f
th e individu al woman Even t o day in
m any civiliz ed l ands the woman is mer e ly
an app endage M en innume rabl e wr i te m
n
d
a
the hotel regi ste r
ohn
E
dwards
$

Wi fe yet i f th e t ruth we re told they

tu nity

'

Th e Sup e r Ra c e

8
5

Shoul d o ften write $ane E dwards an d

o
n
E
dwa
rds
and
p
erhap
s
sometimes
h
$

ane
E
dwa
rd
and
husband
s
$
Western civiliz ation a goo d unthinking
creature ha s ins isted bravely on the devel
o p m e nt o f th e individual m a n while la rgely
overlooking the exi stence o f the individual
wom an ; yet th e studi es o f he redi ty show
very clea rly that at least a s m any qu aliti es
a re inherited from the female as from the
male N ay furthe r since the femal e is
l ess sp ecializ ed the distinctive race quali
ti es a re inherited from h e r ra ther than
from the more sp eci aliz e d m ale In short
the Sup er M an will have a mother a s well
as a fathe r
T h e fact that the average man has as
m any fem al e as he h ad m al e ancestors i s
very frequ ently overloo ked gY e t i t is a
fact that inevitably carri es with it the im
pu tation that i f hi s ancestors wer e thus
equally app o rti oned h e must have inh e r
ite d h is qualiti e s from both sexes
T here
fore in the p roduction o f th e Sup e r Man
the qualities of th e woman are o f equ al
importance with the qu aliti es o f the m an
T h e individual i s the goal and E duca
$

The Supe r Ra c e

59

tion the means since Edu cation is

the science O f indivi dual developm ent
T hrough Education we shall enable the
indivi du al to live compl etely But what
is c omplete li fe $ H o w shall we compass
o r dene i t $
T wo l aws a re laid do wn a s fundamental
in na ture th e l aws of s el f p reservation
and o f self p erp etuation With the d evel
o pm e nt o f soci e ty an d so ci al relations the
individu al m ust recogniz e himse lf not as
an individual only but likewise a s a unit
in a social group Hence f o r him sel f
p reservation an d sel f p erp etu ati on n o ces
involve group p reservation and
s a rily
gr o up p erp etuati o n His code of li fe
m ust there fore formulate itsel f in this
wise
T H E OB $ E CT S O F
E N D EA V O R
,

I m m e dia te

IN DI VI DU A L Sel f
SO C I A L

Th e

Expression

Eugenics
Social Adj ustment
E ducation
indivi dual

U ltim a te

Sup er

M an

Sup er Race

fo r self preservation

T h e Supe r Ra c e

60

dem ands sel f exp ression ; for sel f p erp etu a

ti on he demands that the standard of his
children b e highe r than his o wn As a
m emb er o f the soci al group he looks to
Eugenics Soci al Adj ustment and E du ca
tion a s the immediate means o f raising
soci al standa rds and the ultimate m eans
o f p roviding a Super Race
h o w m ay
Such a re the abstract ideals
they b e practi cally applied $ H o w shall
the indivi dual express through Eugenics
Soci al Adj ustment and E ducation hi s de
sire fo r the development o f a Sup er Ra ce $
Do you sir enj oy livin g in the n eigh
b o rh o o d o f vandals and thi eves $ Well
hardly O n e coul d not b e exp ected to take
so frivolous a vi ew o f li fe
there fo re you
will in s el f de fense take every possibl e p re
caution to suppress vandalism and th ie v
ery $ Never my de a r s ir neve r $ You
must take every p ossibl e precaution to re
duce the sp i rit o f v andalism and of th ie v
ery T h e acts a re in themselves u nc o ns c
u
n
i
t
e
a
l
they
are
but
the
p
roduct
o
f
a
q
dis ea sed mind o r an indi ff erent training
T h e spirit here as elsewhere i s all im
p ortant
.

Th e Supe r Ra c e

6I

Are you a sci enti st $ Do you admi re

Pasteu r and Herb ert Sp encer $ You a re
a p racti cal m an
see what Edison has
done fo r you A s a statesman you revere
Lincoln and D aniel Webster You can
not as an a rti st overlook the p o rtraits o f
Rembrandt o r the water scenes o f Ruys
da el You must agree with m e that these
and a thous and others that I m i ght men

tion
men called genius es by thei r con

temporari es or their descendants

have
contributed untold worth to the soci ety O f
which they were a p art T hey chose
rightly T hey are looked upon and j ustly
a s the s alt o f the e arth You a dmit the
valu e o f geniuses i n civiliz ation and you
would o f course do anything to increas e
their numb e r $ T hen l et me s ay to yo u
that the rst thing fo r you to deci de i s
tha t you r o wn children Sh all b e neither
vandals nor thi eves T h e second thing
for yo u to decide is that they shall in so
fa r as you a re able to determine th e m at
ter p o ssess all o f you r goo d qu aliti es
coupled with the good qualiti es which you
lack suppli ed by an able m ate In sh o rt
you m ust choose you r li fe p a rtner with a
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

62

V i ew to the elimination o f anti social tend

and on the othe r
e nc ie s o n th e one hand
to the development o f the qu alities whi ch
distinguish the Sup er M an
H o w obvious is this statement yet h o w
h aphaz ard h a s b een the pro duction o f
greatness O nly once in a generati on does
a man i n his choice o f a wi fe follow the
example o f $ohn Newcomb In a truly
s ci entic spi rit h e enumerated on p ap er the
qu alities which h e poss essed ; pl aced opp o
site them the qualities in which h e was
lacking ; and then s e t o u t to nd the woman
who should supply his decienci es When
he ha d located hi s future helpmeet pl aying
hymn tunes o n an organ in a little red
school house and upon further a cquaint
ance ha d assured hims el f that sh e really
p o ssessed the needed qualiti es h e m arri ed
her with the determination that their rs t
child should b e a great m athematici an
T hei r rst child was Simon N ewcomb o ne
o f the leading astronomers of the nine
te e nth centu ry
s
m
m
a
ohn
Newco
b
was
a
village
school
$
ter and his wi fe a vill age mai den but in
thei r ch oice they combined two sets o f
-

Th e Supe r Ra c e

63

qu aliti es which would inevitably produce

a Sup e r M an $ohn Newcomb wa s a p i
onc e r eugenist He chose a m ate with th e
thou ght o f the future foremost in h is mind
T o o o ften however the m e n o f p arts
follow the example o f the b rilliant p ro

f e sso r who marri ed a

soci al buttery
Why in the world di d you do it $ asked

an Old friend
O h well an swe red the
pro fessor I felt that I ha d b rains enough

fo r both
T ru e p ro fessor but a ccordin g to th e
M endelian law o f heredity thos e b rains

en and qu a rtere d in each o f your gra nd

child ren Why s hould n o t the fu ture b e
at l east a s b rilli ant a s your o wn genera
tion $
Huma n marri age is o rdinarily a hit or
m i ss a ffa ir
M en and women insp ired by
the lo fti est motives and animated in most
m atters by suprem e good sense no t inf re
qu ently grop e blindly toward matrimo ny ;
o ft e n m ar ry unc o ngeni ally ; and nally
b ring di sgrace upon thei r o wn he ads and
m isery upon th e i r famili e s
Stevenson
with such ma rri ages in m ind writes
$

'

Th e Sup e r Ra c e

64

the average p rosp ective bri degroom

What $ you have h a d one li fe to m an
a ge and have failed s o strangely and now
can see nothing wise r than to conj o in wi th
it the management o f som e on e else s $ B e
cause you have been un faithful i n a very
little you p ropos e you rs el f to b e a ruler
over ten cities You a re no longe r content
to b e your own enemy ; you must b e you r
wi fe s also God m ade you but you ma rry
oursel
f
no
on
e
i
s
respons
ible
but
you
;
y
You have eternally mi s sed your w ay in li fe
with consequences that you still deplo re
and yet you maste rfully s ei ze you r wi fe s
hand and blindfold drag her a fter you to
ruin And i t is you r wi fe you observ e
whom you s elect Sh e whose h appiness
you most desi re you choos e to b e your vic
tim You woul d earnestly warn her fr o m
a tottering b ridge o r b a d inves tment I f
s h e were to ma rry som e o ne else how you
would trembl e for he r fate $ I f she were
only your sister and you thought hal f a s
much O f h e r h o w doubtfully would you e n
trust her futu re to a man no better than
1
you rs el f $
RO E R LOU IS S T VE N SO N Vi g ini b P i q
to

u:

u er s

ue.

Th e Supe r Ra c e

65

He re then li es the p ath o f eugeni c ac

tiv ity f o r the indivi du al cle a r straig h t
un m istakable In the rst place he must
never tran sm it to the futu re any defect
I f h e has a transm i ss i ble de fect h e must
have no offsp ring T hi s seems b ut reason
able
a n obligation to bring no u nne c e s
sa ry mi se ry into a worl d where s o much
al rea dy exi sts But the individu al
free
to choo se
must go one step fu rther a nd
in hi s sel ection must s eek a m ate with the
qu alities whi ch a re complementary to his
,

o wn

Looked at from the standpoint o f soci

ety there i s no Singl e choi ce which com
p ares in i m portance to the choi ce o f a m ate ;
for o n that ch o ice depen d the qu aliti es
which this gene ration will transmit to the
next and from whi ch the next generation
must create its follower Fu rthe rmo re
the re is no choi ce whi ch in modern soci ety
i s more completely individu al more
freed from soci al inte rfe rence than the
choice o f a l i fe mate T h e man in c hoos
ing his li fe p artner chooses the futu re
Civiliza ti o n hangs exp ectant o n his de
T h e Sup e r Race dim and indi s
c is io n
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

66

'

tinct m ay b e m a de a living reality by a

eugenic choice in th e p resent
a choice
fo r which ea ch m an an d woman wh o m ar
ries is in pa rt responsibl e With the a d
vance o f woman s emancip ation with the
increasing range o f her activi ty comes an
eve r incre asing opportunity to exercise
s u ch a choice Sh e a s well as the m an
m ay no w assis t in th e determinati o n o f
the fu ture Sh e a s well as the man may
no w b e held a ccountable for the non ap
a
r
a
n
c
e
e
of
the
S
up
e
r
a
ce
R
p
Do es the burden o f Eugenic Choice
rest heavily upon the shoulders o f the in
dividu al $ Do es h e hesitate to a ssume
the respons ibili ty o f the fu ture race $ T h e
burden o f sh aping So cial Adj ustm ents i s
no less onerous
B riey then what ch anges m ay the ih
divi dual make in insti tutions to develop
th e qu al iti es o f the Sup er Man $ Th e
s ocial institu tions with which the ave r
a ge m an come s into th e most intimate con
tact a re :
I
T h e Home
2
T h e School
T
h
Government
e
3
,

T h e Supe r Ra c e

67

Th e

h o m e as an institution m ust provide

f o r the Sup e r M an enough food clothing
a nd shelte r to gua rantee him a goo d phy
siqu e ; enough training in c o Op e ratio n and
mu tu al help fulness to give h im the vision
o f a Sup er Race ; and a supply o f e nth u s i
a sm su f ci ent to enable him to wo rk with
incre a sing energy for th e fulllm ent of
those things in whi c h h e b elieves In order
that the hom e may supply thes e things
it must h av e an incom e su i c ie nt to p rovi de
all o f the necessa ries and some o f th e c o m
forts O f li fe It must fu rth er b e dom i
na te d by a spirit o f sym p a theti c d e m o c
racy
Whil e the p resent system o f wealth di s
trib u ti o n i s s o grotesquely unsci entic that
m e n are forced to rea r famili e s o n i nc o mes
tha t will not p rovide the necess ari es to s ay
nothing o f the com fo rts o f li fe no tru e
h o m e c an b e establi shed no r can a Sup er
I f th e child i s an asset
Ra ce b e produced
to th e state the state should support the
child gua ranteeing to i t an incom e su f
c ie nt to p rovide f o r its mate ri al wel fa re
Why p rate o f home vi rtue $ Why di s
course learnedly on the possibiliti es o f a de
,

The Supe r Ra c e

68
v e lo p e d

manhoo d to a father ea rning nine

dollars a week $ I f yo u can gu arantee
such a m an an incom e o f three dollars a
week for each chil d in a ddition to th e nine
dolla rs for hi s wi fe and himsel f you m ay
well air you r vi ews rega rding a Supe r Race ;
but until you r lowest incom e is high enough
to gu a rantee the nece s s a rie s o f li fe to a
fa mily o f ve ; o r until the state guara ntees
an incom e to e ach child in i ts ea rly li fe
Yo u m ay a s well g o stand upon the beach
and bid th e m ain ood b ate hi s usu al

heigh t a s to deman d that a m an wo rking

f o r starvation wages p rovide a home in
which Sup e r M en can b e reared
When incom e ha s b een p rovi ded ; when
there is fo od f o r eve ry mou th wa rm cloth
ing f o r eve ry b ack enough fuel fo r winte r
a nd a f e w p enni e s each week for recrea
ti on the n indeed you may begi n to sp eak in
term s o f so cial imp rovement T hen and
then only you m ay tell the father and th e
m other that upo n their efforts d u ring the
rst s even years o f their children s lives
dep ends the atti tude which those children
will assume when th ey g o o u t into the
world ; that the hom e in which tyran ny is
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

69

unknown in which the family rules the

family will p roduce the noblest citi zen s
f o r the noblest state ; that the home is still
th e m ost fundamental institution in civiliza
tion the conse rvator o f o u r i deals and
visions of the b etter things that are to come

in the fu ture
these things you may say
e mphas izing the fact that without a well
rounded home training i n yo u th even the
noble st talents cannot com e to their full
f ruition
T h e scho ol i s a sp eci aliz e d form o f
h ome In early days when li fe was Sim
ple and sp ecialization w as unknown edu
cation was given almost wholly in th e
home ; but wi th the growth o f sp eci aliz ed
ta sks the hom e coul d no longer fulll its
fu ncti o n a s educator and the school wa s
introduced E ducation whether given in
the h o m e o r in the s chool ha s as its O b
h
T
a
complete
li
fe
pu
rpose
O
f
edu
e
c
t
e
j
cation i s to enable the pupil to live c o m
e
l
to
b
a
rounded
being
in
what
l
t
e
e
p
y
ever statio n he m ay be called upon to ll
Would yo u mold the school to t th e
needs of the children $ T hen the system
o f educati o n must b e so shap ed that chil
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

0
7

dren are p rep ared to live their lives c o m

l
l
hey
must
unde
rsta
nd
them
T
t
e
e
p
y

$ n o w thysel f
selv es
is a com man d
wo rthy o f th ei r attention T h e child s
body in the p erio d o f change fro m child
hoo d to a dultho od i s an organism o f the
m ost deli cate nature ba rely rea ching a d
j ustm ent under th e m ost auspi cious condi
tions and more than frequently fa iling
s ignally fr o m a l ack of knowl edge o r from
the absence o f symp atheti c un derstanding
Th e child th e father o f th e m a n
must b e taught to app r e ci ate th e human
machine o f whi ch he i s give n cha rge It i s
in the sch o ol with its co rps o f sp eci alis ts
that thi s work can b e most e ff ecti vely done
T hen o ne by o ne the sch o ol may take
up and foste r th e qu aliti es o f the Sup e r
M an Physiqu e m ust com e rst It is
blatant m ockery to sp eak o f educating
minds that dwell in anmm ic bodi es
Every boy and gi rl has a right to a strong
well knit fram e and the school must te ach
the b est m ethods o f s e cu ring i t M ental
grasp
the powe r to s ee and j udge a si tu
a ti on o r co mbina ti on o f facts m ay also
com e through the school In fact the
.

Th e Supe r Ra c e

school cours e a s at p resent organi z ed

a ims to s ecure that and little else As the
s ci ence o f education a dvances the s ame
m ateri al which no w comprises the enti re
cours e will b e taught in less tim e and in
wis e r ways so that the child Shall b e free
to le a rn some o f thos e other things so im
portant to hi s s oul s wel fare Aggressive
n ess and concentration are m ethods rather
th a n end s and can b e made a pa rt o f every
game every comp etition and eve ry stu dy
s o th at th e child absorbs them as he ab
so rbs th e atm o sp here without knowing
that they b ecome a p a rt o f h is b eing
Whether the scho o l can ins till sympathy
and inspire vision is a questi on that th e
future alone must decide Both m ay b e
given by individual teachers and both m ay
b e possible to the s chool though i f the
h ome i s d oing its work thes e things will
com e mo re e ffectively there than through
the school M ost or all o f the ess enti al
qu aliti es o f the Sup er M an can and will
com e through a well organized and p rop
e rly directed educational system

providi ng the ma
T h e government
chinery of state administration furnishing
,

Th e Sup e r R a c e

th e

school the playground and the libra ry ;

a ffor ding an oppo rtunity for th e exercise o f
citizenship and the exp ression o f those a d
v a nc in g ideas which m ust gra d u ally re
m old the social i ns ti tutions o f each age in
response to the dem a nds o f the ne w genera
tion
a ff o rds o ne o f th e m o st potent
forces for the dev e lop ment o f the Sup e r
M an
T h e school is th e bi g h om e ; th e govern
m ent i s the big sch o ol T h e child leaves
the home and enter s the school ; le aves the
s chool and e nte rs th e state In th e home
h e is acted upon ; in the scho o l h e hims el f
b egins to act ; but in the government h e i s
th e sole a cto r
he is the sta te A hom e
m ust be hi ghe r than th e children ; the school
m ust b e m o re a dvanced than the pupils ;
but the state re e cts exac tly the characte r
o f its citiz ens
It i s in th e state that the
Sup er Man crystallizing hi s convi ctions
and b elie fs into the form of legi sl ative
ena ctments must p rep are the Way f o r the
Sup e r Race
T h e Sup er Race i s the pro duce o f he r ed
ity o f social envi ronment and o f indivi d
u al development H eredity suppli es the
,

Th e Supe r R a c e

73

materi al
the indivi du al hum an b e
ing while edu cation and social environ
m ent op e rating upon this raw stu ff de
termine the cou rse o f its d evelopment
Steel is not made from b ee s wax nor is
the Sup e r M an created out O f a de fective
heredity In like manner since t h os e
wh o a re in Rom e do as the Romans do
the raw m aterial no m atte r what its qu al
ity i s shap ed by its su rroundings T h e
o ld saying
a s the twi g is bent the tree s

inclined should b e modied in this o ne

p a rticul a r
the force whi ch bend s the
twig must continu e in the tree else the
l atter will turn and grow toward the sky
T h e stock o f the Sup er M an will be se
cu red by th e mating O f p e rsons posses sing
the Sup er Race qu alities ; yet rea red in an
un favo rabl e envi ronment thes e qualities
cannot p rodu ce th e highest result
Neither biologic nor soci al forces a re
alone adequ ate to devel o p the Super Race
Physique mental cap acity aggre ss iveness
concentrati o n symp athy and vision a re the
p ro ducts o f heredity social enviro nment
and training
T h e system o f human
m ating must b e p e rfected and the status o f
raw
,

74

Th e Supe r Ra c e

social in stitutio ns must be raised in o rde r

that the indivi dual s pr o d uced in e ach gen
e ratio n m ay attain an additi onal increment
o f the qualities which will in the end p ro
duce th e Sup e r Race
,

CHAPT E R V
THE

A ME RI CA N

OP P ORT UN I TY

H E R E in brie f c o mp ass a re l ai d down the

general p rinciples up on which a na tion mu st
rely f o r th e rais ing o f its standa rd o f hu
m an excell ence
In general we are con
$ ibl e
v inc e d that the
oint
8p
de
,

WW

UEM

tates to a
an t ere ave
a ny
nati on o f th e p ast ; o r th an there a re in any
na
ace
.

is

ty

pl ay s o s ig ni
c an t a pa rt in e stablishing a Super Race in
the United States are h ere set do wn in an
o rder which p ermit s o f sequenti al t re at
m ent
1
N atu r al resources
Th e stock o f the dominant races
2
Leisure
3
$

75

Th e Supe r Ra c e

6
7

Th e
Th e

f
emancip
ation
women
o
4
ab
andonment
O
f
war
5
A kno wledge o f ra ce m aking
6
S
A
knowledge
oc
i
al
Adj
ust
o
f
7
m ent
A widesp read educational m a
8
chine ry
Natu ral resou rces are an indi spensabl e
element in$ national progress A c o ngeni al
cli m ate is a pr e r e quis ite to soci al develop
ment N O pe rm anently successful civili
z a tio n can be e rected on the sh ores o f Hud
s o n B ay o r in the torri d hea t o f the Am a
T h e temp erate zones with
z o n V alley
thei r vari able climate and thei r wide
range o f vegetable p roducts seem to p ro
vide the foundation f o r th e success ful civ
iliz a tio ns o f the immediate future
NO
l ess nece ssa ry to civili z ation a re ha rbo rs
f o r th e m aintenance o f commerce ; and an
abu nd ance o f m inerals th e s inews o f indus
try ; and most impo rtant o f all fertile a g
ricu ltu ral l and
In its p o sses sion o f these natural re
sou rces th e United States i s unexcelled
Its climate whil e generally temp e rate
vari es su f ciently to give an excellent range
.

Th e Supe r Ra c e

77

pr oducts ; h arbors and rivers a re abun

dant ; forests and minerals a re scatte red
eve rywhere ; and the a gricultural land
rich and well watered is a s extensive and
as potenti ally productive a s any equivalent
a rea in th e wo rld So fa r a s natu ral re
sources p rovide a ba sis for a Sup er Ra ce
the United States o ccup ies a p o siti on o f
almost uniqu e p rominence
T h e stock O f the dominant races may o r
m ay not b e a cant phra se
N o twith stan d
i ng the e ffective work done b y Rip lg y in h is
o

p revails that certain races a re from thei r

ra ci al chara cteristics speci ally tted to
d o minate others Woo dru ff i n his E x
2
takes
thi
s
vi
ew
strongly
e ns i o n o f Ra c e s
p
u rging the claim o f the no rthwest
e rn Europ ean to the di stinction o f
world ruler Whethe r ra ce b e a m atte r o f
suprem e o r o f little concern in de te rm in
ing the development o f a Sup e r Ra ce the
United States p ossess es an a dmi rabl e
,

WM

p le to n
2

Co
E

R e b m an

8 99

90 9

N Y
.

Ap

W OODR U FF
I

R a ces o f E ur ope

RIP LEY ,

T h e E xpa ns i o n

R
c
a
e
s
f

Th e Supe r Ra c e

8
7

blending o f the western Eu rop ean p eoples

wh o now occupy the d o minant p osition in
th e comm ercial and milita ry a ff airs o f the
world I f raci al stock b e a m a tter o f no
imp ortance it requi re s no empha si s ; i f o n
th e oth er han d i t be a signicant facto r in
the creation o f the Sup er Race then the
United States holds an envi a b le position
in its racial qualities
T hus th e raw mate ri als o f nation build
ing
the na tu ral resou rces and the raci al
qualitie s a re possessed by th e United
States in generous abundance
Has our
use o f them tende d toward the develop
ment of the Sup e r Ra ce $
Leisu re is an opp o rtunity fo r th e pursuit
o f a c o ngeni al avocation
It must b e ca re
f u lly diff erentiate d fr o m the i dleness with
whi ch it is so O fte n considered syn o nymous
Satan still nds m ischi e f f o r i dle hands
T h e man wh o i dles in l ei sure tim e is a s
likely no w as ever in th e p ast to nd him
s el f
b reakin g several o f the co m mand
ments Leisure m erely p rovi des an o ppo r
tunity f o r free choice
Unwis ely u sed i t
leads to individu al dissip ation and soc i al
degene racy Wi sely employed i t i s a
.

Th e Supe r Ra c e

79

most important m eans for the p romotion

o f soci al progre ss
M ost o f the great things o f the worl d
have b een done in lei sure tim e A poet
cannot create no r can a mechanic devise i f
he is forced du ring twelve hours each day
to struggl e f o r the bare necessities o f li fe
A study o f the lives o f those who h ave
m ade notabl e a chi evements in art science
l iterature and diplomacy shows that th ey
were free for the most p art fr o m the
b rea d and butter stru ggl e T hey had e s
tates they were the recip ients o f p ensions
but they di d not submit to the soul
destroying monotony o f rep e ating the same
task endlessly through the l o ng reaches o f
a twelve hou r day
Primitive soci ety d emands th e s e rvice
Chil dren
o f even its immature members
a re a dults b e fore their childh ood is well
begun Civiliz ati o n recogniz ing the po s
s ib ility o f sel f preservation th rough length

ened youth has s ai d to th e chil d Play

Long youth means l ong li fe Play tim e
lei su re
for the youth is the bone and
sinew o f a high standard m aturi ty Lei
su re in youth f o r play leisure in mature
.

Th e Su pe r Ra c e

80

li fe fo r re ection and creation

these a re
two o f th e most precious gi fts O f civiliz a
tion to soci al p rogre ss
T h e United Sta tes has l ed th e nations
in p roviding opportunity for leisure tim e
Labor s aving d evices have b een brought
to a higher p erfection there than in any
other p art o f the wo rld No where a re
children kept longe r from assuming the re
sp o nsib ilitie s o f adul t
: li fe ; in few countries
i s the wo rkday shorte r f o r a du lts
Prob ably no other p eopl e in the world
can supply themselves with the necessari es
o f li fe i n so short a wo rki ng time as can
the inh abit ants of the United States I f
every able bodi ed a du lt enga ged for ve
hours each day in gain ful activity enough
econom ic goods could b e created to provide
all the necessa ries and m any o f the c o m
forts o f li fe T h e l eisure obta ined
through American industry i f rightly di
r e c te d m ay provide for every child born a
thorough educati on a n ample o ppo rtu
nity to exp ress the qualiti es which a re la
tent in him
and a thorough p rep aration
fo r li fe
T h e ema n cipation o f women is another
.

Th e Supe r Ra c e

81

f o rce which may be directed toward the

imp rovement o f race qu aliti es Women
bea r the race in thei r bodi es ; at least ha lf
o f the qualiti es o f the offsp ring are inh e r
ite d from them ; a s mothers they educate
th e children during the rst six years o f
thei r lives and then as school teachers
an d mothers they pl ay the leading p art in
education until the children reach the age
o f twelve o r fourteen T h e youth o f the
race is in women s keeping T hey Shap e
the child clay T h e twi g is b ent the tree
is inclined by wom en s hands
T h e emancip ation o f woman means her
individu aliz ation B oth in primitive cus
tom an d in e a rly l aw her individu ality is

m e rged in that o f th e m an
Wives
Wrote Paul
b e obedi ent unto you r hu s
b ands for this is the law
M ohamm edan
women wea r veils that they m ay no t b e
seen ; Chinese wom e n bind their feet tha t
they m ay not escape ; the women o f conti
ne ntal Europ e spend thei r l ives in minister
ing to the com fort o f thei r li ege lords
dependent
almost abj ect
T hey a re
From such a sowing what must be the
rea ping $ Into the hands of these subj ect
.

'

Th e Sup e r R a c e

82

creatures men h ave committed th e train

ing o f their sons
Can a corrupt tree b ring forth goo d
fruit $ I f women a re in ferior to men can
they b e worthy to train thei r future su

thei
r
son
s
$
I
f
they
a
re
o
f
a
r
i
r
e
o
s
p
lowe r mentality than men h o w i s it th at
in the school as well as in the home men
have given into thei r hands th e power to
shap e the destinies o f the race $
Would you have your s ons tra ined by a
fre e m an or by a sl ave $ Do nobl e civi c
ideals o w from a citi zen o f a fre e c o m
m o nwe alth o r from the subj ects o f a des
pot $ O nly the woman who is a human
being with p owe r and fre edom to choose
m ay tea ch th e son o f a free m an
Eman
c ip atio n ha s given to women the p owe r o f
choice
T h e wom en o f Am erica have been p ar
tially em ancip ated
In som e states they
m ay vote su e fo r divorce collect their
o wn wages
hold prop e r ty and transact
business Everywhe re they a re lling the
high schools an d colleges ; pa rti cip ating in
indu stry and entering the pro fessions
Ameri can women a re indep endent bein g s
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

83

distinctive units in a gre at organi c so

c lety
In so fa r as the qu aliti es of the Sup er
Man a re d evelop ed and p erfected by the
te a chings o f women they will be mo re
e ff e ctu ally ro u nde d by the emancipated
wom an than by the s e rf Th e mothers o f
Ameri ca are prep ared to teach thei r sons
and daughters because they have b een
taught to think the noblest thoughts and
do the strongest things
T h e abandonment o f wa r rem oves on e
o f the most destructive forces o f the p a st
b ecaus e wa r has always tended to eliminate
the b est o f eve ry race In th e o w er o f
thei r m anhood the noblest died o n the eld

thei r lives uncompleted ; thei r

o f b attl e
tasks unnished
l e aving p erhaps no
o ff sp ring to bea r thei r qualities in the su c
Although the law o f
c e e d ing generation
natu re is the survival o f the ttest In the
red eld o f huma n histo ry the natural proc
3
Th e
ess o f selection is o ften reversed
b est p erish in w a r l eaving the l es s t to
c a r ry fo rwa rd the a ffai rs o f state and to
.

R AN

O D

T h e H u ma n H a

A me i c a n U ni ta i an A s soc i atio n,

v e s t,

907

54

B os to n,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

84

prop agate
T h e man who is l e ft holds
4
in his grasp the history o f the fu tu re
and i f as is frequently th e ca s e he is th e
one least tted to survive the race is c o n
sta ntly b reeding from th e unt rather than
from the t Where the h uman h arvest
i s bad the n ation must p erish SO long as
wa r p ersist ed s o long as th e best left their
bones on the battle eld while th e worst
l eft thei r descendants to man the state a
b a d human ha rvest wa s inevitable Wa r
ate into the hea rt o f nation al vitali ty by
destroying the n ati on s b est blood
Wa r howeve r h as p ra cti cally ceas ed
T h e m ovement fo r p e ace in which the
United States both by p recep t and p rac
tice is a lea der stands a s o he o f the signal
a chi evements o f the ne w c entury Th e
ab andonment o f war h as l a id a b asis fo r
the Sup e r Race by p e rmitting the most t
to live and to hand on their sp eci al quali
ti es to coming gene rations
In the United States as els ewhe re in the
civiliz ed world the sci ence o f race m aking
h as recently unde rgone great devel o pment
While the m ovem ent b egan in Engl and it
I b id p 4 8
$

Th e Supe r Ra c e

85

has s p rea d rapidly until at the present

time its signicance is universally recog
ni z ed by sci entists
T h e principles o f ar
ti c i a l selection have been appli ed in th e
creation of vegetable and animal p rodigies ;
th e knowl edge o f biol ogi c and selective
principles i s wide sp re ad ; and the educate d
m en and women o f the United States gen
e r a lly understand
the potency o f these
fo rces
Impo rtant step s have already b een tak e n
to p revent the p rop agation o f the unt
B orn crimin als a re in some states de
r
o
f
the
powe
r
rep
roduction
i
n
i
e
d
o
f
v
;
p
m ost o f the states th e m arri age o f di s
eased p ersons is p rohibited ; here and there
attempts have b een made to prohibit the
m a rriage o f any su ff ering from a trans
m iss ible de fect
O n the oth er hand men
tally de fective p ersons are being s egregated
in institutions
gu arded a gain st the dan
gers wh i ch b eset the men and p articula rly
the women o f weak mind Du ring the
pa st two decades gre at strides have been
m ade in educating the Ame rican public to
a higher standa rd o f health and e i c ie ncy
T h o ugh the sci ence o f race making as such
,

Th e Supe r R a c e

86

h a s not b een given a p rominent pl a ce in

publi c discussion the principles on whi ch
race making is based have fo rm ed an im
portant el em ent i n public educati on Th e
desi re to make a Super Race i n Am eri ca
is a s yet in i ts in fancy but the ground h as
be en thoroughly p rep a red and a f o unda
tion lai d upon which such a sup er st ructu re
o f desire for ra ce making can b e sp eedily
and e ff ectively erected
M e anwhile the science o f Social Adj ust
ment ha s occupi ed the mos t pr o minent
pl ace in Am e rican thought I f the Amer
i can people have und er emph asiz ed Eu ge
n ics they h ave over emphasi z ed Soci al A d
j ustment From ocean to oce an the coun
try has b een swep t during the p ast three
d e cades by a whi rlwin d o f l egi sl ation di
r e c te d towa rd the a dj ustm ent o f s o cial in
s titu tio ns to hum an needs
T rusts fa c
to ri es f o od railroa ds liquo r selling and
a hundred othe r subj ects h ave been kept
in th e foreground o f publi c attention
T h e Am erican p eopl e might almo s t plea d
u
ilty
to
a
djustm
ent
m
adness
g
From the foundation o f the e a rliest col
ni e s th e b asi s in theory at l east was l ai d
,

Th e Supe r Ra c e

87

for the development o f the individual

T h e colonists believe d i n the worth while
ness o f m en they l ived in an age o f n atural
p hilosophy ; they were th e p roducts o f an
e ffort to secu re religious an d p olitical free
dom ; they there fore emphasi zed th e indi
vidual consci ence and the right o f the in
dividual t o think and act f o r him s elf
E a ch indivi dual wa s a m an to be so re
garded and s o h o nored T heir ne w li fe
w a s a hard one
Nature presented an as
t
e
c
on
the
ro
cky
untilled
England
N
e
w
p
co a st di fferent from that in the civiliz ed
countri es o f th e old wo rld T here wa s
but one way to meet thes e ne w conditi ons
the individual must carve o u t his o wn
future
th e
T hroughout the United States
watchword o f the p eople h as been o pp o r
Without oppo rtunity the p eopl e
tu nity

p e ri sh
hence opportuni ty must stand
wai ting f or e ac h su ccee ding generation
In the turmoil o f comm ercial li fe in the
ebb and ow o f the immi gran t ti de the r e
ality has been frequently lost ; yet the i de al
o f opp ortunity remains a s rmly rooted as
.

,
,

CV C I

Th e Supe r R a c e

88

worth wh ile ne ss o f men th e soci al

control o f the environment and a fre e o p
o
r
t
u
n
i
ty for the development o f the indi
p
vidual constitute the basis for s o cial a d
vance in the United States T h e ideal i s
rmly roo ted ; the p ossibility o f its realiza
ti on i s an everpresent reali ty
With a boundless wealth o f natural te
s ou rces ; bulwarked by the stock O f the
dominant races ; with abund ant lei sure ;
granting freedom and individu ali ty to
women ; fo regoin g war ; co gniz ant o f th e
p rin c iples o f race making ; Soci al Adj ust
m ent and o f E ducation the American na
ti on i s thrown into the foreground as the
l and fo r th e developm ent o f th e Super
T h e American p eople have within
Race
thei r grasp the torch o f social progress
Ca n they ca rry i t in the van lighting the
dark cavern s o f th e future $ Can they de
v e lo p a ra ce o f m en wh o shall se t a stan
men o f physical and
d a rd for the world
m ental powe r e f ci ent broadly sympa
theti c ac tuated by the highes t ideals striv
ing towa rd a vison of human nobl eness $
Th e answer res ts with thi s and th e suc
c e e ding generation s
Give n ten talents o f
Th e

Th e Supe r Ra c e

89

opportunity a re we as a nation worthy to

b e m ade the rulers over ten cities $ Pro
v ide d with the raw stu ff of a Sup er Ra ce
can we m old it into A mighti e r ra ce than

any that has be en $

T h e past wo rked
wi th things : the p resent wo rks with men
We stand at the verge o f a s tate o f cul
ture which will b e that o f the depths not
a s hereto fo re o f the surface alone ; a stage
whi ch will no t b e me rely a culture through
m ankind but a culture o f m ankind
For
the rst time the great fashion ers o f cul
tu re will be able to work in m arble instea d
of
a s h ereto fo re b eing fo rced to wo rk in
5
s now
B u lwa rke d by thi s pregnant
thought
and assured by Ruskin that
T her e is a s yet no a scertained limit to
the noblesse o f p erson and mind whi ch th e

human creature may attain we press for

wa rd condently a dvocating and practic
ing thos e measu res which will cre ate the
energy m ental grasp e i c ie nc y symp athy
and vision o f the Super M an a nd th e Sup e r
Race
,

E LLEN $

n am , 1 9 1 1

EY,

ov e a nd

M ri
ar

a g e,

53

P ut