provision made to encourage increase, are the unfit, and it is the
fertility of the unfit that is the very evil that has to be attacked.

It is the fertility of the unfit that makes the burden of the fit, and a
tax on bachelors, or a bonus on families, would be responded to by the
least fit, long before it affected those whose response was anticipated,
and the problem sought to be solved would only be aggravated thereby.

No encouragement whatever can the State afford to give to the natural
increase of population till it has successfully grappled with the
propagation of defectives.

The burden of life would be lessened by nearly one-third if the
fertility of defectives could be stopped.

The State would have to support only those who acquired defects, the
scars of service more honourable than wealth, in their efforts to
support themselves and families, and these would be few indeed, if
inherited tendencies could be eliminated or reduced to a minimum.

It is the purpose of this work to attempt to describe a method that will
help to bring about this end.

[Illustration]




CHAPTER IX.