public and social matters, that predominance of fluctuating aims and
spiritless conformities, in which so many of us, without any great
positive happiness at all to reward us for the sacrifice we are making,
bury the solitary talents of our lives.




II

THE PROBLEM OF THE BIRTH SUPPLY

Within the last minute seven new citizens were born into that great
English-speaking community which is scattered under various flags and
governments throughout the world. And according to the line of thought
developed in the previous paper we perceive that the real and ultimate
business, so far as this world goes, of every statesman, every social
organizer, every philanthropist, every business manager, every man who
lifts his head for a moment from the mean pursuit of his immediate
personal interests, from the gratification of his private desires, is,
as the first and immediate thing, to do his best for these new-comers,
to get the very best result, so far as his powers and activities can
contribute to it, from their undeveloped possibilities. And in the next
place, as a remoter, but perhaps finally more fundamental duty, he has
to inquire what may be done individually or collectively to raise the
standard and quality of the average birth. All the great concerns of
life work out with a very little analysis to that, even our wars, our
orgies of destruction, have, at the back of them, a claim, an
intention, however futile in its conception and disastrous in its
consequences, to establish a wider security, to destroy a standing