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4E Why Washington Society Women Are Studying Eugenics Leaders of the Nation’s Social Life Join Mrs. John Hays Hammond’s Interesting Class, Designed Especially to Guide Their Sex Throughout the Country in the Prin ciples of Race Improvement. By Mrs. John Hays Hammond. EVERY woman should study eugenics Such knowledge should not be withheld until women have reached motherhood. At heart and soul w-e are all mothers. The Instinct of motherhood is in us aud if It is not exercised toward children of our own. Its Influence at least can be extended to those who actually are mothers Those of ua who see and feel the Importance of bringing home the plain truths of eugenics to every woman in the land have also felt the need of examples and influence In the most respected quarters. Thus came about the or ganization of a class composed of women who are polltioally and socially the highest placed in the nation—a class virtually in the White House. This class includes Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, wife of the President of the United States; Mrs. William Jennings Bryan, wife of the Sec retary of State; Mrs Justice Hughes, and others in the Cabinet circle. All of these are serious students of the science of eugenics and were eager to extend and perfect their knowledge We met at my home in Washing ton and arranged for a series of lectures by Dr. Elnora C. Folkmar, a woman of profound scholarship, clean mind and spiritual vision. For these qualities we chose her as our guide. Each quality we deemed extremely important, but the greatest were the last two, for we knew that unless so guided it would be easy to wander into perusal of the morbid class of works on allied subjects, the study and dis cussion of which would be time lost, or worse. We adopted as our text-books the reports, pamphlets and more ambitious works—every thing we could glean that they had written — by Dr. C. B. Davenport, Dr. Llewellyn Barker, Dr. H. B. Goddard, Dr. J. E. Jordan, Dr. Prince A. Morrow, Drs. Galston. Pearson, Bateson, Saleeby, Bell and Starr Jordan. Reports of Dr. Davenport s work at the Carnegie Institute tor Experimental Evolution, which is located at Cold Spring Harbor, near Oyster Bay, on Ixmg Island, we know to be among the last words on the great theme of how to make the race better. 1 purposely cite these authorities at the be ginning lest the conscientious student be led into bypaths of worse than fruitless study through meretricious works that to my mind, have no excuse for having been written. thus the weekly lectures were well started by several meetings under Dr. Folkmar's guidance, before the Summer dispersion to aur country homes, and each member of the class had received an impetus to Summer study that will undoubtedly displace the Sum mer novel in her interest and in Its far reaching effects. ‘‘Give Your American Children a Regular Course in Manners,” SaysM.de fouquieres Andre DE FOUQUIERES, the Parisian arbiter of the elegances, who recently made a memorable visit to the United States, has addressed the fashionable women of Parle, among whom were many members of of the American colony, on the manners and appearance of American children. He generously praises the spirit and courage of American boys and delicately suggests that a regular course in manners would do them no harm. Here Is the report of his address, fur nished exclusively to this newspaper: By the Chevalier Andre de Fouquieres. HAPPY American children! How I admire and envy them! They lead a life of freedom, sport and open air, which Is very different from that of our French chil dren, who grow pale from long hours passed in hard study. American children are at their best in the country and country towns. I have observed them there with much pleasure. If I had only seen New York. 1 should have gone away with a monstrous idea of the American attitude toward children Children are evidently unwelcome visitors in New York. I cannot describe to you my stupefaction on finding that in many apart ment houses they would not receive children and would not permit them to be born This policy is absolutely unjust and immoral The divine and human laws require us to do our best to found a family here below. 1 am shocked at the thought that a child can be denied the right to live anywhere I love children with all my heart They are the con olation of our sorrows, the hope and the light of our existence. In a word, they are the 'uture. Indeed, I often feel very sad when I reflect that as a bachelor 1 cannot know the joys of family life Nothing can be sweeter and more beautiful than to prolong one's own existence in that of one's children, to bequeath o them ones traditions and ones sentiments The child is the sunshine of the house. I realized this when 1 visited the other day the family of an employe who had shown me great kindness on the ship going to America. He had three little rooms, neat as new pins, in a re spectable quarter of New York On coming nome from work he found health, exercise and happiness in playing with bis two children, *ged tour and five years This trio was com pleted by a fourth, a fine parrot, who was not t'e least talkative of the group "But, alas!" said the father to me. We shall soon be driven out of our little home, because we make a little noise, because we enjoy uc selves too much." In France, if we do not have many children >.e would at least not dream of showing such harshness to them when they do come Publi opinion in Paris. 1 am happy to say. would not permit a landlord to close his doors to people guiltji of having children. Our land lords are less cruel. Sometimes they forbid us •he possession of a cat or a dog. or of a.iy animal which bites, scratches or howls, mu not of a dear little baby. , We are eager for the formation of slmiliar classes among other women In this country ind will be to give them such help and direction as we can, for. while each life in this world is the product of two half lives, yet the chief responsibility for the uplift and better ment of the home rests with the mother. The IbMiKi » ■ fIEIL D Scene at a Children’s Welfare Meeting in Washington—This Is a Movement with Which Mrs. Hammond Is in Hearty Sympathy. so-called childless woman is a spiritual mother of the race and In no sense escapes the re sponsibility of providing ideals for the Im provement of the race. For mothers and for fathers there is no excuse for lack of that knowledge which will guide their children Into wise selection of life partners and the giving of a temple tc future souls. Parents who ignore this responsibility, who are careless of it, are ignorant of the dangers in the path or neglect to flash the signals of danger, should bow their heads in shame. Women who wish to know more of this science can form In classes and clubs and hear lectures by a woman medical authority. 1 do not advise the selection of a male lec turer because there is inevitably the sex barrier to frank discussion. A high minded, clean-souled woman is the right guide for There are women In New York, and also in Paris, who prefer not to have children for fear of spoiling their figures, or losing their freedom These are doubtless exceptions, but does not philosophy teach us that the excep tions tend to become the rule? Let us face this delicate question bravely. No matter whose susceptibilities 1 may hurt. 1 feel obliged to say that the wife who does not wish to become a mother is unworthy the name of woman. Evidently she is lacking In a certain natural instinct. Os course. I can not deny that there are cases where wisdom suggests that it is better not to have a family, but the desire should exist. The healthy and wealthy woman who prefers poodles to babies, should be an object of pity. I must add that the limited number of chil dren 1 saw In New York appeared strong and healthy. They have fresh complexions, well developed muscles, and an energetic bearing. They have an air of frankness in the eyes that pleases me. Everything about them be tokens strong will. One understands that they are preparing to be business men from their earliest years. They imitate the papa and fol low in his footsteps. One of these little men. nine years old. said to me with a very important air: “I'm going downtown on business." Evidently he had the ambition to make money at this early age This manner of facing life gives the American boy the assurance and independence of a man. In France our boys remain under the control of their mothers until they are quite young men. We have too many mothers' dar lings Children brought up iu the American way are quite capable of traveling around the world alone, when they are seventeen or eightteen years old In France the American method of education has already had its influence on the classes of society that are susceptible to 'deas from abroad Many French fathers of families are now planning to send their sons to the United States to complete their educa tion and cultivate a spirit of independence and self-reliance. I am familiar with the adverse criticisms which two eminent literary psychologists. M. Paul Bourget and M Henry James, have dared to pass on the American child, and I do not en tirely agree with them They object to his lack of politeness, but I find that that defect, which they greatly exaggerated, is more than counterbalanced bj his fine qualities. It if sport that makes the American child what he is He learns the word "baseball,'’ with his alphabet He practices boxing as soon as he is able to walk. I appreciate the ' igor of the American boy from personal ex perience. for 1 received a remarkably hard and well-aimed snow ball in the neck. For my part 1 believe that the American boy's view of life is the right one The spirit f sport develops the ardent and competent American youth into practical and successful men The American lives faster than the Eu ropean. and this haste makes him a lover of action Americans do not seem to know the aeari.iess of mind or body of which we see so much in Eurojie. -.lortiu- -piiit takes hold of the Amer- women In these researches. I am glad to see that women s clubs in lowa have arranged for baby shows at their annual county fairs, at which there are lectures on standardization of infants, so that all who attend will know the good points of a baby as well as they know those of a dog or horse. Oregon is preparing for a baby fair this FMII, preparatory to a great baby fair at the exposition in San Francisco in 1915. All these movements are placing an Ideal of race before us -and Individuals and the race are better for ideals. We have taken land we would advise others taking up the study and aligning them selves with the students and apostles of eu genics) a conservative stand. In eight States measures have been taken to prevent the con tinuance of a blood line of the unfit —those who are mildly termed the “socially Inade quate," or, more brutally put, those who are unable to earn their own living and have to he taken care of by the State or those with the criminal taint. There is much to bo said for this, especially when we are faced by the appalling tact that New York State, for in stance, spends one-fifth of its income in caring for Its unfit unfit either through crim- ican child at the beginning of his development. Inspires a confidence in him which increases the instinct of combat and the quality of cour age. The enemies of sport say that a man who cul tivate his muscles does so at the expense of his intelligence. That is an error. There is a balance between muscles and intelligence which a man must find. Are there fewer scientific men and artists because we have become to-day so generally addicted to sport? Surely we have enough of the former in France. Sport, on the other hand, has a very great educational value. It teaches discipline and application. I know that young athletes in school make the best pupils. Their games occupy them after the hours of study and keep them away from cabarets, evil resorts and i 81. M g >"!'! t! | ! ' ijW'!| I’ 'Si I? 11l l||' t | ! | t KOI ; irtAaj EZZ -- 11L®MM B® I ol| 111 -w - u Fine French Manners, as They Flourish in the Blue-Blooded Faubourg St. Germain. From a Sketch in That Entertaining Periodical, La Vie Partsknnc. Above is M. de Fouquieres in the Persian Costume in Which He Captivated Paris Society. ♦Jii MB U X Hr"'' W O ' I I i jHe| Mrs. John Hays Hammond. Inal bias or by reason of feeble-mindedness. Yet in such cases there are possibilities of succeeding viciousness that are amazing and alarming. These measures are still in an ex perimental state. It is encouraging ro learn that in one’institution in Indiana 150 of the inmates voluntarily acceded to such a measure for the good of the community. Believing themselves undesirable citizens, they pre ferred that their traits should not descend to posterity. But It is the sense of the class of students whom I represent that these are grave meas ures and that the lack of moral responsibility might inaugurate an era of viciousness that would be appalling. That is the danger and that Is the reason we weigh without yet de ciding for so extreme a measure. We believe in the custodial care of all those persons who by mental or moral taint would transmit qual ities whose possessors would make bad citi zens. Call it colonization, if you will, the cus todial care should be effective. It would in volve a great expense to the State; yes, but it would save that other enormous drain, the foundling asylums, most of the homes for friendless children and the maternity hos pitals maintained by charity. We believe that public sentiment (and if that fail, the law) should require that all clergymen performing marriage ceremonies should first have a certificate of health and character of both parties. If it can be made practicable to give also an abstract of the health and character of the parents and grand parents of both parties, so much the better. In time. 1 have no doubt, this can be made quite feasible. harmful reading. Athletic young men are chaste. The experience of training makes them lead a careful life, watch their health, avoid excesses of all kinds, drink less alcohol and go to bed early. Such a life will not, like excessive book study, lead a child into neurasthenia or effeminacy. Indeed, there is no better school to form a man than sport. In France now we are undergoing the happy influence of the spirit of sport. The other day 1 was walking along the boulevards of Paris. Suddenly I was jostled, whirled around, nearly overthrown by a crowd, which surged toward the terrace of a case. I seized a young man who was rushing past me and I asked him, "What is it? Is it a very big fire? Are you going to See the Presi dent of the Republic or some King pass by?” "No, monsieur.” said the young man. "but it is the moment when Carpentier takes his ap petizer." I have told you about the best qualities of the American boy, because I feel that that will interest you most. In France to-day we wish to know what is best in foreign nations. It would be idle to deny that the American boy might study the old French traditions of polite ness with advantage. If sport has great educational value, polite ness must remain the foremost principle of education. Good manners and a courteous method of ex pression facilitate good relations between indi viduals, between political parties and between nations. Let me emphasize this —that polite ness is a most necessary virtue to democracy. I have observed with pleasure in New York that many men are quite models of politeness. They usually take off their hats in the pres-, ence of a lady. Some of them even give up their seats in a car. and others make profuse excuses when they offer you a gloved hand. All that is very well, but 1 must insist on the neces sity of a regular education in politeness by those who have the authority to give it. In old times good manners were the appanage of an instructed minority. To-day they are the We believe in warning the young against the scourges that punish the sins of youth that we have dismissed as "youthful follies." We believe that men should as early as the years of going away to college acquaint their sons with those dangers and in a most im pressive manner. A woman whom I well know took double means to this end. Before her eldest son left his home she had an earnest talk with him. She told him of the dignity of parenthood, the duty of preparing for that honor clean bodies and minds and souls. She said to him: "The dearest moment of my life will be when a child of yours Is placed in my arms and I see It is perfect. But if you descend to wallow in filth I shall think of you with the disgust with which I regard a swine.” This solemn duty done, she arranged daring his first week in college, and before the in sidious spell of temptation could beset him, for hiß visit to the Massachusetts Hospital. Under guidance of a conscientious physician, a friend, she insisted that he spend a day there seeing all the horrors of the results of wrong living. He looked upon drunkenness and de generacy. He saw the dying. He witnessed major operations; saw men and women sunken to the lowest depths of depravity. Evidently the leeson was a vital one, for when, two years later, the time came for his younger brother to go to college and the mother pre pared for him the same plan the elder brother begged off for the younger. "Don’t make him go through that,” he pleaded. "He is so imaginative." “Very well,” responded the mother, “If you will promise to take him In hand." “I shall," promised the elder brother, and there is evidence that he has kept his word. While I think this duty of acquainting the young with the terrors that lurk in wrong paths is necessary, I do not believe in antici pating by one hour the question in the mind of youth. As well tear open the leaves of a but to hasten the blooming of a rose. Vigi lance Is desirable, but awakening morbid curi osity is deplorable. “Make the stock better,” is our watchword. By informing ourselves we can go far in this direction, and knowledge has ever been power. These are some principles of eugenics which should become a part of the common stock of knowledge. The feeble-minded are increasing several times as fast as the normal. Babies inherit both the defects and excel lences of their parents, mental and physical. There is no case recorded of a normal child being born of feeble-minded parents. It Is becoming a matter of common knowl edge that one-fifth of the blind lose their eye sight because of infection at birth. Our institutions are being filled with the blind, with neurasthenics, paralytics and men tal defectives. One hundred thousand babies die each year because of the transmissible diseases of their parents. The laws of inheritance are not the onl}’ agents in the rearing of fine children. Condi tions of environment promote or impair the production of perfect offspring. Those condi tions should be known to all persons of the age of parenthood. The greatest cause of Infant mortality is the fact that children are born without a sufficient "biological capital” to meet the demands of life. They quickly succumb in the struggle for existence, filling graves or public institu tions. privilege of every man. We should, therefore, take care that every man enjoys his privilege. An ill-bred business man should not be allowed to succeed, and we should help a polite employe to make his fortune. Politeness is the great est proof of self-control that one can offer. It obliges us to be moderate, and calm. It con trols instinct and trains the will, it is not a virtue of the weak. I should like to see America make an educa tion in politeness obligatory in her schools. A class of an hour a week devoted to this subject would do much good. I do not think that this would interfere seriously with the studies of children they teach so many useless things. A competent professor would teach in his class not only manners, but the jsavoir-vivre, the art of living rightly, a distaste for rude behavior and an understanding of tact, moderation and correct bearing. That would build up a nation which would gain influence in the world. I do not say that such classes are necessary to the United States alone. They would help us in France to have some day a Chamber of Depu ties where the members would not scratch at one another's faces or overwhelm one another with vulgar abuse. In the Hungarian Parliament recently in the midst of a most important debate there oc curred a general free fight, in which fists, teeth and chairs were used as weapons. Such scenes evidently tend to weaken democratic institu tions. The professor of politeness would teach his pupils such simple maxims as the following: "When a lady or a person older than yourself speaks to you, remove you hat and do not put it on again until asked to do so.” "Answer every question with politeness, and never contradict directly anyone who speaks to you. There are other methods of expressing one’s opinion than contradiction.’’ "If you are walking with another person, allow him to take the part of the sidewalk next to the houses.” "If there are three persons, the place in the Eugenics impresses upon us that our immi gration laws should restrict the immigration of stocks unfit to blend with the American pop ulation. The representative of one of the Powers is quietly working to keep the unfit of his nation at home for that reason. He told me so. The characteristics of children show ms’ many defects are traceable to parents who arc either too old or too young. Thirty-seven per cent of all swindlers are the children of parents who are more than forty-one years old. A ma jority of the crimes of violence against prop erty, as incendiarism, are committed by the children of too young parents. Yet the chil dren of the young parents show the greater intelligence. Fifty-two per cent (more than half) of the assassins are the children of eld erly parents. We should all know that consanguineous marriages (those of close relatives, as cous ins) may have disastrous results. If only be cause cousins are liable to have the same traits and marriage and parenthood would cause these traits to become more marked, they should be avoided because of intensifying fam ily faults which might disappear in a genera tion or two of remote matings. The anti eugenists point to Cleopatra as a proof of~the value of inbreeding. She was the daughter of a wedded brother and sister, for it was the custom then for brothers and sisters to wed and so keep the throne of the Ptolemies in the family. True, Cleopatra was wonderfully beau tiful, but beauty is not the chief purpose of the eugenists. The truth is that if she were living to-day Egypt’s beautiful queen would be in the ward of Matteawan or some other asy lum for the criminally insane. Consanguineous marriages between persons of weak mentality are a source of both crime and insanity. A second principle is that those unable for bodily or mental reasons to earn a living will, if permitted to marry, bequeath other charges to the state. Germany and Austria have pro vided that no person living upon charity or receiving state assistance shall be permitted to marry. It an insane or imbecile person marries a normal one, one-half or at least one-fourth of their children usually inherit the abnormality. If two epileptics marry, their children will all be epileptics, and if two imbeciles marry they will produce imbeciles. A woman may be more safely trusted to marry above iter station than a man. Most mesalliances are made by men. It is a wom an's instinct to raise herself in the marriage scale. The tendency of nature is to slump. If a fit and unfit person marry, the children are liable to be more like the unfit than the fit person. This is a regrettable truth which we cannot evade. The fear is in some minds that a knowledge of eugenics will banish romance. Far from it. It will make marriages happier as well as bet ter. There will always be love, and by making the race better we will make love more per manent. It comes back to our watchword, study to “Make the stock better.” We do not believe in the elimination of the infant unfit. When children have come into the world let us take care of them. The Greek idea of murdering the weakling infant does not accord with our civilization. The world would have been deprived of much of its greatness had we adopted this law. Goethe, for Instance, was a weakling infant. But, once again, I say, let us study how to make the stock better. middle is the place of honor.” "Never enter a salon (a drawing room) with out gloves or with the bottom of your trousers turned up. Leave your hat, overcoat and stick in the hall, but keep your gloves on. It is almost as bad to enter a drawing room without gloves as without shoes.” Remember that politeness excites generosity and good will—that is why an ambitious young man should be polite. His manners will win him the approbation, or at least the neutrality, of those with whom he comes into contact, and that will be sufficient to win him success. The first principle of altruism is not to be displeasing to one’s neighbor. Try to be not only courteous in your manners, but in your dress and bearing. What is more displeasing than a person of slovenly appearance wearing perhaps a dirty shirt or an unbrushed coat. The poorest employe may show good taste, even elegance, in this respect. Elegance of dress is a true form of politeness. Teach your children to be polite, simple and natural: for simplicity, politeness and natural ness are the characteristics of a truly elegant man. The great noblemen of other days set us examples of politeness which may well serve as models for the American children of to-day. King Louis XVI., the most powerful and abso lute monarch of his time, did not hesitate to step aside w’hen he passed on the stairway of hie Palace of Versailles a woman, even it she wist only a servant, f recall an interesting anecdote of the value of politeness in history that shouK. be of special interest to Americans. The Mar shal de Rochambeau, who fought bravely for the Americans in the War of Independence, was one of the many good men condemned to the guillotine during the Reign of Terror. One morning he and a crowd of others were led out of prison to the cart which conveyed the vic tims to execution. Among them was a priest. The Marshal de Rochambeau and the priest were the last of the party. The old soldier, wishing to show respect to religion, begged the priest to enter first into the vehicle. Removing his hat and bowing with graceful politeness, as if he were totally unaware that they were in the presence of death, he said: "After you, Monsieur l’Abbe!” The priest, seeing that the Marshal, who was eighty years old, was much older than him Self, did not wish to go first, but, bowing with equal politeness, said: "After you. Monsieur le Marechai!” After they had exchanged courtesies for some minutes the jailor interfered, pushed the priest into the cart and said to the Marshal: "Stand back, old Marshal; there is no room for you to-day.” This very day saw the end of the Terror, the Marshal was released from prison and spent his last days in peace. I hate roughness of manners and conduct as Ido crime. Persons who behave in that way are fundamentally vile in character. If you wish your children to be great men in the State and society, teach them to be chivalrous, which means that they will be ruled by the sentiments of duty and honor.