humanfaculty4 - page 243 of 305

When we begin to inquire, with some misgiving perhaps, as to the

evidence that man has present power to influence the quality of future

humanity, we soon discover that his past influence in that direction has

been very large indeed. It has been exerted hitherto for other ends than

that which is now contemplated, such as for conquest or emigration, also

through social conditions whose effects upon race were imperfectly

foreseen. There can be no doubt that the hitherto unused means of his

influence are also numerous and great. I have not cared to go much into

detail concerning these, but restricted myself to a few broad

considerations, as by showing how largely the balance of population

becomes affected by the earlier marriages of some of its classes, and by

pointing out the great influence that endowments have had in checking the

marriage of monks and scholars, and therefore the yet larger influence

they might be expected to have if they were directed not to thwart but to

harmonise with natural inclination, by promoting early marriages in the

classes to be favoured. I also showed that a powerful influence might flow

from a public recognition in early life of the true value of the probability

of future performance, as based on the past performance of the ancestors

of the child. It is an element of forecast, in addition to that of present

personal merit, which has yet to be appraised and recognised. Its

recognition would attract assistance in various ways, impossible now to

specify, to the young families of those who were most likely to stock the

world with healthy, moral, intelligent, and fair-natured citizens. The

stream of charity is not unlimited, and it is requisite for the speedier

evolution of a more perfect humanity that it should be so distributed as to

favour the best-adapted races. I have not spoken of the repression of the

rest, believing that it would ensue indirectly as a matter of course; but I

may add that few would deserve better of their country than those who

determine to live celibate lives, through a reasonable conviction that their

issue would probably be less fitted than the generality to play their part as

It would be easy to add to the number of possible agencies by which

the evolution of a higher humanity might be furthered, but it is premature

to do so until the