question. Their
first principle was that persons who cannot take a part in the struggle
for life owing to mental defect should be afforded by the State such
protection as may be suited to their needs. Their next principle was
that the mental condition of these persons, and neither their poverty
nor their crime, is the real ground of their claim for help from the
State. Their third principle was that if the mentally defective are to
be properly considered and protected as such it is necessary to
ascertain who they are and where they are.

This, of course, is the object of the system of registration to which we
have referred.

Lastly, the English Commission held that the protection of the mentally
defective person, whatever form it takes, should be continued as long as
it is necessary for his good.

These principles appear to us to be quite sound, and we have no
hesitation in adopting them.

_Proposed Eugenic Board._

In regard to the method of compiling the register, some excellent
suggestions were made by Dr. Theodore Grant Gray, Medical Superintendent
of the Nelson Mental Hospital. He proposed, first, that a Government
Department or sub-department should be created to deal with all
feeble-minded and mentally defective persons living outside
institutions. It would deal not only with the feeble-minded, but it
would act the part of a Government "after-care association," in that it
would keep in touch with all persons discharged from mental hospitals.
One of its duties would be to keep a register of all feeble-minded,
epileptic, and mentally defective persons living outside institutional
care. Dr. Gray further suggests that the register should be compiled in
the following manner:--

(1.) It would be a statutory duty of all School Medical
Officers to report to the Department the names of all
feeble-minded or epileptic children in their districts.

(2.) It would be the duty of the District Education Board to
report any child of school age who was not attending school
because of feeble-mindedness or epilepsy.

(3.) It would be the duty of the Superintendent, owner, or
licensee of every hospital, private hospital, industrial
school, or reformatory prison to notify the Department upon
the admission of any person suffering from feeble-mindedness
or epilepsy.

(4.) It would be the duty of the Superintendent of every
mental hospital to notify the name of every per