me of action is proposed for adoption must be neither
Utopian nor extravagant, but accordant throughout with British sentiment
and practice.

By "worth" I mean the civic worthiness, or the value to the state, of a
person. Speaking only for myself, if I had to classify persons according
to worth, I should consider each of them under the three heads of
physique, ability and character, subject to the provision that
inferiority in any one of the three should outweigh superiority in the
other two. I rank physique first, because it is not only very valuable
in itself and allied to many other good qualities, but has the
additional merit of being easily rated. Ability I place second on
similar grounds, and character third, though in real importance it
stands first of all.

The power of social opinion is apt to be underrated rather than
overrated. Like the atmosphere which we breathe and in which we move,
social opinion operates powerfully without our being conscious of its
weight. Everyone knows that governments, manners, and beliefs which were
thought to be right, decorous, and true at one period have been judged
wrong, indecorous, and false at another; and that views which we have
heard expressed by those in authority over us in early life tend to
become axiomatic and unchangeable in mature life.

In circumscribed communities especially, social approval and disapproval
exert a potent force. Is it, then, I ask, too much to expect that when a
public opinion in favour of eugenics has once taken sure hold of such
communities, the result will be manifested in sundry and very effective
modes of action which are as yet untried?

Speaking for myself only, I look forward to local eugenic action in
numerous directions, of which I will now specify one. It is the
accumulation of considerable funds to start young couples of "worthy"
qualities in their married life, and to assist them and their families
at critical times. The charitable gifts to those who are the reverse of
"worthy" are enormous in amount. I am not prepared to say how much of
this is judiciously spent, or in what ways, but merely quote the fact to
justify the inference that many persons who are willing to give freely
at the prompting of a sentiment based upon compassion might be
persuaded to give largely also in response to the more virile desire of
promoting the natural gifts and the national efficiency of future
generations.

_V.--Eugenics as a Factor in Religion