Eugenics / by Edgar Schuster.

  • Schuster, Edgar.
Date:
[1912]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Eugenics / by Edgar Schuster. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    EUGENICS 33 a suitable occasion, not transgressing the rules of modesty.* He further goes on to say that for the benefit of the State one should avoid the natural inclination to marry one who is similarly situated to oneself, both with regard to personal characteristics and to pecuniary circumstances. A rich man should marry into a poor family, and a dull man into a quick-witted family. Ад equable popula¬ tion without top much diversity in mind, body, or estate among its members would thus result. After marriage 4he bride and bridegroom should consider that they are to produce for the State the best and fairest specimens of children which they can.' The Laws was written some time after the when the author was at least seventy- four years of age, and from the extracts here given it is apparent that he had devoted a great deal of thought to the problems of Eugenics, and the central idea that it would be advantageous to the community that marriages of men and women should be arranged so as to produce the best possible children is quite clearly and definitely stated. The means suggested in the Republic for bringing this about were not intended as a scheme practically applicable at his own day, and the most ironical of Greek authors must not be taken too literally. Many of the details of Plato's scheme were