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 6 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

reasonably attempt. We are ignorant of the ultimate destinies of humanity, but feel perfectly sure that it is as noble a work to raise its level, in the sense already explained, as it would be disgrace- ful to abase it. I see no impossibility in eugenics becoming a religious dogma among mankind, but its details must first be worked out sedulously in the study. Overzeal leading to hasty action would do harm, by holding out expectations of a near golden age, which will certainly be falsified and cause the science to be discredited. The first and main point is to secure the general intellectual acceptance of eugenics as a hopeful and most important study. Then let its principles work into the heart of the nation, which will gradually give practical effect to them in ways that we may not wholly foresee.

FRANCIS GALTON.

LONDON.

APPENDIX.

WORKS BY THE AUTHOR BEARING ON EUGENICS.

Hereditary Genius .(Macmillan), 1869; zd ed., 1892. See especially from p. 340 in the former edition to the end, and from p. 329 in the latter.

Human Faculty (Macmillan), 1883 (out of print). See especially p. 305 to end.

Natural Inheritance (Macmillan), 1889. This bears on inheritance generally, not particularly on eugenics.

Huxley Lecture of the Anthropological Institute on " The Possible Improvement of the Human Breed under the Existing Conditions of Law and Sentiment," Nature, 1901, p. 659; "Smithsonian Report," Washington, 1901, p. 523.

DISCUSSION.

BY PROFESSOR KARL PEARSON.

My position here this afternoon requires possibly some explanation. I am not a member of the Sociological Society, and I must confess myself skeptical as to its power to do effective work. Frankly, I do not believe in groups of men and women who have each and all their allotted daily task creating a new branch of science. I believe it must be done by some one man who by force of knowl- edge, of method, and of enthusiasm hews out, in rough outline it may be, but decisively, a new block and creates a school to carve out its details. I think you will find on inquiry that this is the history of each great branch of science. The initiative has been given by some one great thinker a Descartes, a Newton, a Virchow, a Darwin, or a Pasteur. A sociological society, until we have found a great sociologist, is a herd without a leader there is no authority to set bounds to your science or to prescribe its functions. 1 This, you must realize, is the view of that poor creature, the doubting man, in media vitae ; it is a view which cannot stand for a moment against the youthful energy of your secretary, or the

1 [The claims of Comte and Spencer to have jointly performed for sociology the preliminary service of architectonic initiation for which Professor Karl Pearson looks to the future were discussed in the paper laid before the society at the June meeting by Professor Durkheim and Mr. Branford (vide p. 134 of this number of the JOURNAL. EDITORS.]