Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 11.djvu/37

 STUDIES IN EUGENICS 21

"Mr. Schuster will in particular carry out investigations into the history of classes and families, and deliver lectures and pub- lish memoirs on the subjects of his investigations."

Now that this appointment has been made, it seems well to publish a suitable list of subjects for eugenic inquiry. It will be a program that binds no one, not even myself; for I have not yet had the advantage of discussing it with others, and may hereafter wish largely to revise and improve what is now pro- visionally sketched. The use of this paper lies in its giving a general outline of what, according to my present view, requires careful investigation, of course not all at once, but step by step, at possibly long intervals.

I. Estimation of the average quality of the offspring of married couples, from their personal and ancestral data. This includes questions of fertility, and the determination of the "probable error" of the estimate for individuals, according to the data employed.

a") " Biographical Index to Gifted Families," modern and recent, for publication. It might be drawn up on the same principle as my " Index to Achievements of Near Kinsfolk of Some of the Fellows of the Royal Society." 7 The Index refers only to facts creditable to the family, and to such of these as have already appeared in publications, which are quoted as authority for the statements. Other biographical facts that may be collected concerning these families are to be preserved for statistical use only.

&) Biographies of capable families, that do not rank as " gifted," are to be collected, and kept in manuscript, for statistical use, but with option of publication.

c} Biographies of families, which, as a whole, are distinctly below the average in health, mind, or physique, are to be collected. These include the families of persons in asylums of all kinds, hospitals, and prisons. To be kept for statistical use only.

d) Parentage and progeny of representatives of each of the social classes of the community, to determine how far each class is derived from, and con- tributes to, its own and the other classes. This inquiry must be carefully planned beforehand.

e) Insurance-office data. An attempt to be made to carry out the sug- gestions of Mr. Palin Egerton,* of obtaining material that the authorities would not object to give, and whose discussion might be advantageous to themselves as well as to eugenics. The matter is now under consideration, so more cannot be said.

7 See Sociological Papers, Vol. I, p. 85. " Ibid., p. 62.