Let us first of all consider merely from the viewpoint of business and
"efficiency" the biological or racial problems which confront us.
As Americans, we have of late made much of "efficiency" and business
organization. Yet would any corporation for one moment conduct its
affairs as we conduct the infinitely more important affairs of our
civilization? Would any modern stockbreeder permit the deterioration
of his livestock as we not only permit but positively encourage the
destruction and deterioration of the most precious, the most essential
elements in our world community--the mothers and children. With the
mothers and children thus cheapened, the next generation of men and
women is inevitably below par. The tendency of the human elements, under
present conditions, is constantly downward.
Turn to Robert M. Yerkes's "Psychological Examining in the United States
Army"(1) in which we are informed that the psychological examination
of the drafted men indicated that nearly half--47.3 per cent.--of the
population had the mentality of twelve-year-old children or less--in
other words that they are morons. Professor Conklin, in his recently
published volume "The Direction of Human Evolution"(2) is led, on the
findings of Mr. Yerkes's report, to assert: "Assuming that these
drafted men are a fair sample of the entire population of approximately
100,000,000, this means that 45,000,000 or nearly one-half the entire
population, will never develop mental capacity beyond the stage
represented by a normal twelve-year-old child, and that only 13,500,000
will ever show superior intelligence."
Making all due allowances for the errors and discrepancies of the
psychological examination, we are nevertheless face to face with a
serious and destructive practice. Our "overhead" expense in segregating
the delinquent, the defective and the dependent, in prisons, asylums and
permanent homes, our failure to segregate morons who are increasing
and multiplying--I have sufficiently indicated, though in truth I have
merely scratched the surface of this international menace--demonstrate
our foolhardy and extravagant sentimentalism. No industrial corporation
could maintain its existence upon such a foundation. Yet hardheaded
"captains of industry," financiers who pride themselves upon their
cool-headed and keen-sighted business ability are dropping millions
into rosewater philanthropies and charities that are silly at best and
vicious at worst. In our dealings with such elements there is a
bland maladministration and misuse of huge sums that should in all
righteousness be used for the development and education of the healthy
elements of the community.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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