And, furthermore, it should be borne in mind that not only is a criminal ancestry _per se_ no bar to marriage, the marriage candidate himself may be an ex-criminal, may have served time in prison, and still be a very desirable father or mother from the eugenic viewpoint. A man who in a fit of passion or during a quarrel, perhaps under the slight influence of liquor, struck or killed a man is not, therefore, a real criminal. After serving his time in prison he may never again commit the slightest antisocial act, may make a moral citizen and an ideal husband and father. This is not a plea for the under dog. For in this case, where the future of the race is at stake, all other considerations must be put into the background. I simply plead for an intelligent consideration of the subject. Many honored citizens are worse criminals and worse fathers than many people who have served prison sentences. =Pauperism= It may seem strange to discuss pauperism in relation to marriage and to speak of it as a hereditary factor, but it is necessary to discuss it, because considerable ignorance prevails on the subject, it being generally confused with poverty. There is a radical difference between pauperism and poverty. People may be poor for generations and generations, even very poor, and still not be considered or classed with paupers. Pauperism generally implies a lack of physical and mental stamina, loss of _self-respect_ and unconquerable laziness. Of course we know now that laziness often rests upon a physical basis, being due to imperfect working of the internal glands. But whatever the cause of the laziness may be, the fact is that it is one of the characteristics of the pauper. And while we cannot speak of pauperism being hereditary, the qualities that go to make up the pauper are transmissible. No normal woman would marry a pauper, and the woman who would marry a pauper is not amenable to any advice or to any book knowledge. But men are sometimes tempted to marry daughters of paupers if they happen to be pretty. They should consider the matter very carefully, for some of the ancestral traits may become manifest in the children. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO BIRTH CONTROL OR THE LIMITATION OF OFFSPRING Knowledge of Prevention of Conception Essential--Misapprehensions Concerning Birth-control Propaganda--Modern Contraceptives Not Injurious to Health--Imperfection of Contraceptive Measures Due to Secrecy--Prevention of Conception and Abortion Radically Different--More Marriages Consummated if Birth-control Information were Legally Obtainable--Demand for Prostitution Would be Curtailed--Venereal Disease Due to Lack of Knowledge--Another Phase of the Birth-control Problem--Knowledge of Contraceptive Methods Where There Was a Taint of Insanity, and the Happy Results.