THE CASUAL reader sometimes gets the idea that advocates of eugenics are confirmed pessimists looking on the dark side of life, and foreseeing nothing but degeneration and final ruin. Of course the constant study of bad conditions amongst people does tend to depress anyone, unless he can look beyond the immediate state of things and see some chance for improvement. The best thing about Eugenics is just that chance for improvement; and it is the duty and pleasure of everyone interested in the subject to point out possible chances for improvement in particular communities.

The fine old stock of original settlers in Vermont, Warner and the Allens and their ilk, were amongst the best human material that was at hand when the new Republic was formed. We are tempted to ask what has become of that fine old stock. Isn't there any of it left here in Vermont? Of course there is, lots of it‐‐I almost said plenty of it, but that would not be true. There is not enough to guarantee the continuance of the old ideals, the old energy. If Vermont is to be a safe place for Vermonters, indeed if she is to be the mother of statesmen and presidents and other national leaders, the "good stock" must be increased. There is no need of its being the "good old stock" providing the additions that are made are of the right sort. Good blood, from whatever country, added to and mixed with the good Yankee blood which is to be found in every community, makes for better communities, a better Vermont. Modern science, in the guise of Eugenics, offers us of Vermont, a simple and practical means of continuing the splendid traditions of pioneer days. There are more Vermonters now, with the grit, the intelligence, the unselfish devotion of our first pioneers, than there were a hundred and fifty years ago. The trouble is that the less valuable element in the population has increased much more than the good element.

Almost every thinking person has devised his own explanation for the running down hill that seems to be observable in our Vermont population. The student of the problem asks some pertinent questions, such as: "Is it true that the population of Vermont is going down hill in quality?" "What are some of the apparent reasons for this condition, if it is true?'' "What would check ‐ the downward progress?" "Is there any chance that remedies could be made to seem official enough to bring about their adoption?"

The war draft examiners turned in some very unpleasant figures to Washington. Professor Charles B. Davenport was assigned the task of making a study of these figures and publishing his conclusions. Most people know that these conclusions were not very complimentary. The Draft Boards found an excessive amount of feeble mindedness, and other mental defects amongst our men. A number of physical defects like spinal curvature, eye troubles and asthma (which is perhaps not a physical defect), were also found in excessive numbers of the applicants for draft examinations. Only one other state had so large a proportion of its young men of draft age rejected because of physical and mental defects.

It is not Dr. Davenport's duty to assign the cause of these unpleasant facts. He was supposed to prepare tables showing the number of draftees with different troubles, so that they could be compared state by state but Davenport was naturally interested in the causes as well as in the tabulation of results. He made a few suggestions in regard to the possible reasons why various states showed up badly.

Most people would very likely agree on one reason that Davenport does not mention‐‐that Vermont is constantly skimming off the cream of her younger population, to use a strictly agricultural metaphor as has been frequently pointed out, and quite recently by Dean Hills of the College of Agriculture, the taste for city life has been the cause of a great deal of emigration from Vermont. Either actually or apparently, young men and young women can find better chances for making their way in the cities than in the country. Those who stay in Vermont do so for one of these reasons: circumstances offer them a good chance for a livelihood and self‐improvement; or home ties, dependent and aged relatives make it seem wrong for them to move away, or ambition is lacking. Undoubtedly the last reason is the one that keeps a good many of the less well equipped bodies and minds here in Vermont, while those who are more ambitious and fit, physically and mentally, move out and find openings elsewhere. Were it not for the home ties, and the ability to recognize and make the most of good opportunities at home, Vermont would soon be drained of all her best blood. Already too much of it has flowed into other channels.

The two ways of improving the population are, first to encourage larger families amongst the physically and mentally fit those who are able not only to make their own way in the world but to carry their share of the burden of supporting the inadequate and the unfortunate; second, to bring about, by one means or another, a less rapid increase in the ''unfit" part of our population‐‐those who are unable, through misfortune or depravity, to bear their share of the community burden, or even maintain themselves and their children. No doubt we all have a more or less definite idea that a large part of the money paid into the state and town treasuries in taxes, has to go for the support of dependents and criminals. Probably most of us would do well to find out more exactly where our tax money really does go. Is there not a way of looking at the matter from a commercial angle? Cannot the number of tax payers be increased rather than the number of absorbers be decreased? Various communities have attempted some sort of study of the conditions governing these problems. Usually some prison commission or other official organization, more or less connected with state politics, makes some attempt to analyze the social and nonsocial elements in the state or area under consideration. Here in Vermont a somewhat unique experiment has been carried on during the past year, an experiment conducted by entirely non‐partisan and unofficial workers, and financed by private means. While this study has not been ambitious in its extent or in its aims, some highly interesting information has been collected, and some rather definite proposals for improving the population of Vermont can be made as a result.

The plan of the Eugenics Survey has been to seek answers to the following questions

1. Is there any part of the state that has sent more than its share of people to the state institutions? 2. If so, is it a geographical area? 3. If not, is it an element in the population? 4. If so, is it agricultural or industrial? 5. If neither agricultural or industrial, is it made up of native born Americans or some foreign born population? 6. Is there a small number of especially expensive families? * 7. Has there been noticeable inbreeding amongst the defective families? 8. Is there any special type of defectiveness or delinquency unusually common? 9. Is any one of the above questions answerable in such a way as to explain, wholly or partially, the larger number of defectives found in Vermont by the Draft Board in 1917 and 1918? 10. If the above questions can be answered is there any remedy to suggest?

The results of the investigation are briefly and partially as follows: ** I. There are comparatively few families in Vermont‐‐and we have studied fifteen of them with considerable thoroughness‐‐that have contributed very heavily in the wrong direction. They may have been the cause of heavy expense to the state instead of a source of financial or moral help to it. This expense has been in court costs, through the arrests, trials and commitment of criminals; the damage to property done, without running into the clutches of the law, by petty thieving, willful destruction of property, fishing and hunting contrary to law, and many other minor offenses, the total of which is formidable. The heaviest charge against these families is that they have cost the tax payers of the State large sums for maintainance in prisons, jails, asylums and Reform Schools. They have cost the towns large sums for their maintainance in poor houses or as recipients of help from the poor master.

The financial cost to the state of certain single families has been rather carefully worked out and it appears that in the case of at least three families not less than one‐half a million dollars has been drawn from the public funds to combat the deficiency and delinquency of their members. The estimating of such costs is a matter for experts in economics. It is highly important that such a study should be made on the basis of the information accumulated by this Survey. Plainly, however, no more exact figures are really needed to persuade us that we, the tax payers, are contributing pretty heavily for the benefit of a few degraded families. Those who have fallen upon hard times and misfortunes, and are in need of help through no fault of their own or ours, should, of course, be supported,‐‐ and the poor we have with us always. It is in the preventing of these cases that the Survey is interested.

In the course of our study of certain selected families it has come to light that certain outstanding characteristics can be assigned to practically every family. There are what may be called undertones of defectiveness or criminality or disease, but in most cases a single peculiarity seems to have been responsible for a large part of the bad history of the tribe, and appears to be very strongly inherited.

Family A, for example, comes of a strain about which we have not succeeded in learning a great deal back of the individual who occupies the position No. 1 on the chart. He was of a mixed ancestry with apparently very strong doses of Indian and Negro. This whole family numbering well over 150 individuals retains its ancestor's roving or Gypsy tendency. They are horse traders, fortune tellers and basket makers.

*Referring to question 6. (Is there a small number of especially expensive families?) it has been suggested that there may be in Vermont, as there are in other states, so called pockets amongst the hills in which families having a taint of feeble mindedness, hereditary deformity, etc., have been living for generations and inbreeding until tribes, something after the order of Jukes, Kallikaks, Nams, Pineys, Hill Folk and others, have accumulated. The inbreeding of such tribes works according to Mendel's law, accentuating the defects. If the defect is a tendency to crime, there is thought by some to be equally strong likelihood that that tendency will be made worse and will spread. Are there such "pockets" and such "tribes" in Vermont? If so, where are they located? Are they American, Irish, English, French or what not? Are they located in the hill country, on the mountains, or elsewhere? Is there any relation to be discovered between their dwelling place, their nationality, their occupation and their conditions? ** Obviously it is unwise to go into much precise detail in publishing the results of such a study as this. The value of the work would be greatly lessened by unwise publications.

Family B, is characterized by Huntington's Chorea. There are a number of other families from which some hereditable defect comes to light at frequent intervals. This defect may not be the cause of the poor record but rather a result of the same cause. At any rate, if it is nothing more than a label, it serves to bring about an unfortunate state of things that is bound to continue as a hindrance and an expense to the community.

If a railroad accident occurs, the first thing to do is to give first aid to the injured and clear away the wreckage. After that everyone wants to know what happened, how it happened and how similar accidents can be prevented in the future. That is the only way any progress in measures of safety has been accomplished.

After such a study as has been made during this survey it is impossible to avoid raising the question, after we have given first aid to the injured and cleared away some of the wreckage: Is there some way of preventing similar accidents in the future? The way of modern enlightened philanthropy is to look beyond the segregation and training of mental defectives and the custody of criminals and to see whether there is any scientifically approved method of checking the reoccurrence of such calamities. While it is the sole purpose of the Eugenics Survey of Vermont to get hold of a reasonable amount of reasonably accurate information bearing upon the mental and physical status of the population, certain rather definite recommendations have inevibly occurred to the members of the Advisory Committee. These fourteen people have given of their time and thought in generous measure towards the carrying on of the Survey. The heads of the five custodian institutions of the state are on this committee‐‐four members of the faculty of two of our higher educational institutions, the Commissioner of Education, the Field Worker of the Survey, Superintendent of Brattleboro Retreat, the Commissioner of Public Welfare and the Secretary of the State Board of Health.

In conclusion, the Survey has fulfilled its purpose which was to gather information and make it available for future use. It paves the way for constructive legislation and community service.