The insanity and disease that afflict many men of genius is well known.  Grasset in his book The Semi-Insane and the Semi-Responsible has given a long list of eminent names.  Many great authors have depicted insanity in their most gifted characters.  Genius is frequently an indication of insanity.  It is a wide departure from the normal.

The obscure and lowly origin of many of the world’s greatest men seems to point to the fact that Nature has methods that man cannot comprehend and with which it is not wise for him to interfere.  The fact is that genius, or even great strength or ability in the parent, is by no means sure to be handed down.  In fact, it is very rare indeed that such unusual traits persist.  That sterilization should follow as a punishment for sex crimes is without any sort of logic except that sterilization relates to sex.  The whole idea is born of the hatred or loathing of certain crimes.

Generalizations have been made from a few poorly authenticated cases, and these generalizations have gone far beyond anything that the evidence can justify.  It does not follow that because the father and son have black hair, or the mother and daughter have blue eyes, or that their mannerisms are similar, that inheritance is responsible for character, much less for crime.  Certain things are clearly traceable to heredity.  Other things may be the result of association or what to us must still be accident.

Often the fact is pointed out that great progress has been made in the culture of plants and the breeding of animals.  This is true.  No intelligent farmer to-day would think of raising any but the best stock.  He takes pains with the breeding of his cattle.  If he wants rich milk and butter, he breeds Jerseys or Guernseys.  If he wants a larger quantity of milk and a fair beef animal, he breeds Holsteins.  If he wants beef only, perhaps he raises Durhams.  At any rate he knows what he wants and breeds that kind.  Similarly the horse-raiser will breed for race horses or dray horses as the case may be, and the system works with almost mechanical certainty.  He gets what he wants and would never think of raising scrubs and taking a chance on results.  The effect of selective breeding and culture is beyond dispute, and to many it seems obvious that all that is needed to perfect the human race and wipe out misery and crime is to supervise human breeding in the same way, so that the species may be controlled.

At first glance this seems to be the logical thing to do, especially as the effects of heredity can no more be doubted in man than in animals.  Still there are important questions to be asked and grave dangers to be encountered.  When we say that the well-bred Berkshire hog is better than the “razor-back,” we mean that it will produce more meat for food.  In other words the hog is better for man.  If we were to ask which would be the better, if the hog were to be considered, the answer would probably be