CHRISTIAN EUGENICS
By the BISHOP OF SOUTHWARK
NO one who is practically and sympathetically concerning himself with the well-being of his fellows will be in a hurry to dogmatize concerning the relative priority or importance of physical and psychological conditions as causes of human imperfection ; they are continually interacting upon each other ; bad temper may be as truly a cause of indigestion as indigestion may be of bad temper. It is the concrete whole of human personality with which all who would assist man's right development are concerned. The physical and the spiritual in us can be distinguished by thought ; they can some- times be effectively treated in practice as though they were separate and independent, but they are always in actual fact related to each other, and that in the most complex and intimate manner.
Hence the promotion of bodily health is for the Christian religion a concern of the first importance. But there is an absolute and unalterable criterion by which the Christian conscience is bound, when considering difficult problems concerning the promotion of the bodily health of the community such as at present confront all those who are seriously concerned with its fullest welfare, in connexion, for example, with the use of contraceptives and methods of sterilization. That criterion is the promotion of Christian character ; for the real worth of bodily health is to be found not merely in the avoidance of weakness, disease or pain, but in the provision of a physical instrument made as efficient as scientific skill can make it to co-operate with the right spirit in living the right life and developing as its supreme and abiding product the right character.
The crucial consideration for the Christian conscience when dealing with proposals for improving- the physique of a nation or of an individual is not simply " will this proposal produce greater physical health and strength ? " but " what sort of human characters will it tend to produce to co-operate with stronger and healthier bodies in the concrete totality of human life ? " If your -ideal of human character and personality is the Roman Gladiator or the Nordic Hero, you will approve certain.developments in the way of the promotion of bodily health which you would not approve should your ideal be the Hindu Fakir or the Buddhist Monk. To submit to a training which will make you into a champion prize-fighter is as truly " asceticism " as is the acceptance of the training which will make you into a Simon Sty lites. But the physical results aimed at are almost diametrically opposed, because the ideals of life and character accepted as desirable are poles asunder.
The Christian Church exists to promote the development of Christlike men and women, a quite distinctive type of personality, inclusive at its fullest and best of a range of characteristics of astonishing variety, which can be combined in an infinite number of ways, yet always maintaining a dominant urge which is its specific quality. What is this ? , Nothing else than Christ's own Spirit of self-sacrificing love, poured forth continually ,-in loyal service to God and the eternal values of Goodness, Truth and Beauty, of which He is the everliving Totality, and in equally loyal service to man, that human beings may be brought through the power of that same self- sacrificing love into ever closer harmony and unity with the fullness of the Life Divine.
Any project which promotes the production of personalities of this type—be it concerned with bodily, mental or moral development—Christianity ought to approve and adopt : anything which obstructs, it, Christianity must oppose and refuse to employ.
- I am endeavouring, so far as my capacity allows,; to make clear the fundamental principle of what I venture to call " Christian Eugenics." And it is vitally important for both Church and State that we should try to .think this problem out as clearly as we can. For we have undoubtedly reached a stage in the development of knowledge, power and skill which places within the grasp of human responsibility the developrnent of the future characteristics of the human race in a manner and to a degree never before experienced in human history. The fundamental question is : what type of personality do we -wish to see developed as the type which will give its dominant characteristics to the race of the future ? - There are two elements in the present situation to which it is worth while to allude briefly. The first is this : the intervention of the spirit of loving- service, derived from the Spirit of Christ, on behalf of the weaker and less worthy elements of our population, has -during the last century brought about a serious alteration in the biological balance of the community.- A biologically inferior class, owing to its having been treated- with special care according to Christian standards of mercy, pity and love, has tended to increase to such an extent that it is already becoming a difficult task for the rest of the population to support it in accordance. with those standards. • If its increase continues unchecked a point will be reached- when-the proper care of -this class will become impossible. - In their own interest therefore, no less than in the interest of the rest of the community, "it appears desirable to make use of the knowledge modern investigation--has placed at our disposal to prevent the propagation of this biologically inferior class. I find it difficult to believe that it can be God's will that we should knowingly allow defective children to be brought into existence when we have sufficient knowledge at our disposal, as we have now, both as to methods which may be 'used to prevent this happening and also as to the circumstances in which those methods may justifiably be employed.
The other point is this : we now live in an age when various results of immoral behaviour which previously acted as deterrents from immorality can be eliminated by the use of methods the knowledge of which is wide- spread: Those who desire to live immoral lives can do so now with an impunity which was not possible in previous ages. - It follows that those who would live in accordance with the standards of Christian morality will now do so simply for that morality's sake, because they believe in its ideals and worship its Author, not because they are afraid of certain unpleasant and dangerous consequences if they contravene its precepts. Surely this changed situation is not in itself a matter which Christians need deplore. But it is a challenge to all who believe in the principles of Christian morality as the only sure foundation for the future health, spiritual as well as bodily, of the individual and the community, to see to it that those principles are clearly set forth before the minds of all our people.
We need to be on our guard lest standards of character be disintegrated by considerations merely of security, comfort and ease, rather than of courage, self-control and self-sacrifice. There will always be a certain austerity in the lives that are really worth living. The general increase of physical health that we may reasonably expect to follow upon the adoption of a well-considered eugenic policy can only find its ultimate justification. if men and women learn in the spirit of Christ to offer up the stronger, healthier bodies which will result in loving service, as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.
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