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OCR Rendition - approximate
Eugenics as- a Creed and the Last Decade of Galton's Life 391 PAYABLES, WOODCOTE, NEAR READING. September 10,'1909. MY DEAR FRANCIS GALTON, What you want about the average number of relatives is of importance and shall be done, but it will need one or two points considering first. In the first. place, the younger generations are not always complete and it may not always be easy to ascertain whether this is so or not. I think it would very much diminish the available pedigrees if one had to be certain on this point. In the next place, there has been such a great change in the past thirty years, the modern complete families are 1, 2, 3 or 4, but 30 or 40 years ago they were anything up to 6 or 11. There is also another point, do you mean to include all born, or only those living to a definite age? A generation ago, perhaps, 4 died in infancy and childhood, even in the professional classes; now perhaps only 1. You will see that this may, without some agreement as to treatment, introduce difficulties. I am not at all sure that the best way would not be to work at the Quaker family histories or the older Herald's Visitations: But we shall always have to remember that the problem reduces to the size of the family in a certain definite class, and this is modified by custom, by period and by the infantile and child death-rates. Could we not reach your point by discovering the average size of family and the sex ratio in each grade? I enclose a rough copy of Miss Elderton's Lecture. It ought to be . out to-morrow. Here is a rough postcard my boy has made of the albino Pekinese Spaniels. They are very jolly little beasts-and quite of the harmless lap-dog order. Would Miss Biggs like Wee Ling? He will want to have a little training, but I don't think he would give much trouble. If at any time he became a nuisance I daresay I could find another home, but I should like to know where he was, if he had to be united in holy matrimony at any time with one of his cousins or half-sisters ! The pigs of our neighbour, who has some 300 acres, are very lordly and go with attendants, one pig, one man, for their daily exercise. Yours always affectionately, KARL PEARSON. I have heard no more of the Americans ! Why cannot Cook and Peary behave like Darwin and Wallace? Fox HOLM, COBHAM, SURREY. September 11, 1909. DEAR PROFESSOR PEARSON, The photo of Wee Ling is most attractive and I should of all things enjoy to bring him up-but this alas is prevented by the "cruel uncle"! Possibly your powers of persuasion might move him. Since you induced him to sit for a bust, you might prevail over this matter too, won't you try? and I will bring up the pup in the way he should go, having had much experience with dogs in my life. MY DEAR KARL PEARSON, The foregoing, appeal from Eva Biggs has melted away . my antagonism to dogs. Yes!-send Wee Ling and much care shall be lavished on him*. Ever affectionately, FRANCIS GALTON. Hurray!- E. B. Fox HOLM, COBHAM, SURREY. September 12, 1909. MY DEAR KARL PEARSON, I answered about Wee Ling yesterday, in a hurry, to save the Sunday post. This refers to the other part of your kind letter. It had been my intention to write about some of the points you raise, all of which are important. Respite finern. My object is to procure the desired data from one or more well defined and homogeneous- groups, defined by convenient limits as to date and minimum age of children; this latter has to be regarded : say 20, or other early marriageable age. The dates are a more seriousmatter. You know better than anybody, the times over which childbirth has continued normal in any particular group. The Quakers, as you suggest, would serve well. -So eminently would the Jews, if returns exist. - Have you ever, by the way, inquired about what I understand to be an immense storehouse of family facts, viz. the printed pedigrees, taken under affidavit, of the families of intestates, whose property comes into Chancery? I have no lawyer at hand to consult afresh. * I cycled over from Woodcote to Cobham taking Wee Ling in the basket on my handle-_ bar. Plate XXXVI was a result of this visit, and Plate XXXVIII shows Wee Ling in good company shortly afterwards. - -- -
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