Church Congress: Mrs. Pinsent on the Problem of the Feeble-Minded: Christian Unity: The Church Congress met in two sections yesterday, each having a morning and an evening sitting. … … Mrs. Pinsent’s Views: Mrs. Pinsent (Birmingham), a member of the Royal Commission on the Care of the Feeble-Minded, traced the striking growth of altruistic feeling during the nineteenth century and the consequent development of the idea of group or corporate responsibility. She pointed out that hitherto all the legislative efforts resulting from this increase in altruism had aimed at improving the environment of the poorer classes, and in so doing had the indirect effect of perpetuating the unfit. At the same time the reproduction of the higher types had been neglected, and the average standard of humanity lowered. No attention had been given to the improvement of the breed or race. Unless something could be done to secure a better heredity for the coming generations, all the altruistic feelings which we so rightly valued might tend to the perpetuation of the very condition of things which we so rightly condemned. A still larger conception of corporate responsibility had become necessary, and one which would prevent the increase of our population from defective and degenerate stocks, Mrs. Pinsent illustrated her argument from histories of mentally defective families in which mental defect and criminal propensities could be traced through three or four generations. The cost of such families to the community was very large. Fourteen individuals in one family had been supported at the public expense in industrial schools, reformatories, workhouses, asylums, and homes. They passed continually from one of these institutions to another with short intervals of liberty during which they reproduced their kind. Five publicly paid officials were continually visiting one other family, whence a mentally deficient mother had produced ten children, four of whom were mentally defective and two physically defective, while three died in infancy. The whole of the time and money spent on improving the environment of this family was wasted because in spite of the united efforts of these five officials not one of the children could possibly become a useful citizen. Yet good, efficient citizens were being heavily raised and taxed to provide training and ultimate support for these degenerate families and the result was that good citizens were led to limit the number of their children and also the educational opportunities they could afford them, thereby reducing their efficiency. There was evidence to show that the birth rate among defectives was unusually high, and the death rate was not correspondingly high, so that a large number of defectives survived. The Royal Commission had estimated that the number of the mentally defective in England and Wales was 270,000, or nearly one in every hundreds of the population. The Commission had suggested a new Act of Parliament, which would enable local authorities to place mentally defective people under continuous and kindly control and would prevent them from reproducing themselves. No other measure at present before the country would have such far-reaching and beneficial results. Not only would it at once reduce crime, drunkenness, and pauperism, but it would be the first step towards a public recognition that the great facts of heredity could no longer be ignored by a nation which, in so many other ways, had shown its deep range of corporate responsibility. She maintained that something more than had hitherto been attempted must be done. She advocated first the gradual creation of a living faith in the paramount duty of fatherhood and motherhood, and secondly the giving of direct State encouragement in the reproduction of the better stocks. At present we were encouraging the degenerate to perpetuate themselves at the expense of the desirable citizens who were rated and taxed to supply the degenerates with facilities for breeding. (loud and prolonged cheers). … The Declining Birth Rate: … The Bishop of Ripon also spoke regretfully of the decrease in the birth rate amongst the physically strong and mentally intelligent elements … (continues) …
Transcribed in whole or part from scanned originals: Presented with or without modified text and punctuation. For absolute accuracy refer to the original newspapers. Source: The British Newspaper Archive.
Referenced
GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949