The Church Congress at Cambridge yesterday discussed social responsibility with reference to the feeble-minded. Miss Pinsent (sic), member of the Royal Commission on the Care of the Feeble-Minded, pointed out that the undesirable classes of the population are fast increasing. She argued that desirable and efficient members of society must be encouraged to have larger families, and that there should be direct State encouragement to reproduction of better stocks. …
(elsewhere) … Mrs. Pinsent (Birmingham), member of the Royal Commission on the Care of the Feebleminded traced the striking growth of altruistic feeling during the 19th century to the development of the idea of social or corporal responsibility. She pointed out that all the legislative efforts resulting from this increase of altruism had aimed at improving the environment of the poorer classes, and in so doing had 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 value might tend to the perpetuation of the very condition of things which we so rightly condemn. A still large conception of corporate responsibility had become necessary, and one which would prevent the increase of population from defective and degenerate stocks. Some Illustrations. 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 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, where 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, for, in spite of the united efforts of these five officials, not one of these children could possibly become a useful citizen. Yet good, efficient citizens were being heavily rated 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 for them, thereby reducing their efficiency. There was evidence to show that the birth rate among defectives was unusually high, and the death rate not correspondingly high, so that a large number of defectives survived. …
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