Cornhill Magazine,  4 (1861), 305–18.

Keeping up Appearances

[J Fitzjames Stephen]

Genre:

Essay

Subjects:

Progress, Population, Eugenics


    Claims that the 'course of peace, prosperity, and scientific discovery through which we have so long been passing seems likely to produce a strange result'. Having 'produced an unexampled number of comfortable people [...] attention will probably begin to be directed before long with considerable earnestness to the question why these people exist, and whether any reasonable account of their existence can be given or ought to be required?'. (313) After these deliberations it will be 'generally admitted that people have no business to gratify their affections at the expense of breeding paupers', and 'labourers and artisans' should be encouraged to 'adopt a standard of comfort high enough to deter them from marriage' until they can afford to maintain a family at that standard (314).



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