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Nature is kind to this class. They really survive conditions which we should expect to cause a quick wiping out of the stock, but many have physical powers out of all proportion to their mental condition. The power and desire for procreation is strong and of all of the human weaknesses which go to cause the dying-out of a race physically, this almost seems to be the least important, for families of this class are notoriously large.

Many plans for elimination have been proposed. About a year ago one of the large dailies of New York printed serious editorials and communications advocating a painless death. But who was to decide where to stop? How was the plan to be reconciled to present day ideas of humanity and Christianity? The whole thing caused but a temporary flutter and died out.

Unsexing has been suggested and many strong arguments brought in its favor, but as yet the public knows too little of advantages of the operation and of the social dangers from this class, and so will not agree to the idea.

There is, however, one method of elimination upon which we may all agree. It is easier for people to understand, -- and even only partially understanding it, -- they will agree to it. That is permanent custodial care, it is slow, costly, requires infinite patience, watchfulness and constant urging, but it is certain if followed out. It will appeal to the great public who stand back of us -- it shocks no one's ideas of propriety, humanity and Christianity.

Our great hope lies in preaching permanent custody again and again, and we shall probably go thru the three stages which fall to virtue as well as vice, and the world will "first pity, then endure, and finally embrace," -- our ideas.

To education we offer more perhaps than to anything excepting society at large.

It is only of late years that the public schools have begun to realize how much we have to offer them. For the knowledge of much that now forms a regular part of the curriculum we are directly or indirectly responsible. Manual training, physical culture, nature study and child study were carried on in the schools for defectives for many years before the public school men realized not only their value, but their necessity for correct and effective training, and of late there has been taken a step still further in advance, and attention is being given the backward child in the public school -- the child who with individual training, sanitary surroundings and proper environment will advance to take his proper place among normal children, but who neglected, subjected to disease and ignorance will fall an easy prey to degenerative influences and become in fact feeble-minded.

Medical examination of all public school children is reaching this class, but what is to be done with a child who at the age of twelve has the drawback corrected, - adenoids removed, glasses given or defective hearing remedied-if he knows no more than the child of six or seven. For him there is but little hope if he cannot have special instruction for a while.

We must encourge -sic- these movements -- medical inspection and the establishment of special classes, or as they are called in Germany 'hüeftschülen" or "help-schools." Here euphemy is of great value, for parents are quick to take offense.

I need say but little to this Association on this subject. You know too well the advantages of permanent custodial care.

Every effort must be made to get these defectives out of society, where they are a constant burden; from the families they are constantly dragging down and whose stock they are weakening; from the almshouses from most of which they may go out when they please, spreading the taint, and often bringing back newborn or soon-to-be-born babies worse than themselves; from the children's homes, where they are as much out of place as in their families, and from the public schools, where at last their presence is being more intelligently recognized, and where the really feeble-minded child has no place. Indeed, they must be removed from every place from which they might at any time return to society, -- and be put in suitable institutions from which they shall never depart.

This is our problem -- to be solved by persuasion if possible, by law, if necessary. Parents will call it cruel; taxpayers, expensive, but we must prove to both of them that it is really cheaper to hire a watchman and put up safety gates along the railway line than to maintain an ambulance, a hospital and a corp -sic- of physicians to care for those injured while crossing the tracks, -- perhaps, even, we may in time convince them of the value of raising the grade of the railroad, -- but that is in the mind of those who believe in unsexing. Therefore, for society as a whole, if they will but let us we shall -- even tho it be in the far future -- rid them of this class. We shall lessen crime and the costs of courts and prisons -- we shall decrease pauperism and encourage a truer charity -- we shall diminish inebriety, too often the result of weakened will and judgment, as well as the cause of it. Our houses of refuge, hospitals for the insane, villages for the epileptics, and almshouses, will no longer be crowded because of the ignorance and inability of the incapables, and the stock of humanity shall grow stronger and healthier.