"That noble minds keep ever with their likes: So mixed in him, that Nature might stand BEAUTY up The ancient Greeks worshipped beauty, and their great attainments in personal physique, art, and literature were largely due to keeping this ideal before them. Keats expressed their point of view when he wrote: "Beauty is truth, truth beauty',-that is all Keats In modern times, the pendulum has swung toward utility; and the effect of beautiful objects and beautiful surroundings on the development of character, especially while children are being educated, is too often not realized or not appreciated. Personal beauty is a great gift, and need never become a curse unless one yields to flattery and temptation. If a vain and foolish woman can have such influence for bad on account of her beauty, think how great must be the power wielded for good by a beautiful woman who is also modest and wise! The beautiful child is born to a high estate and must live up to it; by hard work, by great regard for the feelings of others, and by true and honorable actions. "A city set on a hill cannot be hid." Think of the joy that beauty gives when not marred by selfishness! Even to gaze upon a lovely, unspotted flower brings gladness to many hearts. There is another side to this question that must not be overlooked. If this gift of beauty is not properly used, it will be taken away. If the lovely girl is to become a lovely woman, beauty of character must grow as her body grows, otherwise her features will change and the selfish spirit and ugly disposition will show through. Physical beauty may be marred not only by a haughty curl of the lip or a cruel stare, but also by a scornful gesture, a harsh word, or any other expression of an unattractive soul. How often is it true that a woman loses her beauty the moment she opens her mouth! "Virtue beautifies the whole person of him who possesses it." Confucius "Each man's soul changes, according to the nature of his deeds, for better or for worse." Plato EUGENICS Ada Juke was the ancestor of 1,200 persons, 1,000 of whom were idiots, criminals, or degenerates. The good people of New York State had to endure these persons and also pay $1,200,000 to care for them and repair the injury they did. Is it any wonder that laws are strongly urged to prevent the continuation of such defective people? Eugenics is the science of improving the breed in human beings by the control of heredity and the rearing of children under the best conditions. Mental ability, as well as physical, depends on heredity, or the combination of traits from various ancestors. If cousins marry, their strong traits will be doubled, but their weak traits likewise; it is much better to select a mate who is strong in what the other lacks. Some traits are dominant for one generation, but the weaknesses will crop out in succeeding generations. If a black-eyed man marries a blue-eyed woman, all their children will be more or less blackeyed. If two feeble-minded persons marry, their offspring will all be feeble-minded. If an ableminded man marries a feeble-minded woman, the first generation will be able-minded, but later generations will show a certain percentage of feeblemindedness. It is often claimed by the young and wilful that one doesn't have to marry a whole family, but he does, nevertheless. Boys and girls should be taught enough about the principles of eugenics to guide them in fitting themselves for parenthood and in recognizing this fitness in others. If properly educated, they can be trusted to follow their own feelings in selecting life companions. CHAPTER XVII A LOVE STORY IN OUTLINE THIS Outline was given by the Naturalist to his English class for amplification; an exercise which appealed to them very strongly. A blue-eyed, golden-haired Girl was sitting in a tree in Tennessee with a peach as large as an orange in each hand and perfect happiness in her eyes. The next day, her father moved to Washington on official business and the Girl's horizon was changed from mountain ranges to level fields filled with houses. When she had finished high school in Washington, she was sent to a boarding-school in Staunton to complete her education. A Boy with dark eyes and hair was bidding his playmates goodbye because the family was moving to Blacksburg, where he was to enter college. Five years later, he again said goodbye and took the train for Ashland, to spend three years at RandolphMacon. During his last year, he wrote an article for the Monthly entitled "The Girl I Want," and signed it "Sigma." There was considerable ques |