Natural selection is cruel and uneconomic. As far as the human species is concerned, natural selection is not essential to our advance towards perfection; it is even to a considerable extent superfluous6. In the case of humanity, racial improvement remains7 possible even in the absence of a relationship between the numbers of the species and the available means of subsistence so unfavourable as to necessitate10 a fierce struggle for existence. In the earlier stages of human evolution, such an unfavourable relationship between the numerical strength of the species and the supply of the means of subsistence was perhaps a cause of racial advance; but to-day such a relationship would be nothing but a hindrance11 to progress. For the human species to-day, the significance of natural selection is historical merely; the future belongs to artificial selection. The device for humanity must be, “Not Natural Selection, but Artificial Selection—Eugenics!”
The Interests of the Future Generation.—The attitude of our[26] present legal system towards actions likely to be injurious to the interests of future generations is a quite erroneous one. We concern ourselves solely12 with the interests of the contemporary generation; the interests of future generations are left entirely13 to chance; it is perfectly2 obvious that whenever a conflict of interests arises, the well-being14 of our descendants is unhesitatingly sacrificed. In our present laws it is difficult to point to a single provision for the protection of subsequent generations against the result of the sexual irrationality15 and the excessive sexual egoism of our contemporaries.
Bodily injury of one human being by another is a punishable offence. But the man affected16 with alcoholism or syphilis who procreates a child incurs17 no punishment whatever, although the consequences of the latter’s action are far more serious. To-day hardly any attention is paid to the question of what qualities are desirable in the parents in order to ensure the procreation of offspring well equipped for a happy and useful life. In the breeding of plants and animals, definite rules are followed, in order to secure the progressive improvement of the species concerned. But who trouble themselves about conscious selection for the improvement of the human species?
The view will ultimately prevail that the strong only are of value to society, and that every weak member of the community involves a definite social loss. It will be generally understood that large families are not advantageous18, inasmuch as it is not quantity but quality that really matters. The day will come in which fatherhood and motherhood will be permitted only to the strong, and in which every endeavour will be made to prevent the birth of diseased and weakly individuals. As far as the “protection” of a great many children is concerned, the method that will be adopted will be to prevent their ever coming into the world. In the future, we shall know better than we know to-day which children are competent to grow up into useful members of society; and those buds which fail to attain19 this standard will be pruned20 away.
Beyond question, it will not be long before it will be generally understood that the proper application of eugenist[27] principles to the human species will be secured, not so much by coercion21, as by enlightenment. But for this very reason it will become of enormous importance to popularise the elements of educational science and of the hygiene22 of childhood, to effect the sexual enlightenment of children and of adults, and to secure the diffusion23 of sound ethical24 ideas. It will be taught that actions injurious to the interests of future generations are immoral25, and some of them will even be made punishable offences. Steps will also be taken to ensure as far as possible that only those individuals shall marry whose offspring may be expected to be healthy.
In regard to all these problems, the acquirements of medical science are of enormous importance; for it is upon the acquirements of positive science that legislation dealing26 with such matters must be based. Unfortunately, however, the medical science of our own day is not always in a position to give a decisive and satisfactory answer in respect of the various problems just stated; and suitable legislation on these matters must be deferred27 to the future, when guidance may be anticipated from the inevitable28 progress of medical science.
Inheritance and Education.—In human beings, as in other animals, an improvement in the inborn29 capacities is possible. At the present time we are content to take children as we find them, and we simply endeavour by education to make every child into a useful member of society. But only through influences affecting hereditary30 qualities can the material of future generations be improved, and a humanity be brought into being better equipped than we are for the tasks of civilisation31. Enduring human progress can be effected only by the simultaneous study and application of the laws both of education and of heredity. As by selection the hereditary equipment is improved, the limits of what is attainable32 by means of education will also be extended.
Even to-day, heredity and education commonly co-operate in the same direction, for in most cases the two influences are exercised by the same personalities33. Parents of fine quality tend to procreate children of like quality, and also to give these same children an exceptionally good upbringing; contrariwise,[28] degenerate34 parents tend to procreate degenerate children, and to bring them up badly.
Nature of Education.—The inherited character of human beings is not a unitary whole, but consists of different parts. Unless this were so, man would speedily succumb35 in the struggle for existence; for it depends upon the circumstances in which he finds himself, which parts of his inherited character undergo a necessary development. Just as nature brings into existence an enormous number of living beings, and then, by the mechanism36 of the struggle for existence, selects for survival those individuals which are best adapted to the environmental conditions, so in the inherited human character there exist available for the influences of education thousands of rudimentary capacities, and it is the particular environmental conditions which determine which of these capacities are cultivated and developed, and which are allowed to undergo atrophy37.
Among these environmental conditions are the deliberate processes of education, which also select certain capacities for special cultivation38, and allow others to atrophy or disappear. The latter part of this process takes place in accordance with the natural law, that every organ which is left unused undergoes atrophy, and may even altogether disappear. The task of education does not presuppose any alteration39 in the inherited character. On the contrary, the educator utilises the existence of the various inherited characteristics in such a way that he makes those qualities he wishes to develop take the field against those he wishes to suppress.
The inherited character contains certain possibilities of development. If it were fixed40 and unalterable, education would be entirely unthinkable. In the practical work of education we have to reckon with the fact that there are present in every child certain developmental factors, constituting the pre-conditions of the development which that child will subsequently undergo; that in the course of growth the character undergoes extensive alterations41; finally, also, that the child’s character is something very different from that of the adult. Education is thus seen to consist of the influences exerted upon the character by the application of certain[29] external factors; it is a selection from the entire complex of inborn capacities and inborn tendencies.
Character of the Child.—The view that the child possesses all the vices42 and all the peculiarities43 of the criminal is as erroneous as the opinion that the criminal, owing to the arrest of mental development, remains for ever a child, and that he is one in nature with the savage45 who, unaffected by conditions of time or place, preserves unchanged the type of humanity in the childhood of our race. As yet no proof has ever been supplied of the hypothesis, that concealed46 within the child’s nature lies the tendency to do evil. But it is an incontestible fact that the child entirely lacks power to withdraw itself from harmful influences, and that if criminal inclinations47 are artificially implanted in the child, they will infallibly develop if no counteracting48 influences come into play. The child is a virgin50 soil, which will in due course bring forth51 good fruit or bad fruit according to the nature of the tillage; at birth the child is qualitatively52 and quantitatively53 incomplete; but all the faculties54 are there in embryo55, and ready for their further development. The smaller the circle of ideas, the stronger will be the influence, the greater will be the effect, of any new idea that enters this circle. In the child, above all, the circle of ideas is so small, that every new idea will constitute a quite appreciable56 fraction of all the ideas that already exist.
Limits of Educability.—Education is able to develop the useful capacities and qualities of human beings, and to repress those capacities and qualities that are useless and harmful; but it is beyond the power of education to develop qualities and capacities of which the germs do not previously57 exist in the child. Even the best education is incompetent58 to improve a character which is congenitally altogether bad, or to do anything for a child whose character, though congenitally good, has been completely corrupted59 by evil influences.
Unfortunately, science is not yet sufficiently60 advanced to enable us to determine with absolute certainty which children are educable. As long as our knowledge of this matter remains defective61, society must undertake the fruitless education of such children.
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Educability depends, first of all, upon the inherited dispositions62 of the brain; when the deviations63 from the average in this respect are considerable, we have to do with a diseased brain. According to the kind and the degree of the deviation64, we distinguish several groups of mental abnormality occurring in childhood, namely:
(b) Congenital feeble-mindedness (debility).
In the first group we find a number of morbid changes far less severe in character than those comprising groups (b) and (c); these are commonly curable, provided only treatment is begun in early childhood. It is absolutely essential that such cases should be cured if possible: for unless this is effected, in most cases (and especially when they belong to the poorer classes of society) the males become habitual69 vagrants70, whilst the females adopt a life of prostitution. Numerous inquiries71 have established the fact that a strikingly large proportion of tramps and other vagabonds were from childhood upwards72 of a psychopathic constitution.
The number of those exhibiting mental abnormality has notably73 increased in recent times, but this increase does not affect those suffering from true insanity74. Many of those who in adult life exhibit symptoms of mental abnormality do so as a result of the psychopathic constitution, and in many such cases the troubles of adult life might have been prevented by judicious75 measures during childhood. In cases belonging to group (b), comprising persons suffering from congenital feeble-mindedness, the possibility of education depends entirely upon the degree of mental debility. In cases belonging to group (c) education is impossible. The question of ineducability is of importance, above all, in relation to the possibilities of a coercive reformatory education. The possibility that attempts at education may prove altogether fruitless must never be lost sight of; for although it is an established fact that mentally abnormal children usually need a coercive reformatory education, in the case of children whose mental abnormality exceeds certain limits, even such an education is impracticable. In these cases also the rule applies, that the[31] prospects76 of success are greater the earlier the matter is taken in hand.
The Aim of Education.—What is the aim of education? Should we seek to educate the child for society; or should it be our primary aim to cultivate the inborn capacities of the child? The value of the individual depends upon two factors, upon the capacities and qualities he has inherited, and upon the capacities and qualities he has acquired. Education must not attend exclusively to one group or to the other, but must deal with both groups harmoniously77. The child must be taught to adapt itself to all possible circumstances and conditions; at the same time it must receive an education suited to its own capacities and endowments. In the character of every child there exist the germs of individuality. Whether it is normal or abnormal, whether it is a foundling or not, whether it is educated by its parents or at school, in the family or at an institution, it must be educated in accordance with the needs of its own individuality. The educationalist’s device should be—individualisation.
The greatest delight of every individual, whether child or adult, is to be occupied in accordance with its own inclinations, and to be treated by others in a manner suited to its own peculiar44 tendencies. This perhaps depends upon one of the primary laws of physics, that motion takes place in the direction of least resistance. Individualisation in education is an exceedingly difficult matter; and yet it is less difficult than appears at first sight. Differences in individual character are far less extensive than is generally believed, and it is an error to suppose that the character of every child differs in important respects from that of every other. It is an impossible aim of education to make every child a being with a well-marked individuality. If the differences were too great between those whose education is completed—that is, between those grown persons who play their parts in ordinary human intercourse78, such intercourse would be less extensive and more difficult than it now is.
The child must be educated in such a way that its actions are not instinctive79 and uncontrolled, but consciously purposive and self-controlled; but at the same time the educationalist[32] must guard against the danger of making the child into a will-less puppet. It has frequently been observed that obedient children are unlikely to grow up into men of any particular note, the reason being that they are accustomed to do only what they are told, and have never learned to act on their own initiative.
Knowledge is a mighty80 weapon, but it is one which can be used either to good purpose or to ill, and it is per se neither moral nor immoral. Knowledge is Power, but it is not Virtue81. It is not the ability to read and to write which matters; the important question is, what one reads and what one writes. Among those who can neither read nor write, we find many who are extraordinarily82 rich in practical experience. This is to be explained by the fact that those who can read and write are able to gain impressions indirectly83 as well as directly, whilst illiterate84 persons are entirely dependent upon their own direct experience of life.
Among the causes of crime, illiteracy85 by no means plays so important a part as is generally believed. For this reason, when we are studying the condition of any particular country, we must avoid laying too great a stress upon the percentage of illiterates86 among its population. The number of illiterates depends in part also upon the proportions of persons at various ages, inasmuch as, in reckoning the percentage of illiterates to the general population, those under school age are left out of the account.
By no means is it the aim of education to provide general culture. The State cannot possibly insist that every individual should devote himself to the acquirement of general culture, for the most talented person is at times unable to earn his own living. In the struggle for existence, general culture, taken by itself, is utterly87 useless.
Good Example.—The phenomena88 which the child has opportunities for observing exercise a great influence upon its development. Although the view that the child imitates everything instinctively89 is erroneous, it is unquestionable that education will prove successful only in cases in which the personality of the child’s teacher is one which puts a good example before the child’s eyes. It is not enough merely[33] to instruct a child verbally. It is essential that the child should see that the teacher himself practises all which is theoretically asserted to be right and admirable.
Confidence and Love.—Authority and compulsion are important factors of education; but those take the wrong path who attempt to influence the child by means of authority and compulsion alone. For individualisation in education the device should be, Confidence and Love. These mean to the child what sunshine means to the plant: without sunshine, the plant lags behind in its growth, and ultimately perishes; but in the sunshine it flourishes abundantly.
Reward and Punishment.—The view that neither reward nor punishment should be employed as instruments of education is erroneous, for unquestionably both have considerable influence upon human activities and intercourse. The only matter really open for consideration is, what should be the nature of the rewards and the punishments to be employed, and what should be the method of their application? It is wrong to punish or reward a child so often that either becomes habitual. The teacher, who is in most cases the accuser and the injured person (since a child’s wrong actions are apt to take the form of offences against an instructor90), should not also assume the office of a judge against whose decision there is no appeal, and the office of executioner. Above all, the time-honoured system whereby every childish offence is expiated91 by deliberately inflicted92 physical pain must be abandoned.
The corporal punishment of children is certainly harmful. (a) Corporal punishment is injurious to the child’s health. In former times this objection had perhaps less weight, for the child’s constitution, and especially the child’s nervous system, were then less sensitive than they are to-day. (b) Corporal punishment gradually makes the child quite indifferent to the handling and making-use of its body. In many instances, either in the chastiser94 or in the chastised95, or in both, it gives rise to sexual excitement. It is especially dangerous for girls, whom it is apt to prepare for a life of prostitution. (c) Corporal punishment has a coarsening and hardening influence both on teacher and on child. The[34] teacher tends ever more and more to give way to his impulses, and thereby96 becomes a disastrous97 example for the child. (d) Corporal punishment breaks the child’s will, and induces a sense of degradation98 which is greater in proportion to the intensity99 of the child’s own self-respect. (e) Corporal punishment makes a child hypocritical and deceitful, and gives it a hint to be wilier the next time. For ultimately the idea is formed in the child’s mind that it has been punished, not for committing a fault, but because it has been found out.
Punishment should always be of such a nature as to strengthen as much as possible those inner forces and impulses through whose weakness the liability to the punishment has been incurred100. On no account whatever should the punishment be such as will encourage in the child’s mind the belief that the act for which it is punished was, after all, one it had a right to do. If, for example, a child has injured a servant, it should be punished by making it relieve the servant of some portion of the latter’s work. If the child has injured any one, it is not a suitable punishment for the teacher to inflict93 direct injury on the child, for this would merely encourage the latter to believe that the strong are justified101 in inflicting102 injury on the weak.
Education by the Parents.—Throughout nature, wherever the young of any animal have to live through a prolonged period of imperfectly protected immaturity103, it is the duty of the parent-animals to bring up their offspring. Above a certain level in the animal scale, this duty is universal. The lower in the scale any species of animal, the more rapidly do the young of that species attain maturity104; conversely, the higher the stage of development of any species, the longer is the period of immaturity, and the longer are the children dependent upon their parents. This rule applies to human beings also, and the relationships above described obtain among the different varieties and races of mankind. Of all new-born animals, none is so helpless as man; and of all animals, his period of immaturity is the longest. The period of upbringing lasts longer in man than in other animals, the human young are longer dependent on their parents,[35] and the parents themselves in the human species are more long-lived than the parents of most other species of animals.
The younger the individual human being, the more dependent is it upon others. An infant cannot continue to exist at all without external help. Its only needs at first, indeed, are for food, drink, sleep, and cleansing105; but the older it is, the more complex is the care it demands. As the age of the human individual increases, the more do its needs continue to enlarge. The younger the human being, the more dependent is it upon parental106 care, and more particularly upon maternal107 care; and the more helpless the offspring, the more does the educational influence of the mother exceed in importance that of the father.
The view that the natural province of work of the father is to provide the means of subsistence for himself and his family, while the mother’s work, on the other hand, is to care for the children, is erroneous. It is not merely unnecessary for the mother to spend all her time with her child, but such a course of action imposes an excessive strain upon her, and has a dulling effect. It is also a false view that only those women properly fulfil their duties as wives and mothers who devote their whole time to the upbringing of their children and to the cares of their household.
The influence of the parents upon the child is a very powerful one, because child and parents are, as it were, syntonised through hereditary dispositions and tendencies. Oscillations of character in the parents spontaneously initiate108 oscillations of character in the child, but in this syntonic influence there may subsist8 a very great danger. The healthier the parents, and the better suited they are to one another, the better are the dispositions the children inherit from them, and thereby the children are fitted to receive a better education. Among the lower animals, parents educate their offspring solely in accordance with the dictates109 of instinct. For the upbringing of the human young, the guidance of human instinct is inadequate3; educational aptitudes110 and special educational knowledge are also indispensable. Normal human parents may desire to give their children the best possible education; but in many instances they do not know[36] themselves what the best education is; and even if they do know this, they will be unable to provide such an education by their own unaided efforts, and will be dependent upon others for the upbringing of their own children. It is quite impossible for anyone to follow a trade or profession, to supervise the management of a household, and at the same time to be the instructor of his or her own child. For this, parents lack the requisite111 time and energy. As time goes on, the principle of the division of labour comes more and more into application; it is in accordance with this principle that the education of children should be entrusted113 to professional educationalists.
Education in Different Social Classes.—The education received by an individual is determined114 mainly by the class to which that individual belongs. In every industrial state, the degradation of the working-class families becomes apparent. The wages of the manual workers are very small; and owing to illness, strikes, lock-outs, and commercial crises, even this small income diminishes from time to time, or may entirely cease. Insecurity is the keynote of the working man’s economic existence. The consequences of this insecurity are ill-humour and embitterment115, which find expression for the most part in domestic life. The place of work is often far removed from the dwelling116-place. Husband, wife, and the elder children go to work; they have to get up very early in the morning, when the children are still asleep. Since the spells of rest for meals are very short, they have no time to go home; or if they do hurry home, they have to gulp117 down their food with lightning speed. Not until late in the evening, when the children have gone to sleep again, do the parents return home. Thousands of working men, owing to the distance of their homes from their work-places, remain a whole week away, and return home to their families only on Saturday. Even if the parents get home from work in the evenings before their children are asleep, the former are so worn out by long hours of exhausting toil118 that they can do nothing for their children.
The housing conditions of the working classes are rarely satisfactory. In consequence of this, the children are often driven to live in the streets; and this, in turn, leads to immorality119 and[37] to crime. Often the children of working-class families do not remain at home at all, but find their way to crèches, foundling hospitals, poorhouses, and other institutions. Proletarian parents have less knowledge and less capacity for the education of their children than parents belonging to other classes of the population. These latter, also, can more readily afford to entrust112 the education of their children to other persons.
Nevertheless, the education of the children of the well-to-do cannot be unconditionally120 regarded as better than the education of the children of the poor. The chief defects as regards the children of the well-to-do are, that they are apt to receive too much attention; they are often spoiled, and their initiative is continually suppressed. Rich parents keep servants, and entrust to these in large part the upbringing of their children. In our day it has come to be regarded as necessary and natural that children should be cared for by servants; thus the influence exercised by servants upon the children of the well-to-do is a very extensive and by no means a happy one. For these servants commonly lack refinement121 and intelligence, and the abilities of the trained educationalist are altogether lacking to them. The domestic servant may bring up suitably his or her own children, but not the children of another; and the failure will be especially marked when the child’s social position is much higher than the servant’s.
Parents, School, Environment.—The three primary factors in education are: parents, school, and environment. Strictly122 speaking, indeed, parents and school are only parts of the environment. In a sense, however, the whole of education is nothing more than the influencing of the capacities and dispositions of the child by external factors—that is, by the environment. The influence exercised by the environment is very great. As social life develops in complexity123, the child is exposed ever more and more to the influences of environment, and the educative influence exercised by this latter becomes ever more extensive. But in our time the child is less exposed than the adult to the influences of the environment.
In the first years of life the work of education is in the[38] hands of the parents, and above all in those of the mother. Subsequently the schoolmaster and schoolmistress share with the parents in the work of education, and the part played by the parents becomes ever less important. In addition, however, to the influence exerted at first by the parents, and subsequently by the teachers, the general environment does its work from the very earliest days of life. It is a natural postulate124 of a sound education, that all these three factors, parents, school, and environment, should co-operate, and that each should exercise its appropriate influence. If they counteract49 instead of assisting one another, the general result will be unsatisfactory and inadequate. In vain does the school attempt to exercise a favourable9 influence if the work of the school is undone125 by the influence of the parents. Again, the joint126 influence of parents and of school is fruitless if the child, when away from home and out of school hours, is under the influence of bad associates. Unfortunately, with the development of capitalism127 such cases have become ever more common.
The Tendency of Evolution.—With the passage of the years, the importance of education continually increases. The seductions and the temptations encountered by young people to-day are at once far more frequent and far more subtle than was the case in former times. To enable them to withstand these allurements128, the young require a better and a more careful education. In the early stages of evolution, alike in the struggle for existence between individuals and in the struggle for existence between competing tribes, physical strength was the decisive factor of success; but in the later stages of human evolution it is upon intellectual and moral well-being that victory in the struggle depends. Hence intellectual and moral education become of ever greater importance. To-day, one whose intellectual and moral education has been neglected is far less able to meet with success the demands made by modern life than one living some hundreds of years ago, whose education had been neglected, would have been able to meet the demands made by the life of his own time. In such a case, in our own day, the likelihood that one whose education has been neglected will[39] be useless and even dangerous to society, is far greater than it would have been in former times; and as time goes on the differences between those who have had an appropriate education and those whose education has been neglected will become more and more extensive.
It is well known that the majority of habitual criminals are persons who began to commit punishable offences in the earlier years of their life. It is only in the rarest instances that by legal punitive129 methods we prevent a juvenile130 offender131 from developing into a habitual criminal; the object of the punishment is seldom attained132. The question therefore presses itself upon our attention, whether the prevention of crime cannot best be attained in another way than by the use of penal133 methods, namely, by the proper education of children.
Education has no bearing upon the life of persons living in complete isolation134; it is a postulate of social life alone, and becomes impregnated to a continually greater extent with social elements. The modern tendency of social evolution is to relieve the family of the cares of education, which becomes to an increasing extent a communal135 duty; whilst the share of the parents in the education of their children is limited, social institutions providing more generally and more thoroughly136 for that education. England offers us a typical example of the working of this modern tendency; for England is commonly regarded as pre-eminently individualistic, and yet there is no country in which more limitations have been imposed upon parental authority, or in which compulsory137 and universal education is more thoroughly enforced by the State.
The elements of educational science depend mainly upon the social conditions that obtain in the country with which we have to do; as time passes, the science undergoes a progressive alteration, and leads us from individual education to social education. The elements of the education of the future will depend upon the general configuration138 of social life, upon the characteristics of domestic life, and upon the regulation of parental authority. The individual household of our own time has no regard at all for the special needs of[40] the child, and the various occupations carried on in such a household constitute a hindrance to the proper upbringing of children. The labours of the kitchen expose children to constant accidents—from fire, boiling water, sharp instruments, &c. The parents, and more especially the mother, will in times to come be much less occupied than at present in domestic drudgery139, and will consequently have more time to devote to the upbringing of their children. The parents will also themselves stand at a much higher level of culture, and this cannot fail to lead to an effective demand for the more suitable upbringing of children. The modern dwelling and its furniture take no account at all of the needs of children; at every turn there are sharp corners and hard objects, by contact with which children may be, and often are, seriously injured. In former times various occupations were carried on in the individual household which hardly any one now dreams of doing at home: among these may be mentioned, spinning, weaving, laundry-work, soap-boiling, the slaughtering140 of animals and the preparation of their flesh, the grinding of meal, &c. &c. In the United States of America even to-day many families take all their principal meals at public restaurants; in America also, to an increasing degree, heating, ventilation, and lighting141 of the houses is provided from central establishments. The household of to-day is inconvenient142 and uneconomical. Much work is still done at home which could be done more cheaply, more effectively, and more conveniently elsewhere. As time goes on, one labour after another which is now done at home will be removed altogether from the sphere of the domestic economy, and this will necessarily lead ultimately to the disappearance143 of the individual household. In the future, human beings will occupy separate dwellings144, but not separate households; or, to put the matter more intelligibly145, most of the work now carried on in the individual household will be arranged for from centralised organisations. It is obvious that these changes will lead to extensive modifications146 of our present individual methods of domestic architecture.
The educational developments of the future will depend, not only on the changes that have been foreshadowed in[41] domestic life, but also on the future development of the institution of the family. Naturally, the characteristics of the family and the characteristics of the household are intimately associated. But, whatever changes may ensue in these respects, the fundamental principle that the parents are responsible for the upbringing of their children is not likely to be abandoned, for it is based upon an instinct deeply rooted in the very nature of human beings. But the actual work of education will probably be in the hands of educational specialists almost exclusively, as soon as the days of infancy147 and very early childhood are outgrown148. When physically149 able to do so, mothers will, of course, suckle their own children. The transformation150 of our domestic economy and our domestic architecture will result in giving enormously increased importance to institutions for the upbringing of children; crèches, kindergartens, and elementary schools will play a far greater part than at present in social life; such institutions will probably care for children in every possible way, and will aim at the satisfaction of all their elementary needs.
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elimination
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| n.排除，消除，消灭 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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inadequately
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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superfluous
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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subsist
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| vi.生存，存在，供养 | |
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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necessitate
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hindrance
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| n.妨碍，障碍 | |
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solely
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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well-being
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irrationality
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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incurs
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advantageous
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| adj.有利的；有帮助的 | |
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19
attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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20
pruned
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| v.修剪（树木等）( prune的过去式和过去分词 )；精简某事物，除去某事物多余的部分 | |
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21
coercion
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| n.强制，高压统治 | |
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22
hygiene
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| n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic） | |
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23
diffusion
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| n.流布；普及；散漫 | |
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24
ethical
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| adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的 | |
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25
immoral
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| adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的 | |
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26
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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27
deferred
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| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
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28
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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29
inborn
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| adj.天生的，生来的，先天的 | |
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30
hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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31
civilisation
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| n.文明，文化，开化，教化 | |
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32
attainable
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| a.可达到的，可获得的 | |
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33
personalities
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| n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 ) | |
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34
degenerate
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| v.退步，堕落；adj.退步的，堕落的；n.堕落者 | |
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35
succumb
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| v.屈服，屈从；死 | |
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36
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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37
atrophy
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| n./v.萎缩，虚脱，衰退 | |
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38
cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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39
alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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40
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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41
alterations
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| n.改动( alteration的名词复数 )；更改；变化；改变 | |
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42
vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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43
peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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44
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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45
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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46
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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47
inclinations
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| 倾向( inclination的名词复数 )； 倾斜； 爱好； 斜坡 | |
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48
counteracting
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| 对抗，抵消( counteract的现在分词 ) | |
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49
counteract
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| vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消 | |
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50
virgin
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|
| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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51
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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52
qualitatively
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| 质量上 | |
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53
quantitatively
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| adv.数量上 | |
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54
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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55
embryo
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| n.胚胎，萌芽的事物 | |
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56
appreciable
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|
| adj.明显的，可见的，可估量的，可觉察的 | |
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57
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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58
incompetent
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| adj.无能力的，不能胜任的 | |
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59
corrupted
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| （使）败坏( corrupt的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏 | |
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60
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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61
defective
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| adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的 | |
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62
dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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63
deviations
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| 背离，偏离( deviation的名词复数 )； 离经叛道的行为 | |
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64
deviation
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| n.背离，偏离；偏差，偏向；离题 | |
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65
morbid
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| adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的 | |
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66
psychical
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| adj.有关特异功能现象的；有关特异功能官能的；灵魂的；心灵的 | |
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67
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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68
disorders
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| n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调 | |
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69
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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70
vagrants
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| 流浪者( vagrant的名词复数 )； 无业游民； 乞丐； 无赖 | |
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71
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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72
upwards
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|
| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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73
notably
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| adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地 | |
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74
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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75
judicious
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|
| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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76
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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77
harmoniously
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| 和谐地，调和地 | |
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78
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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79
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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80
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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81
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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82
extraordinarily
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| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
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83
indirectly
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| adv.间接地，不直接了当地 | |
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84
illiterate
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|
| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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85
illiteracy
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| n.文盲 | |
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86
illiterates
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|
| 目不识丁者( illiterate的名词复数 )； 无知 | |
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87
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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88
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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89
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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90
instructor
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| n.指导者，教员，教练 | |
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91
expiated
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| v.为（所犯罪过）接受惩罚，赎（罪）( expiate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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92
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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93
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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94
chastiser
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| n.惩罚者，儆戒者 | |
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95
chastised
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| v.严惩（某人）（尤指责打）( chastise的过去式 ) | |
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96
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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97
disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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98
degradation
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| n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变 | |
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99
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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100
incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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101
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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102
inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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103
immaturity
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| n.不成熟；未充分成长；未成熟；粗糙 | |
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104
maturity
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| n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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105
cleansing
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|
| n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词 | |
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106
parental
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|
| adj.父母的；父的；母的 | |
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107
maternal
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| adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的 | |
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108
initiate
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| vt.开始，创始，发动；启蒙，使入门；引入 | |
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109
dictates
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| n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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110
aptitudes
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| （学习方面的）才能，资质，天资( aptitude的名词复数 ) | |
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111
requisite
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| adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品 | |
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112
entrust
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| v.信赖，信托，交托 | |
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113
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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114
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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115
embitterment
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116
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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117
gulp
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| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 | |
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118
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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119
immorality
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| n. 不道德, 无道义 | |
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120
unconditionally
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| adv.无条件地 | |
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121
refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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122
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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123
complexity
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| n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物 | |
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124
postulate
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| n.假定，基本条件；vt.要求，假定 | |
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125
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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126
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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127
capitalism
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| n.资本主义 | |
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128
allurements
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| n.诱惑( allurement的名词复数 )；吸引；诱惑物；有诱惑力的事物 | |
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129
punitive
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| adj.惩罚的，刑罚的 | |
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130
juvenile
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| n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的 | |
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131
offender
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| n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者 | |
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132
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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133
penal
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| adj.刑罚的；刑法上的 | |
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134
isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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135
communal
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| adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的 | |
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136
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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137
compulsory
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| n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的 | |
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138
configuration
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| n.结构，布局，形态，(计算机)配置 | |
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139
drudgery
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| n.苦工，重活，单调乏味的工作 | |
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140
slaughtering
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的现在分词 ) | |
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141
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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142
inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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143
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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144
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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145
intelligibly
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| adv.可理解地，明了地，清晰地 | |
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146
modifications
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| n.缓和( modification的名词复数 )；限制；更改；改变 | |
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147
infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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148
outgrown
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|
| 长[发展] 得超过（某物）的范围( outgrow的过去分词 )； 长[发展]得不能再要（某物）； 长得比…快； 生长速度超过 | |
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149
physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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