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The Eugenic College of Kantsaywhere[edit]

The Eugenic College of Kantsaywhere is a 1910 unpublished Utopian science fiction novel written by British eugenicist Sir Francis Galton. The novel is presented as the journal of its protagonist, Professor I. Donoghue, documenting his arrival to the highly-eugenical society of Kantsaywhere and his journey to prove his eugenic worthiness to be eligible marry his love, Miss Allfancy.[1] The incomplete manuscript of the novel was published posthumously in his biography by Karl Pearson in 1930.[2]

Historical Context[edit]

Picture of Francis Galton and Karl Pearson, the author of the novel and his biographer.

Main article: History of eugenics
The novel was written in a period of intense imperialism, class divides, and immigration in the Western world. Concerns over undesirable elements of society threatening the established order prompted interest in eugenics, which justifies and aid the maintenance of the ruling class, and promise to build stronger and better societies.[3] Galton is the pioneer of the field of eugenics and wrote the novel as a demonstration of his theory of eugenics and its promises.[2]

In Galton's native United Kingdom, eugenics did not receive significant state funding, though it did receive support from many prominent figures, such as Liberal economists William Beveridge and John Maynard Keynes; Fabian socialists such as Irish author George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells and Sidney Webb; and Conservatives such as the future Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Arthur Balfour.[4] The influential economist John Maynard Keynes was a prominent supporter of eugenics, serving as Director of the British Eugenics Society, and writing that eugenics is "the most important, significant and, I would add, genuine branch of sociology which exists".[5] However, the support for eugenics was not universal. Notably, it was openly opposed by the Catholic church, as illustrated in the writings of Father Thomas John Gerrard.[6]

Synopsis[edit]

The surviving manuscript begins with the death of Mr. Cory, a man who leaves all of his property to the Council of Kantsaywhere to improve “the stock of the place, especially of its human breed."[7] Kantsaywhere is briefly described as a little community or town containing 10,000 people, populated by the naturally strong who are connected through inter-marriages and common interests.[8]

The protagonist, Professor I Donoghue arrives at Kantsaywhere and must take an exam before being accepted into the community and allowed to marry his love, Miss Allfancy. Before he takes his first exam, the he talks about examinations in the College and how they determine one's life when it comes to profession, relationships, and rights. The examinations are based off of eugenics, meaning results are determined by one's genetics and consists of four divisions of testing: anthropometric, aesthetic (& literary), medical, and ancestral. People who fail the examination can either leave the community or remain under surveillance as they are viewed as a threat.

After his exams, Donoghue returns home to “make a careful study of the Calendar of Kantsaywhere College” as he awaits to be invited by his friends to attend a party at their friend’s houses.[9] The Calendar contains information ranging from the College’s possessions to the students who score highly on the exams. While examining the Calendar, the Narrator highlights the paragraph called “Measures and Marks,” with its objective being to “measure bigness and smallness of all kinds in any specified race or animal.”[10]

After the results came back, with Donoghue earning a respectable Marks of 77, he attends many social gatherings where he observes the physique of the boys and girls as well as the conversations they are having amongst themselves, revolving mostly around their respective family’s past and future.[11] Donoghue, being a photographer, goes on to talk about photographic workshops and the high demand for them in Kantsaywhere.[12] He proceeds to talk about the nature of knowledge and consciousness in living beings, exploring ideas about the afterlife, spirits, and funerals. The incomplete manuscript ends with Donoghue describing the people who chose to live in villas out of town and work as farmers.[13]

Themes[edit]

Eugenics[edit]

The surviving part of the manuscript reads more like a report on a futuristic eugenical utopia than a traditional narrative. Galton, being the man that coined the phrase eugenics, filled the book with eugenical ideals through world-building. Kantsaywhere is founded with an endowment to improve “the stock of the place, especially of its human breed," an explicitly eugenic goal.[7] To support eugenics, the story present the people of Kantsaywhere to be overwhelmingly strong, healthy, and intelligent due to the full realisation of eugenics.

Measurement and Gaussian Distribution[edit]

Eugenical ideas are exercised through measurement in the story. Physical and mental attributes of people are measured through examinations to determine their place on the normal distribution curve, coined as Q-Vars.[10] The aggregate Q-Vars of all attributes converts into Marks, which determines the worth of a person. This serves as the basis of governance in Kantsaywhere. In a perverted sense of meritocracy, occupation, marriage, procreation, and many other aspect of life of individuals are regulated upon their Marks.

Publication History[edit]

The novel was rejected for publication shortly before Galton’s death in 1911.[2] The only surviving copy of the manuscript was passed to Galton’s biographer, Professor Karl Pearson, after many parts of the novel were destroyed by Galton’s niece due to fears about public reaction to the novels content; including reactions to love scenes, ideas surrounding eugenic marriage, and eugenic issues all together.[1] Pearson partially published the manuscript in his biography of Galton, The Life, Letters and Labours of Francis Galton in 1930.[14]

Modern Reception[edit]

In 2011, the University College London decided to make the novel manuscript publicly available in commemoration of the centenary of Galton's death.[1] The release of the novel came with a new introduction by Dr Matthew Sweet, English writer, journalist, and broadcaster.[1] In his introduction to the novel, Sweet states that The Eugenic College of Kantsaywhere shared much “common ground with the intellectual, political, and media culture of the time”.[1] Within the book, commentaries of eugenic legislation, sterilization, and broader issues of immigration run rampant. Sweet also shares that “whether we welcome such ideas as forms of good works or reject them as a form of soft authoritarianism, their instances in the past may help us decide their fate in the future.”[1]

Legacy[edit]

The surviving original manuscript is currently held in the Galton Archive of the University College London's Special Collections. The library digitised and uploaded it online in 2011, the centenary of Galton's death.[1]

External Links[edit]

Digitised manuscript of The Eugenic College of Kantsaywhere (UCL Library Services)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g UCL (2018-08-23). "Francis Galton's Kantsaywhere". Library Services. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  2. ^ a b c Gillham, Nicholas W. (2009-09-01). "Cousins: Charles Darwin, Sir Francis Galton and the birth of eugenics". Significance. 6 (3): 132. doi:10.1111/j.1740-9713.2009.00379.x. ISSN 1740-9713.
  3. ^ Micklos, David; Carlson, Elof (2000). "Engineering American society: the lesson of eugenics". Nature Reviews Genetics. 1 (2): 153–158. doi:10.1038/35038589. ISSN 1471-0056.
  4. ^ Okuefuna, David. "Racism: a history". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
  5. ^ Keynes, John Maynard (1946). "Opening remarks: The Galton Lecture". Eugenics Review. 38 (1): 39–40.
  6. ^ Paschal Scotti (February 2006). Out of Due Time: Wilfrid Ward and the Dublin Review. CUA Press. pp. 159–. ISBN 978-0-8132-1427-6.
  7. ^ a b Galton, Francis; Sargent, Lyman Tower (2001). "The Eugenic College of Kantsaywhere". Utopian Studies. 12 (2): 192. ISSN 1045-991X – via JSTOR.
  8. ^ Galton, Francis; Sargent, Lyman Tower (2001). "The Eugenic College of Kantsaywhere". Utopian Studies. 12 (2): 193. ISSN 1045-991X – via JSTOR.
  9. ^ Galton, Francis; Sargent, Lyman Tower (2001). "The Eugenic College of Kantsaywhere". Utopian Studies. 12 (2): 199. ISSN 1045-991X – via JSTOR.
  10. ^ a b Galton, Francis; Sargent, Lyman Tower (2001). "The Eugenic College of Kantsaywhere". Utopian Studies. 12 (2): 204. ISSN 1045-991X – via JSTOR.
  11. ^ Galton, Francis; Sargent, Lyman Tower (2001). "The Eugenic College of Kantsaywhere". Utopian Studies. 12 (2): 206–7. ISSN 1045-991X – via JSTOR.
  12. ^ Galton, Francis; Sargent, Lyman Tower (2001). "The Eugenic College of Kantsaywhere". Utopian Studies. 12 (2): 207–8. ISSN 1045-991X – via JSTOR.
  13. ^ Galton, Francis; Sargent, Lyman Tower (2001). "The Eugenic College of Kantsaywhere". Utopian Studies. 12 (2): 209. ISSN 1045-991X – via JSTOR.
  14. ^ Pearson, Karl (2011). The Life, Letters and Labours of Francis Galton. Volume 3 Part A. Correlation, Personal Identification and Eugenics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 411–425. ISBN 9780511973185. OCLC 889962720.
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