ove, the strongest are those produced by
physical attractions; the next in order of strength are those produced
by moral attractions; the weakest are those produced by intellectual
attractions; and even these are dependent less on acquired knowledge
than on natural faculty--quickness, wit, insight." It will probably be
agreed that, on the whole, this analysis, which is certainly true in the
direction it refers to, is also true in the converse direction. The girl
admires a man for physical qualities, including what may be called the
physical virtues, like energy and courage. She rates highly certain
moral attractions, such as unselfishness and chivalry, but perhaps she
attaches far more value to intellectual attractions than the man does in
her case, doubtless because they are more distinctively masculine.

No doubt, in this order of importance both sexes are consulting the
eugenic end if they knew it, as Spencer, indeed, pointed out nearly half
a century ago. The passage from which we have quoted he thus
continues:--

"If any think the assertion a derogatory one, and inveigh against
the masculine character for being thus swayed, we reply that they
little know what they say when they thus call in question the
Divine ordinations. Even were there no obvious meaning in the
arrangement, we may be sure that some important end was subserved.
But the meaning is quite obvious to those who examine. When we
remember that one of Nature's ends, or rather her supreme end, is
the welfare of posterity; further that, in so far as posterity are
concerned, a cultivated intelligence based on a bad physique is of
little worth, since its descendants will die out in a generation or
two: and conversely that a good _physique_, however poor the
accompanying mental endowments, is worth preserving, because,
throughout future generations, the mental endowments may be
indefinitely developed; we perceive how important is the balance of
instincts above described."

But here it will be well to consider and meet a possible criticism. This
is none the less necessary because there is a very common type of mind
which listens to the enunciation of principles not in order to grasp
them, but in order to point out exceptions. Such people forget that
before one can profitably observe exceptions to a principle or a natural
law it is necessary first of all to know rightly and wholly what