Eugenics and Other Evils

Mr. Chesterton's long essay on eugenics and other evils was written in 1922, just a few years after the close of the 'Great War.' This war was not yet known as World War I, and it could not then be imagined that a greater calamity could be possible. Chesterton ends with the acidic observation that if his readers don't believe how toxic materialistic philosophies are, "neither would they believe though one rose from the dead." Prophetic; Chesterton would die in 1936, a few short years before the horrors of World War II, carried out once again by the hands of those who rejected Christianity and embraced a secular humanism grounded in atheistic evolutionary theory. This deserves our careful consideration, and no author demands it with such wit, humor, and intellect.

Born and raised in London, Gilbert Keith Chesterton is well known for his satire and dry wit. In addition to his works of fiction, Chesterton wrote on theology, social criticism, and literature. He is widely considered the father of the modern detective story for his Father Brown series. Throughout his life, Chesterton wrote nearly a hundred books as well as hundreds of poems and short stories. He died in 1936 at the age of 62. His writings have served to shape more than one generation and will continue to do so for many years in the future. The Napoleon of Notting Hill is his first novel.