Anybody else read out-of-copyright science fiction and fantasy? I found a little gem from 1912 a while ago called The Second Deluge which is about this scientist dude named Cosmo Versal who predicts that the Earth will pass through a "watery nebula", drowning everyone on the planet, and sets out to build an ark in order to save a chosen remnant of mankind with which to repopulate the human race. The scenes set aboard the ark while the downpour rages outside are oddly comfy, and hearing the hero talk completely unironically about the importance of eugenics to regenerating the human race is a delight.
>"I can take exactly one thousand individuals, exclusive of the crew," continued Versal, paying no attention to his confidant's repeated shaking of his head. "Good Heavens, think of that! One thousand out of two thousand millions! But so be it. Nobody would listen to me, and now it is too late. I must fix the number for each class."
>"There is one thing--one curious question--that occurs to me," put in Smith hesitatingly. "What about families?"
>"There you've hit it," cried Cosmo. "That's exactly what bothers me. There must be as many women as men--that goes without saying. Then, too, the strongest moral element is in the women, although they don't weigh heavily for science. But the aged people and the children--there's the difficulty. If I invite a man who possesses unquestionable qualifications, but has a large family, what am I to do? I can't crowd out others as desirable as he for the sake of carrying all of his stirpes. The principles of eugenics demand a wide field of selection."
>Cosmo Versal covered his eyes, rested his big head on his hands, and his elbows on the table. Presently he looked up with an air of decision.
>"I see what I must do," he said. "I can take only four persons belonging to any one family. Two of them may be children--a man, his wife, and two children--no more."
>"But that will be very hard lines for them--" began Joseph Smith.
>"Hard lines!" Cosmo broke in. "Do you think it is easy lines for me? Good Heavens, man! I am forced to this decision. It rends my heart to think of it, but I can't avoid the responsibility."
>Smith dropped his eyes, and Cosmo resumed his reflections. In a little while he spoke again:
>"Another thing that I must fix is an age limit. But that will have to be subject to certain exceptions. Very aged persons in general will not do--they could not survive the long voyage, and only in the rare instances where their experience of life might be valuable would they serve any good purpose in reestablishing the race. Children are indispensable--but they must not be too young--infants in arms would not do at all. Oh, this is sorry work! But I must harden my heart."
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9194
https://archive.org/details/seconddeluge00serviala