The Blood of the Nation: A Study of the Decay of Races Through the Survival of the Unfit - Paperbackby David Starr Jordan (Author) The fall of Rome and how military selection aided the decline; traces national development as influenced by the pursuits of peace and occupations of war. David Starr Jordan (1851 1931) was a noted educator, scientist and peace activist. Educated at Cornell University, Butler University, and the Indiana University School of Medicine he became the President of Indiana University in 1885, the youngest university president