Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-12-10

nd symmetry Of form, made ne home OF naduen
nd monsters? Why was county IN chIDe CON
ecratef by Deity. to the production OF tne most
minent Of created intelligences, prost!tuted
o the production of idiots and hen1s
Let your history answer. Let the Nalr-
ngs of nature speak out. Let the shades Of depart
d greatness tell YOU It the fruit OF eonsan-
ruineous marriages. For many generations poiyg,
any and incestuous marriages. such brothers anu
sisters neces and uncles &c. disgraced and degra-
led the Selueidae, engendering among each other {
mutual hatred malignant antipathies. 1niidehty,
treachery treason and often the most fendish as
sassinatioas.
Ave sir. in two centuries the Seleucidae EXTERN
mated themselves by consanguinuous marriages,
which brought forth set of rulers who gloated
with Indifference or crime, civil feUds, and
uerfact chaos of niquities. And thus passed away
the glory and grandeur of Syria from the efeminate
control of that dehased Ene OF monarehs Trace
out the succession OF Kings in that far-famed coun
try spread along the fertile deltas of the Nile.
country inhabited by race Of people, who, from
a1mixture with that nation took on the beautiful |
mould of the GPecian. They were endowed with
great yigor both OF body and mind, and devoted to
all the Industrial pursuits OF life, with an ndetatl-
gable. zeal for commercial enterprises and were
characterized by iaudable PATRIOTISM and a gen
erous love of country The arts ana sciences were
most assiduously cultivated, and all the improve
nents that most exalt eHnOble, and adorn the men
tai and physical constitution OF man were held IN /
idolatlolls estimation. The learning of that people
was made proyerbial by sacred history, and their
country as being far III advance OF their national
contemporaries.
Bur in an evil hour that empire of wealth AMI
WI dom fell into She possession OF Ft0lemy Softer,
another Of AlexsnIer.s Marshais
Then began that reign OF pOlygamy aad incest |
which disgraced tue ess licheon OF that wonderful
nation Egypt and Syria were at this time eotempo-
PArIes in power and d0minions and also they were
/ the very synonym OF each other IN degradation
! and crime in habitudes and in infamous depraVity.
The Monarcirs and Princesses of each Court not on
~ married aud intermarrled with each other at
hcme, but the Courts cOurteously exchanged the
royal crmnalty OF the same incest with each other,
blending degenerate race with kindred degener-
acY and by constant repetitOns of the same crmi-
naiy. followed further decline IN all the elements
OF energy in their pusilanlmous progeny. WHICH
being continued still further, intensified by incestn-
Gus blending OF aiaities, plunged this country in
the same vortex of ruin as that which OYerwhelm-
ed Syria and the retributon for the offended
laws of nature which desolated SYRIA also crnm-
bled this mighty fabric of power and opulence INTO
ruins The country OF Egypt which had reared its
monumental pyramids 10 the skies, around which
even yet fingers the glorious hat0 OF Ses0strls ana
Pharaoh, is known rs monument or that lnces-
tuous era which poisoned tie very FOUNTAINS of
natural instinct dethroned every honorable Impulse,
supped the stamina of the people, and passed the
sceptre to other powers more worthy and able to
maintain it.
But you need not travel into those far off scenes
of history to find evidences 10 support the assump-
ton that violation of the laws against incest Is
followed by the most grieEOgs Affections The blend
ing together consanguineOu5 royalty IN the mlddle
ages Of Europe seems to have been as fruitful OF
disastrous consequences as the sans llabIt was IN
? former times. For wise and nscTutabie purpose,
Incest was permitted in the first history OF man
existence, when slliauces Ot near blood aitnltes
seemed to have divine sanction, and heaven ben
edctiOn rested them bus at that time populaIon
was sparse the pabulum OF life abundant, and
great longevity attained but before the pernlcous
influences of incest could be established in the toun
tains of existence and infused through all the ele-
ments of stamina the multiplicity of the race offer
| ed an opportunity for diffusion of the sexual at
taehments and thereby averted the otherwise lneV-
liable penalties of degeneracy In the repetition oil
the error of consanguincous marriages among the
regning families of the miGdle ages To that host OF
evils already detailed we have added that OF the
! most loatIsOmG of maladlcs.
In this later mingling of affiliated blood together,
we have engendered, in addition to the former annie
tons diseases of various kinds among which IS that
of sepofula-a disease so VIGOROUSLY the result Of
consanguined marriages among the royalty OF that
period that it acquired the wellmerlted title OF the
Kings Evil" What IS seroIula nut ahotleF hduie
, for consumption? Owing to depravity OF the d.
FESTIVE apparatus in some constitutions, too much al
. bumcu is generated and thrown into the current OF
i blood which, on account OF some eXcltng cause Is
deposited in the meshes OF tue Iunsi producing CON
sumption, in the gl2udular structure, producing
4 srrOfula II would be an interesting and curious
investigation to determine whether this original de-
: pravity of the great digestive system was or was
+ not brought about by tlat utSehef&cy gIoWIhS lnT
marriages of first cousins, whose offspring, sun
+ nlIrsulnp the WAYS of their parents, IN part,
y and others forming other alliances beyond the
/ range of family kindred, have contributed To
continue and extend these maladles through sue
f cesson of ages and generations until nearly the
5 whole human family have become SUBJECT 10 these
reproaches of medical science There may and does
occasionally appear exception to me general Jaw
of physical degeneracy IN some 1anes' put even IL
these there turks some hidden proclvity to disease
2 in obscurtv owing to which the vital forces seem
! incapable of resisting ordinary attacks OF disease
l. Also there are instances where the mental
eneryv Is not impaired bnt in such cases most gen
It orally we find dwdrfed person, or proneness to
l. disease which ioreshadOws early death, long be-
fore the attainment Of the zenith OF man allotted
s existence: but in those very families who present
II these apparent exceptions, and where the anxious
solicituda of parents is for season quoted, .he
very next offspring may be smittcn with All the har
L rowing nirnites which follow in the train OF these
unholy marriages They do not, therefore, amount
exceptions the general rule laid down, as the
t dminutiOn of force will surely manifest itself III
some portion of their offspring and those who have
escaped the blight of de4s9sTacy, will certainly fall
n By the sword Gf innate disease
Il In conclusiOn-you are here gentlemen, &c legis-
late for the wants and requirements of the people
;, Ask of every and woman their honest cOnyic-
tons on this subject and you VIII not find advO
cate for these marriages OF double and first cousins
while Won will meet with one general outburst in
/ denunciation Of them. Not among the suicidal
perpetrators of this custom can you fad a defender
of It's prOpriety while the evils growing out from
- them are so Dalpably inevitable, that the general
: voice of the nation mplores you TO devise some
measure to eounteract this infatuated feeling among
y cousins of these degrees.
J. In a report made to the American Medical Asso-
| ciation in vol XII DR.. Bemss, of Louisville, after
t collecting the facts of of observation during
an elaborate investigation that twelve per
cent of all the deaf and dumb in the United States
eight per cent of the cOngenital blind. twelve per
cent of the idiots and ten per cent of the insane are
ohidpaD n pOuGiDS and concludes that the
crease and decrease of calamities correspond with
the increase and decrease Of relationship-de
o of offspring multiplying precisely as we multiply
the SEINE blood and that nand in marrying does in
contestably lead in the aggregate, to their physical
+ and mental depreciation
Now Senator's, ask you to interpOse your edict of
+ condemnation of such marriages Forbid them by
your legislative authority and invest public opinion
/ already arrayed against them, with potency that
can efectualiv and forever restrain cOnsanguineous
= marriages. This law will have no retrospective ac-
ton nor involve in disgrace the fruit Of former err
=, rOrS by interfering in any manner whatever with
those unfortunate connections already cOnsummated.
Ii leaves their offspring to their melancholy fate
and resigns them to the inevitable Affections which
# bestrew their pathway. It's action is altogether
: prospective, looking to a more elevated sense OF
propriety and more exalted conception of the laws
: of nature
: SLend your influence and aid in establishing law
C to arrest this grievance For humanitys sake de,
bar these relationships from marrying, by legal
/ enactment and your legislative fiat will act as a
: barrier and lessen nuisance (which is offensive
both TO the flaws of nature and 10 the laws OF man.
t The human mind naturally aspres only to such OBJ
ccts as are within the range Of possible attainment,
and not after that which is forbidden and beyond
/ its legitimate reach And thus it il; without legal
restraint many persons will entertain the design of
efFecting consanguineous alliances either from mo-
tives of policy or the impulse of generous emotions
But pace your legal Introduction before the com
munity as protecting @gs; say these things shall
not be- aad in many, nay in most instances other
wise favorable to such connections the idea will be
b discarded. .
= With such seal of disapprobation as you could
: throw around such marriages, Oihclols parents
and sordid relatives would be silenced. Mercensry
t cousins will not contemplate with any degree of
: composure a connection forbidden by the laws of
n the land and very public opinion, the great
n REGULATOR will frown down the practice OF such
marriages Incest will be arrested and the anathc-
: mas of disguised and more enlightened age will
e be hushed. -,
? Mr. BITMPASS offered an amendment to the bill,
{ which was read as fellows:
BE Il further enacted. That whOsOever shall viO-
late the first section of this act shall be incompetent
TO hold any office of honor profit in this State"
5 The amendment adopted
= Mr. STOVALL moved to strike out 'the first day
of March 1862 in the first section Of the bill and
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