Arkansas true Democrat., 1859-06-22
VIGILANT.
For the True Democrat. Hereditary Transmission of Qualities

tent mere pecuniary interests excite men to investigate and observe the natural laws, while moral and rational considerations ap- pear to exert so small an influence in lead- ing them to do so. A man and woman about to marry, have, in the generality of cases, the health and happiness of five or more human beings depending on their at tention to considerations essentially the same as the foregoing, and yet how much less scrupulous are they than the mere spe- cllators in money.
 Before the parties, ; says Dr. Caldwell, " form compact fraught with consequences so infinitely weighty, let the constitution and education of both be matured. They will then not only transmit to their offspring better organization. but be themselves, from the knowledge and experience they have attained better prepared to improve it by cultivation For I shall endeavor to make it appear that cultivation can i'm prove it. When a skillful agriculturist wishes to mend his breed of catte he does not employ, for that purpose, immature animals. On the contrary, he carefully prevents their intercourse. Experience moreover teaches him not to expect fruit of the best quality from immature fruit trees or vines. The product of such crude ness is always defective. In like manner, marriages between boarding school girls and stliplings in or just out of college, ought to be prohibited. In such cases pro- hibition Is a duty. no less to the parties themselves, than to their offspring and so ciety. Marriages of the kind are rarely productive of any thing desirable; mischief and unhappiness of some sort are their la- tural fruit. Patriotism, therefore, philan- throphy, and every feeling of kindness to human nature, call for their prevention Objections resting on ground mt altoge- ther dissimilar may be justly urged against young women marrying men far advanced in years. Old men should in no case con tract marriages likely to prove fruitful Age has impaired their constitutional qua lities, which descending to their offspring, the practice tends to deteriorate our race. It is rare for the descendants of men far advanced in years to be distinguished for high qualities of either body or mind.- As respects persons seriously deformed, or in any way constitutionally enfeebled- the rickety and club-footed, for instance, and those with distorted spines, or who are predisposed to insanity, scrofula, pulmo- nary consumption, gout or epilepsy-all persons of this description should consci- entiously abstain from matrimony. In special manner, where both the male and female labor under a hereditary taint, they should make it part of their duty to God and their posterity never thus to be united. Marriage in such individuals cannot be de- fended on moral ground, much less on that of public usefulness. It is selfish to an extent, but little short of crime. Its absn- donment or prevention would tend, i, a | high degree to the improvement of man. kind" See thoughts on the true mode of m proving the condition of man, by Charles Caldwell, M. D., Lexington, Kentudxy, 1883, p. 20.
 l am indebted for the following partcu- 
 lars to the medical gentleman already re- peatedly quoted, who was induced to om- municate them by perusal of the se,ond edition of the present treatise:
 If your work has no other effect han that of turning attention to the laws witch regulate marriage and propagation, it will nave done vast service, for on no mint are such grievious errors committed T often see in my own practice the most la- mentable consequences resulting from ne- glect of these laws. There are cer,o;n families which l attend, where the corsti- tutions of both parents are bad. and wb.re
 when any thing happens to the childrer if is almost impossible to cure them. Ap;n- famed gland, a common cold, hangs about them for months, and almost defies reno val. In other families, where the par,nts are strong and healthy the children are easily cured of almost any complaint. I know a gentleman aged about fifty, the only survivor of family of six sons and