The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1867-04-11
Marriage Of Relations.

nv NVAAASuAoOAOUCAO VI Wiz ACASuCny
Institutions for Feeble Minded Children,
1t Frankfort, have just made very i'm
portant report to the State Legislature.
They show that the marriage Of blood
relations IL the main cause Of the insan-
ity and other mental aud physical defor-
mites Of the children found In the in
sdtutions under their charge. The
Commissioner 90 on to ossy:-"We deem
1t our duty to the interest of humanity,
- well - to the pecuniary interest of the
State, to bear our testimony, in addition
10 the abundant statistics heretofore coll
iected and published by physicians and
philanthropists, and to the observation
Of every close observer, A. well a. to
general considerations Of property, that
= large per centage of deaf mutes aud Of
the blind, limited per centage Of luna
ties, and, no doubt, much larger one
than either Of feeble.minded or idiotic
children, are the offSpring of the marri-
age Of drst cousins. Our charitable in-
stitutions are filled with children all the
time whose parents are 90 related-sonle-
times 40 many a. four from one family;
and we have known in the case Of idiots,
Of still larger number in family. 1t
10 fearful psnalty to which persons So
related render themselves liable by form
ing the matrimonial relations, and which
they In nearly every instance, incur,
not indeed In all, but in one or more of
their ofbprings. Instances, we do not
deny, may b shown where portion OF
the ohildrsn-one or mors-may inheri.
from both parents, whore possessed Of
high mental aud bodily endowments OF
4 common origin, enhanced and rem. ri-
able qualities of body and mind; but it
10 generally at the expense Of unfortu-
nate and deeply afflicted brothers and
sisters. We believe few instances can
be given where such enhanced endow-
msnts are common to all the offspring;
while instances are not unfrequent
where nearly all, and, In few, perhaps,
every child, 10 afflicted either in body or
mind, and sometimes In both.
The State has, in 4 large majority Of
cases, to educate and often support for
life, these afflicted children. Has she
not then . clear and indisputable right
to interposs her authority to preven,
matrimonial alliances, % productive OF
private calamity and public injury
The State il thereby not only defrauded
Of the labor, usefulness, energy, and i'll
telligence Of a considerable portion o'
her citizens, but she has, in addition, the
burden Of their education and support
and, In the case Of uncducated idiots
their support for life, thus unreasonably
superinduced upon her. The unfortun
ate, by unavoidable casualty, she mus
and ought cheerfully to provide for; bu
surely she 10 not bound, in reason ane
good policy, to legalize marriages so pro
ductive Of private and public damage
Indeed it Is preposterous, not to sa,
wrong, that she should do it.
/ Alaw ofa few lines would cut of, hence
forward, the expenditure of thousands 0
dollars for the support of the ofsprings 0
marriages Of first cousins, as well as pre-
vent the burden Of lifetime Of sorrow
and regret in many cstimable families
We desire to say, emphatically, that thi.
opinion Is not theory, but is based up
on well-ascertained aud indubitabl,
facts.