Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-03-11
The Marriage OF Blood Relations
An lEmpOrtanG Report. -i-.-.-.

The Maria ge OF Blood Relations
IAN Important RePOrt. -i..s .
The commissioners of the Kentucky In
etitution for the education and training of
feeble minded children, at Frankfort, have
just made their annual report to the Legis-
lature. These commissioners are persons
thoroughly competent to judge of the mat
ter which they consider, being the Princi-
pals of the asy lums for Deaf MuteS and the
Blind and the superintendent OF the East
ern hOspitapfor the Insane, at Lexington.
Against the marriage of blood relations,
which is much more frequent in Kentucky
than north or the Ohio river, they protest
in the following emphatic terms:
A subject of very great social import
ance is brought incidentally to notice in
the report; the interlnarriage of persons
nearly related. sWe deem it,'' says the
report, "our duty to the interest of human
ity, as well as to the pecuniary interest of
the State, to bear our testimony, in addition
to the abundant statistics heretofore col
lected and published by physicians and phi
lanthropists, and to the observation OfeVery
close observer. as well as to general consid-
eratiOns of prOpriety, that large per cent
age of deaf mutes aud of the blind, a limited
per centage of lunatics, and no doubt,
much larger one than either of feeble mind
ed or idiOtic children, are the offspring of
the marriage of first cousins. Our charita-
BILE institutions are filled with children all
the time whose parents are so related
sometimes as many as four from one
family; and we have known in the
case of idiots, of a still larger num-
Der in a family. 1t is a fearful
penalty to which persons so related render
themselves liable by forming the matrimo-
nial relation, and which they in nearly ev-
cry instance incur, not indeed in all, but in
one or more OF their offspring. Instances,
we do not deny, may be shown where
OhIl6rpn-0nns n r "
inherit from both parents, where possessed
of high mental and bodily endowmentS of
a common origin, enhanced and remarka-
bic qualities of body and mind; but it is
generally at the expense of unfortunate
and deeply afflicted brothers and sisters
We believe few instances can be given
where such enhanced endowments are
common to all the offspring; while in
stances are not unfrequent where nearly
all. and, in few, perhaps, every child, is
afflicted either in body or mind, and some-f
times in both. 30 y -s-+ -...... E.s
The State has, in large majority of cases,
to educate, and support for life, these af-'
flicted children. Has she not then clear
and indisputable right to interpose her au--
thority to prevent matrimonial alliances so
productive of private calamity and public
injury. The State is thereby not only de-
frauded of the labor, usefulness, energy,
and intelligence of a considerable portion
of her citizens, but she has, in addition, the
burden of their education and support, and,
in the case of uneducated idiots, their sup
port for life, thus unreasonably superin-
duced, upon her. The unfortunate. by un-
aYoidahle casualty, she must and ought
cheerfully to provide for; but surely she is
not bound, in reason and good policy, to
legalize marriages so productive of private
and public damage. Indeed, it is prepos-
ferrous, not to say wrong, that she should
do it. Es
A,law of few lines would cut off hence
forward the expenditure of thousands of
dollars for the support of the offspring of
marriages of first cousins, as we'll as pre-
vent the burden of a lifetime of sorrow and
regret in many estimable families. We de-
sire to say, emphatically, that this opinion
is not theory, but is based upon well as,
certained and indubitable facts. T..