, 1875-09-07

MARRYING OF COUSINS.
A popular belief hna long prevailed that the
marriage uf tirst cousins ts attended will
lamrntnblo results IN tho insanity Of their iaa,,c
Tllis belief In not warranted by the facts. Tho
last nuulbor Of the Fortni9ht!y Rcvie,o don.alns
M article ly Mr.. ueorgo Darwin on "Afntrages
between First Cousins" giving tho resulta OF
! snn,e researches llo has recently made among
tho irst-couein marriages Of tho upper classos
of England. There Aro incidentally brought
ont statistics worth repeating, such AZ that,
in every ~ marriages ia England ono is a
Smith In 70. n Juncn: In 1l5, Wlliams tn
lis. Taylor; III 1o., a pavia: In ia, Brown;
in 5o9 Grifiiths. III fac:, IL Is npon thesc pro-
pottionn OF fifty OF the tonmonost nnmes ho
baHes all ha succeeding calculations. Having
found 10 rer cent of mnr .iagcs betwecn proplo
OF tho samn usnoH, 10 determines what por
! cent OF these nto marriages. between first
cousins, aril again wha!. proportion thcHo bear
10 those 1cswcon t,rss cousins OF diffcront
names.
Ills Investigations f1o confines to Durke'a
"Icerago aud thc landcd gentry Of England
and Ireland, Md dsnovcrs 81 per cont pt same
ualc tirat.cou1n marriages, which il his first
factor. Ills second ho secures through circulars
mailed to tho samo clasHes provided With banka
| to bo nold taking carp to avoid receiving tho
| Same information through different channels;
aud though tho stststcs ho receives ulanifcstly
u1st haYe 6eon incomplete, ho toels warranted
| eut-na,no ilrst-cousiu marriages, From these
| he detcrmiaon that tho proportion Of first
| cousin marriages 10 all otlser narrtagos Ia ~
l.er cont. q percentage slightly increased amon,
| tic upper cassoB aud lowered amoug tho cpn-
| mon pcople.
11o then proceeds 10 tho hsylunis to discover
! whether such marriages Rrc Injurious. III this
inquiry ho aoesns to have becn very ably eocoad-
| cd by tits physclans, but his tabta of obsurvh-
tons nppentod aro not worry satrfactoTy. Tho
| testimony OF tho physlcianH yhrlos, but prcpou-
doratcs nHaust tho popular belief. Dr. 1iowdcn
COOS so far as to say: tNelthcr In nsanlty nor
| in any abnormal propensity ho two Plus two
| mako four; there in always another factor At
vora noutrallzing intonhtiloation aud bringing
thtnes back to tho normal" On tho other hand
] lr. Crichton Brown says that two plus two muko
! moro &tlan n'four, ami that aron pe1Hona Of em-
liar tonlporamonts should not marry. Tho In.
veatigation, Mr. DRrwin thinks, bhoWoa tllat, In
lunasic and ttliottc aHylnms probably bctweon .
and per cont Of the patients aro tl,s elld.en
thero IL no avi,lence that tho percentage Ia any
creator than that Of tho gencfal population.
Concerning tho deatl,-rato Of tho childron Of
ilrst1coasa naar6'asos At. parm1. .urmea aEa'
Of thtrty-aevcn families. too BmaIf totnl upon
which to base satisfactory 6tashtics, there To.
,naiued but tho shadow OF evidence that tho
| Children OF tiras-consn marriages possoas a
coudit,oua would SHOW no i'll SI1octs. This. ho
| sayA, is in accordance with tiB fathers oxpett-
| nlouta with Inbred pnnta, which suffer no
J deterioration when allowed plenty Of good sol!
| and room, but perish or hecome Httlntod ia
| competition With other p!hnts. Finally, bin
| opinion III that while certain 1nalados do take
hold moro easily Of the offspring OF tirHt.cousn
marriages.. tho evil Las hean vastly oyerHatod.
Whila 3fr. Darwin has wtittoa an article, Mr..
uuth. uutloterred by tho difficulties which hAvo
beset marriage with avou tho docoaaod wite'a sis-
| tar, haa written book. " Marriage pf Near Kin
ConBtdcrou with ltospect to tho LAVE Of Nh.
| tions: tho Roaults OF Experience the Tenchir3e
/ nf Biology" with view dtrcutly tn fegssiatfon.
In this Eantleman's opinion elthting prohibitions
| tho work IL historical. lie quotes Jeromy Tay-
| lor, who sayA the earlier the times tho more lib
| erty there waA of marriage with kin, and passos
| ip review Egypt, whore u man might marry his
Bietcr; Porsis, Where it was honolabo to marry
hiB mother, aud the Isle OF Wight, where
| mau IL permitted to marry bis niece. OF
tho genoral theory that tho marriages Of blood
relatives aro injurious, it IL Lis ortnion that
eyla have bccn l.Astly accounted for IN that way
/ because they could not be satHfactory explained
otherHsAo. lIE. Huth follows a1r. Datwins OK
roliments among planta and the lover snimnls,
but arrives Mt different coAcfual0ue. The benefit
| Of cioHHes he regards rather AB removing in
hcritcd d'seases-it il noghtivo not positive. In
| his Wow thofc are np grounds Tor believing oon-
| sapguineous marriages Injurious. Whllo tho ten
| dency of restriction Oh general grounds is hurt
| tenI tho prohibition agaiMss marriage beyond
tho third collateral sleg1oo, and 70 permit oil
moi rascA uf Aliuity except In tho direct aAcanl-
ing anI descending lines.
READY WIT.
Applptons' Journal bas some curtous iputeucca
OF good things said at tho right time. uora aro