New-York tribune., 1885-03-15
MARRIAGE AND CHOLERA.
A DANGEROUS THEORY.

A DANGEROUS THEORY
RICHARD A. PROCTOR DISCUSSES THE EVILS or
sgLrf,H NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. DISEASES.
Copyfqht, 1855.
In auOnyno which appeared in The London
Daily Ners Ia 1882 aud quoted from after with
approval by Dtrwin IN his Descent OF Man, pointed
tile into which statisticans have fh;n who
death for the lnsrrie Ia
lower than the death rats Of bachelors asd spinsters,
therefore marriage is prophy Sctis DR.. Stark,
Resisrar-Geuerai for Scotland pat It, It Is mare
Wholesome to remain unmarried than 10 live In house
where attempt Is ma le to gooi ventilation ana
drainage" Mr. Herbert spsacer has in.ise seron Siy
on the objections which then urged welt
others which also valid DR.. stark and since Tins
Dr. Dryssle W. Berthoct aud others. have with great
examined the death for the married and tho
unmarried They haze carefully c,nsiderei how tho
statistics vary for df,ropt porio VI life. and for tho
Ani tlsy have proved satisfactorily that tho
dea rate the married Is decdedly than
among the unmarried Drysdsle aul BsrthoIet have
gone further, proving by statistics that consumption,
lunacy. diocy dishonesty. Drunkenness ani other evils,
evil qualities less coDlnjn amoag the married
tlan among the srrei Because they have proved
this. they imagine that they have proved marriages
q preventive II not o cure for many fsl Diseases
we'll tor madness AMI for crims An comes the
latest pIscs Of evieuce favor OF rue hymenexI
for It appears that cholera affects the msrri,d
less than the unmarried between the OF twenty
cholera during the recent epidemic in Frame was is per
100000 while the mortality Of unmarried from the
disease 81 FER 100000 Between the ages Of
thirty and thirty five. the numbers respectively 81
ana 73. The discrepancy found to increase viih
tho age and between the ages Of bfty ami dfy five.
while tho number OF deaths per 10000 only twice
great between twenty-five aud thirty. for the un
married the number for the married than three
great, the actual numbers being respectively
| 81 and l67.
1t many though such facts these OF
themselves demOnstrativc of the preser influence
OF m ,rrago Aud because marriage Is honorable
estate ami desirable In many 1t is supposed by
many that though this influence could nos bs DEM
onstrate harm possibly be done by reasoning ~
though had been. Az matter OF fast the theory which
stark. Drysdalc. Bcrtholo and many Others have-as
they 10 not demonstrated scarcely
even supported by iepse they aiuee. And what
" IN Ire mI Iortant the argument they urge 10 most
dangerous one Consider what they actually aud
nestiy advise. and the danger OF their doctrine will be
manest-evon though the theory which they base 10
be FOR ~ admitted sound. They say To all men
and women in fact: r. you Of delicate constitution.
SO that your hold life Is weak marry, thns your
ot long life may be inore,se 1; yonr svas aud
dau cutters are weakly. let them eary h y0a
onze Ia your evil tendencies. marry; ~ your
children NATURE them TO arry; II there
is strsip Inaness iu your blood, u yonr on
spring manifest mental deects-melAncnoly weakness
OF mind iucipen OF nd mnd-see tc 10 that
they marry early possible. Now grant that tho
end may secured in this way and let Us seq
what come of It The weakly are saved let Us sup
pssa span OF time beyond the age which. IL uninar-
r,ed they 4; toss of weak unsoubd
min. are save from marked manifestations II
1Isye.: % taoss or evil feadesces display teis evil
laes less publicly !lan they soaii nave doe :. nn-
this trib,ng giiu against The e,i probably in
OF we,y. we'ss-ninde aud evii-nalI' 'q sriuss
partially saved. OF sJch beings bgought into
rags suggested uy the selfish theory We are considering
must be inferior even to their p,rrnts. be,ase IN many
types OF wolld Dc mated "a, inferior
| irs s,ark ,mi irysiaIc sysrcmaticsll, iolowed
IT, theu. shan appear that ,ipory wainh this
advice Is based Is altogether unsound, there moro
sSnnd tieory it should he rejected; as a dangerous
doctrine It sI0ud be Jeuonncea Moreover the method
untrue docIrae * which very commonly lead. even
Students ef science astry so that " discuss this ex-
stuent science whose Office nc Is "a ahaIJ u.e
salts OF observation ad eS ersaent Oh sound and logical
Nos what are the observed acisi Among the married
fewer die Young ieger oHend AGAINST the crimna Laws.
fewer becoue Hiotic or intrmperste. fewer
e"nmil suele. lever snccumb 10 consGiptou cholera
can De clearer say STARK Dry stale. Berholel. af their
followers; marriage act. w'ii not asa perfect
but al sist rs partial reney Tor tina special
evil tendencies, and perEaps for otii eva tcnences OF
hun AN nature ,hsy yet 9a.ie ansry at tue osasy ,
done. tat statistics may. or aght they nave
SHOWN. absolutely valuelss and certainty have not
tue value thu Iinagne Yet the 01icctIons se bavo
| Indicated are not only sonBd hut uuanswerabe
opxt1s 20 tue vale OF tw usthos planting
POTATOES, ey testing re-s should take ler sne method
all tins potatoes stored III protected cellar wuere
they we're exposes, many OF being ruined. and
for the other ouly p1atoes kept carefully aeeops to
would probably n tue Latter method giving much bet
wiser for The su erority Of the results might b. wholly
due aud won ertaniy be partially DUE 10 Ia, selection
:" .o raos for Nh. older He Soad not IN TACT
have applied real test " determine the c0iupsravo
yaine 0f he methods.
Nov TO any one VITO considers specifically the mar
rases taking place all the time u may seem ~ though
wiser minds, the better morals. We weakly fos nnd
mates male and female s,anks %s,y Ina folk.
the wUied. But ia reality snch persvus may oe ssid 70
msnt, and iion nse numbers OF thoss bY such
defects fortunately fA o marry, or wisely asod mar
rnews that ne should not marry. because ia the first
lace be III lifted for the moro earnest str',gsle snich
ION the ayerago) tho married have To make t maintain
their position and second place his children would
probably inherit his defects naa who in.srits or
necessarily he wanting Ia moral sense Is To Or willing
70 risk entans ke defects % on ns enser @ NM 81 syiI
may not, PERHAPS, be deferred from, marriage Iy
rhysca nstur aud those Of ,iscctiye menal powers.
are a-fOrtunately for themselves and for ina vsrid
Rrsy aSay sIsc s ssms ~ !. rs Women on.
.sGs the s n Sss an ars the aud
o1s Unsoundness mnd even though latent. ia always
which are emphasizing when displayed and are not very
essIly concealed And those OF evil nature, uiaray arc
usuaiIy-though always-of iess esh aspect
In certain nilnber OF cases which must appreciably
sect the parents Interfere whsro tao Young
folks uu wisely overlook defects which caaot s impair
the happusss OF the welded state. aud uis Inevitably
lead TO much inheritcd MISERY Then again very poor
nerrous drIpkaris, nsi the meni5ers OF unhealthy
trnes are n, deytee kept out OF tbs lists of
ma ed folk these sud niany other reasons " 1
mi rht he cited 10 uarragc may be regarded se.scle
mr. Scea, by which the wholel the weaker and worse
In body. NINA aud naors resnsin In oie elass-:ha OF
tIy the and better enter tue
ranks married So tnat to attempt % compare the
relative quantities Of married single life. IN the way
tried by Stark Drysal. and Bertholet is 10 fs into
bunier OF the foolish sort that inaginr m tae