Wichita eagle., 1886-12-09

suit of impulses and mental composition
| transmitted to them by remote or near an
cestors, who at some period in their lives
took an active and earnest if not prominent
part in some worthy and heroic struggle in
| life possibly in the wars Of the Old World in
centuries past or perhaps from hardy and
vigorous father and mother VINO developed
the highest type of courage and herolsm IN
building up and defending their homes IL
the midst of savage beasts and more savage
men.
| 1t might BE- interesting for us had We time
| to pursue this line OF thought further; also,
to attempt to discover why the genius OF the
military chieftain, the statesman or the man
| occupying high positions in life Is not as often
transmitted to his children as the genius OF
the musician or the poet or the man OF one
idea if you please. But that which is OF the
most practical Importance to us Is to find a
way TO prevent if possible the hydro-headed
monster, {ieredity, from blighting il not au-
Initiating our race. While it may Lot be
| practicable in this country at present TO pre-
vent the transmission OF hereditary disease
| by legislation, as in the case OF one OF the
Egyptian nations that made tho
marriage of consumptives illegal and almost
stamped out this fatal disease, during the
time the law was enforced; yet from an eco
nonic standpoint it would seem to be wise
craftsmanship to enact such laws as VIII
make it impossible for the criminal, insane
and pauper classes to have a numerous pro-
geny to contaminate the pure blood OF the
race, and be burdensome expense to the
public of the state. Radical legislation is
! required in this direction. The welfare and
improvement of future generations demand
that the consumptive, sypihtic, idiotlc, Iinbe-
Gle, epileptlc, drunkard and all persons OF
hereditary predispoSition to insanity and
suicide be deprived OF the marriage right by
| legal enactment While but little can be
| i e Ill
may be accomplished toward preventing the
development of the criminal tendency in the
children whose unfortunate heritate in life Is
| a strong predispOsition to crime. 1t Is EN-
couraging and instructive TO read what has
been accomplished in this direction by the
Children's AID society in the city OF New
| York, which was organized thirty -four years
ago. The principle, which govern this socie-
ty are the absolute necessity of teaching each
| youthful criminal or outcast as an indivi,i-
ual. The immense superiority of the home
and family over any Institution IN refOrml-
tory or educational influences; the vital i'm
portance of breaking up inherited pauperisin
by putting almshouse children in separate
houses; most of all abe immense advan-
tage of placing out neglected and
orphan children ia farmers FAM
lies. This society hes recently. organ
lied twenty-one industrial schools in which
are one hundred and ten teachers and ten
thousand children. The annual cost for each
child last year was 81 Il cents Since 1855
the society has placed eighty thousand child
rem in homes and not more than three to five
per cent have turned out badly. The results
of charitable work are seldom SO satisfac-
tory.
It has been the experience of this school
that men and women eeafirmed in wrong
doing were almost hopeless, and that the
true field was among waits, still susceptible
,h<ln ivHp S,,rh
tvs best safeguard against pauperisEa and
lawl5ssness. 1t is important to remember
that as a rule it is only the predisposirion TO
crime and disease that lis hereditary. 1t fol-
lows then that it is the duty of the states
man, philanthropist and -sanltarian to pre-
vent these evil tendencies from developing
into crime and disease. Let all who are
willing to engage in this great reform of
making the race purer, better and WISER and
sdding to their health, happiness and
longevity, strive to cultivate a healthy and
Intelligent public sentiment among the poo
pie. Let the dangers and evils of heredity
be taught in the schools, preached in the
pulpits, written up by the press and looked
aftas sharply by the physician and santa
rian, aantil every young man and woman
in the land of marriagable age
shall know what an extremely hazardous
thing " is to marry into cOnsuup'ive,
scrofuloys, diseased, insane or criminal
family. Teach the mothers of our land the
grave responsibility of their positions in
life, especially instruct them in the impor
ance of prenatal culture, that the uallDeing
of future generatiOns demands of them not !
only a healthy body, but a pure and healthy |
state of mind, With their emotional nature |
in its best possible condition W lille some
thought and attention has been given 10
this subject and 50 ne advances made along
the line of thought, little or no importance
an,, ntf h.1f to hn nfcI |
and moral conditions Of the fathers
Prot. Gea T. Elliott, of the BELOW HOspi-
tai medical college, made the statement in a
ecture more than twenty years ago that the
mother who conceived by drunkerd con-
;eived a drunkard. Is it not as probable
hat If she conceives by an artist she viii ,
an artist If by poet, the child ,
will be poet. Ii this reasoning is correct
$ there not great need of better knowl-
dge Of many things Of vital Importance S
elatlng to married life aud prenatal educa ,
ion.
Do we deserve the credit we receive for I
Intelligence and boosted civilization when /.
We give more attention to the Improvement q
/ the stock OF our horses and cattle than we ,
o to the subject of making each succeeding
eneiatlon better, Purer and greater
M;;h a united effort made along the line
I thought l have suggested to curb and
radlcate the evils of heredity and thereby V
10 TO the health, happiness and longevity s,
the race: :.
With the people thoroughly instructed in u
lie principles or sanitation and hygiene may /
e not hope that iii the future centuries life h
: one hundred years of age will be as vigor- 3
Is and the mental condition as active as 1t
Nv is ~ fifty: and man will deserve the L
nv asste, ing description given of him by S
e of ii gh sutbority IN the past when he o.
.o,.ip,s, "N hat q piece of work is man
- r.ason. How Infinite i'll facul-
~ IL T,' 80, ~ I'd how express and c
uIrable! In action how like an aua--
'prehenslon how like god, -,
When DR.. Johnson had submitted his pa g
Z to the convention, President Humphrey
ated that the subject was open for general !.
He said he wanted TO propose !.
cory for the doctors to discuss. He re
rred to Darwin, stating that author had
irned that sometimes accidental Inutiia- -
ms had been transmitted to poSterIty. tie
ought it admitted by all that physical.
entail and moral traits were transmitted
wished to draw out discussion on the
rst unexplainable phenomena of inheri III
nee. D
DR. Schneck said that disease as ks
seasa was never Transmitted There "a
Is a tendency unier mallgn intia- II
.es to inherit disease To arrest the de- CO
lopment of the tendency he considered one ci
the fields inviting the physician. II
4 number of other physicians expressed te
cir opinion of the subject. So ue thought b,
,esSc inherited while Others accepted Dr.. a,
,henck'S theory.