Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-10-05
THE SANITARY MARRIAGE.

RULES OF CONDITION WHICH
SHOULD BE COMPULSORY IN
NUPTIAL UNION.
The day when true sanitary mar
riage will become the rule is a long
way of, says the Boston HerGld.
The need must be made more
plainly evident. In this country
we are developing, from the anal
gamation of many strains, a race
wholly new to the world. Our i'm
migrants, as they intermarry with
those who have preceded them,
produce descendants of quicker
and more aggressive mental type
than their own, and 1t is noted by
Darwin that the bodies and limbs
of these descendants are very no.
ticably longer than those OF their
ancestors. During our civil war
the uniforms manufactured to fit
the average American soldier
in GLIDING those of foreign descent,
though born here-were found, as
rule, to be much too long for for
eigners just arrived.
When We shall have learned,
and learned to apply, the laws of
proper selection in marriage, our
race ought to Je second to none in
health and physical development,
and that means, also, intellectual
advancement. A wide step toward
the needed reform has been taken
by US as a people tor far more
than ever before are we interested
in physical culture, upon which
health so clearly depends. There
is promise that it will yet have
the high place in the curriculum
o. education which it deserves.
Our schools now, on account OF
the absence OF proper system of
physical culture, are constantly
sending out into the world young
men and young women, who, by
reason of their infirmities, never
ought to marry. Aud, again, our
ill.ventilated cOunting-rooms and
factories are generating an army
the offspring of which must present
every phase Of bodily imperfection.
Tile remedy for this is physical cul-
ture, and the sooner it is recOg-
nized by all, and particularly by
our educator, the better. Social
reformers and philanthropists have
here a wide field for cultivation.
Let them impress upon our grow
ing youth the Importance or healthy
bodies, harmoniously developed by
proper exercise.
Young women, perhaps even
more than young men, need encour-
agement to strive to secure bodily
perfection by proper exercise.
They must realize that mere beau.
ty of face, while 1t attracts and
POSSIBLY excites the admiration OF
some, does not alone constitute true
beauty, which can only be founded
on perfect health.
Another thing which yonng la
dies mast remember: No matter
how richly nature has endowed
them with outward charms they
can retain them only so long as
they enjoy good health. They may
also be assured that beauty foun d
ell on perfect health continues even
to old age. No one desires to see
Spartanlsm revived in these times
but we may leaan valuable lessons
from it. The Spartans worshipped
the beautiful and useful, and they
took means to secure them. Bod
Ily perfection was attained by en-
forced, we'll appointed exercise
There were but few sickly men and
women among them. None sickly
we're allowed to marry, and all il
health we're compelled to dc so; i
they refused they we're punished
Bachelors after a certain age were
shut out of the society of women
and once a year were shamed il
public. Neither boys nor girl'
we're allowed to marry before ma
turity was reached. This Spartan
system of marriage, purely for the
welfare of the state, continued fol
500 years, and during that time
there were produced 4 succession
of the strongest and bravest mer
and the most healthy and beautiful
women that the world has evel
known.
Hood IoLo nm Mile