San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-12-10
AN EVIL UNDER THE SUN.

is to be established in New York city
in connection with the "Babies Hos
pital." The movement is in the right
direction, and could 1t be followed up
by training school for children's
mothers the benefits might be CORES
pondingly increased. What the ay-
erage American mother does not
know about babies and the care of
them is only equalled by the dense
ignorance everywhese prevailing on
the whole question of parentage.
More attention by far is paid to the
breeding and rearing of cattle and
horses, in this coun try and in all 9TH
er countries, today, than ispaid to the
breeding and rearing of children.
Some scientific knowledge on this
point and some sensible practice
is very much to be desired. The ut
ter responsibility of parentage is
one of the marvels of the nineteenth
century, We cry out against Nor
monism and the utter degradation
of womanh hood which follows in its
train, but little is said of that greater
evil, the utter degradation of child
hood under such a parentage. 1t is
very little worse, however, than the
conditions so often surrounding par
entage in gentle circles all over this
and other so called civilized countries.
There is no limit to marriage in this
country, save that of puberty. The
imbecile, the epileptic, the criminal,
the diseased morally and physically
marry and beget children in their
own likeness. The evils entailed
upon the children of such marriages,
to the third and fourth generation,
are not considered and the state
keeps its hands religiously aloof
from all interference with a system,
but too well calculated to perpetuate
pauperlsm, disease and crime. The
training of children physically is
greatly neglected, and here the reme-
dy is more easily applied. A school
such as Mrs. Chaplin Is now establish
ing can be made the means of great
good in preparing intelligent young
women to care for children. Not the
least of its benefits will be the lessons
taught indirectly to these nurses, by
which they will be prevented from
recklessly rushing into wifehood and
motherhood themselves. 1.-THE hand
that rocks the cradle rules the
world" and that hand is too often
utterly unfit to touch this ark of
nations safety. The questions of pa
ternity and education are the two
most vital ones thai can present
themselves to a nations considera-
ton. In the proper solution of these
lies the security of the future. The
combined powers Of church and
state should be directed to some prac-
teal measures calculated to lessen
the percent of such marriages as ON
their very face cannot but result in
increasing the number of earth's de-
formed - physically, mentally and
morally. The church interests itself
with looking after humanity's exit
from the world. The state is con-
cerned with humanity's freedom from
what is defined as crime, on the part
of that humanity grown to years of
discretion. Neither church nor state
concerns itself with the greater ques-
ton lying back of both-the question
Of hunanity's entrance into the
world, and the conditions surround
ing the young human during those
first years of existence in which
the seeds of character and conduct
are ineradicably sown. When the
state shall guard its marriage license
issues by such safeguards as will pre-
vent the Imbecile, the pauper, the
criminal, the debauched from receiv-
ing permit to legally perpetuate their
kind, and when the church shall
withhold its sanction from such at
tempted unions and place all such
marriages under ban, there will be
more hope for the race. The philan-
thropist, the legislator, the reformers
and the ecclesiasts are respectfully
commended to the consideration of
this question. 1t might also very
properly, form'the subject of a special
series of lectures to the senior classes