The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-04-06
MARRIAGE OF FIRST COUSINS.

no These Uaions Result In The Dstsrie-
ration of tho Human Family?
The lower house Of the Kentucky logisla.
Susc has declared against the marriage Of
cousins on ths ground that children OF such
marriages are frcquently weak minded,
says the Courier-JouFnal.
II 10 true that the children of cousins that
have intsrmarried are sometimes weak
minded. and II Ia also ttue that they some
times have certain conRenital defects such
% extra toes. defective senses, etc. IL Is
also rue that children having similar de-
fscts are often born OF parents not at all
related. Thu majority Of marriages Of per
sons related, however, do mot result In suoh
detective offspring.
TO what extent the law should intervene
In matters OF this kind has always besn Z
mooted question. Generally 10 has been
content to prohibit marriages. within the
.LeviticAl degrees, that 10. marriages DO
tween persons nearer akin thar frat cous-
ms. A number Of states have gone further
than this. and have forbidden first cousins
10 mary. These law are largely evaded
by going beyond the borders OF the state to
contract marriages not lawful ut home.
Tho general principle of Law that mar
riages lawful whore celeb atsd are lawful
everywhere aids this evasion.
The notion that defective Offspring Is q
Judgment of heaven upon marriaRes Of
cousins ia treated by the medical profes-
sion 40 a auporstitien. 1t 10 admitted.
however. that the children of sucn mar
siagos that arc wenk- minded or OF dsiec-
tive physical developments ars somewhat
more numerous than in the case OF mar
riaRes between pc sona not related. But
tho physicians tell rs that the same thing IL
true of other clnsscs OF marriages. An OK
high authority on such questions. throws
aomo liOht mon tho subject.
Whom some OF the evil Influences which
notably gave rise to diseaso-whsther tho
poisoned atmosphere of o miaamatic dis
S,ict, or the unknown epidemic causes of
any kind. or frequent, intermartiage in
families. or any other of the sources OF bu.
man %degeneracy, have enQendsrea a morbid
variety. the evil will. unless counteracted
by better Influences brought to bear, in
Grease through generations. until degsnera-
tion has Qone 30 far that the continuance
Of the species is impossible. Indeed. in
6auity of Whatever form soever, mania.
m~slancholia. moral insanity or dsmentia. IL
but a stage in the descent toward sterile
idiocy, as may be expesimentally proved by
che intermarriage OF mentally unsound per-
sons for a generation or two. and 10 some-
times demonstrated by the disastrous con-
sequences Of frequent intermarfiage In
foolish families"
The principle seems to be that when there
are hereditary defects in q family these de-
fects are intensified in the offspring by the
marriage of two members of the family
having the same defects in the blood. Pre-
cisely the Same. result follows the lnter-
marriage Of two persons not related who
have inherited similar defects of predis-
position to the same defect or disease. The
marriage of two mutes increases the prob
ability that the children will be mute; the
marriage o! two persons OF feeble minds
multiplies the chances Of feeble.minded
offspring.
y No legislative body, so far as We ors ad.
vised, has taken the responsibility OF pro-
hibiting the marriage of persons living in a
miasmatic district. or of those who live in
tho crowded tenements of great cities. or Of
those who inherit a prsdisposition to con-
sumption. insanity or defective senses.
Yet 1t can hardly be disputed that the re-
suits of such marriages. are. In the main,
not subject to such disabilitiss.
mont Of laws to prohibit the marriage OF
cousins has resulted in a d%iminution of the
number of ~wenk-minded or physically do
fsctive children. Logically such n result
ought to follow If the law could be on
forced; but, as already noted, so long 40
there are states whore such laws do not pre-
vail, their strict enforcement 10 impossible.
It il q doubtful policy to select one Of the
least fruitful causes Of defective Offspring
for prohibition while leaving all the others
untouched. At the same time. to attempt
to carry suoh legislation to its logical CON
sequences would be a task of such stupend-
o1s difficulty as to be practically imyos-
Sible.