The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-04-05
Nlae Nerala aud Oe0s~
TIE MARRIAGE OF FIRST COUSINS.
Do These Unions Result in the Dete.iora-
ton of the Human Family:

From the Courier-J Journal
The lower House of the Kentucky
Legislature has declared against the
marriage of cousins on the ground that
children of such marriages are frequent
ly weak minded.
1t is true that the children of cousins
that have intermarried are sometimes
weak minded, and it is also true that
they sometimes have certain congenlal
defects such as extra toes, defective
senses, &c. It is also true that children
having similar defects are often born
of parents not at all related. The
majority of marriages Of persons related,
however, do not result in such defec-
tive offspring.
To what extent the law should inter-
vene in matters Of this kind has always
been q mooted question. Generally,
it has been content to prohibitmarrl-
ages within Levitical degrees, that is,
marriages between persons nearer akin
than first cousins. A number Of States
have gone further than this, and have
forbidden first cousins to marry. These
laws are largely evaded by going be-
yond the borders of the State to con-
tract marriages not lawful at home.
The general principle Of law that
marriages lawful where celebrated are
lawful everywhere, aids this evasion.
The notion that defective offspring
isa judgment of heaven upon marriages
of cousins is treated by the medical
profession as a superstition. 1t is ad-
mitted, however, that the children OF
such marriages that are weak-minded
or of defective physical developments
are somewhat more numerous than in
the case of marriages between persons
not related. But the physicians tell US
that the same thing is true Of other
classes of marriages. An extract from
MaudsIey, whois considered high au-
thority on such questions, throws some
light upon the subject:
"When some of the evil influences
which notably give rise to disease
whether the poisoned atmosphere of a
miasmatic district, or the unknown
endemic causes Of cretinism, or persis-
tent intemperance of any kind, or fire.
quert intermarriage in families, or any
other of the sources of human degene-
racy, have engeldered a morbid variety,
the evil will, unless counteracted BY
better influences brought to bear, in
crease through generations, until de-
generation has gone so far that the
continuance of the species is impossible
Indeed, insanity of whatever form
soever, mania, melancholia, moral in
sanity or dementia, is but a stage in
the descent toward sterile idiocy, as
may be experimentally proved by the
intermarriage of mentally unsound
persons for generation or two, and is
sometimes demonstrated by the disas-
trous consequences of frequent inter-
marriage in foolish families"
The principle seems to be taat when
there are hereditary defects in family
these defects are intensified in the Off
spring by the marriage of two members
of the family having the same defects
in the blood. Precisely the same result
follows the intermarriage of two per-
sons not related who have Inherited
similar defects of predisposition to the
same defect or disease. The marriage
of two mutes increases the probability
that the children will be mute; the
marriage of two persons of feeble minds
multiplies the chances of feebleminded
offspring.
No legislative BODY. so far as we are
advised, has taken the responsibility of
prohibiting the marriage of persons
living in = miasmatic district, or OF
those who live in the crowded tene-
ments of great cities, or of those who
inherita predisposition to consumption,
insanity, or defective senses. Yet it can
hardly be disputed that the results of
such marriages are, in the main, more
injurious than those between cousins
not subject to such disabilities.
It has never been shown that the
enactment of laws to prohibit the marri-
age of cousins has resulted in a diminu-
ton of the number of weak-minded or
physically defective children. Logically
such result ought to follow if the law
could be enforced; but, as already noted,
so long as there are States where such
laws do not prevail their strict enforce
ment is impossible.
It is doubtful policy to select one of
the least fruitful causes of defective
offspring for prohibition while leaving
all others untouched. At the same
time, to attempt to carry such legisla-
ton to its logical consequences would
be task of such stupendous difficulty
as to be practically impossible.
Life is short and time is f1eeting, but
Hoods Sarsaparilla will bless humanity
as the ages roll on. Try it this season.
Miss or Mrs.
IHarpers's BaZar.