The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1897-07-03

l4piCdl one; tndJ OugnU 10 arouse my
readers from any lethargy in regard to
the subject and force them to deter
mination that such things must stop,
and because they MUST, they can be
made to.
In one OF the southern Indiana
counties is a family, of which from one
to six members have been in the poor
asylums at all times for thirty and
probably forty years. Many of the
members have died. but their descend
ants have always been ready to take
their places in the ranks OF pauperism
and vice 1t is impossible to secure
complete record Of this family, hut
from the fragmentary history which
Is available and which includes prob
ably not more than half the whole
number of members, the following
facts are taken: One of the oldest Of
the family now living was born in
1929, He is feeble-minded. His first
wife was feeble minded. -Four chill
dren were the result Of this marriage,
two sons and two daughters. All were
feeble minded. These children were
named Mary, Margaret, Andrew and
George Washington. The first wife
died and in his old age this man mar
ried a second time, his second choice
being also feeble-minded woman.
The two daughters who were born to
the first wife Of this man were, as /
have said, feeble-minded. Both are
living to-day and are inmates of the
poor asylum. Neither has ever mar
ried. Mary has borne six or seven
children. Two or three have been dead
for years and their mental condition
is not positively known. Two daugh.
tiers now living are in the school for
feeble minded, and a son, who died
within few years, was feeble mind
ed. A third daughter is feeble-mind-
ed and Is the wife of feeble-miuded
man. They are not in the poor asy-
lum, but live in a neighboring county,
where they are given assistance by
township trustee. The couple has one
child, of whose mental condition |
have no information. The other sis
ter Margaret, has daughter, feeble
minded and unmarried, who works in
another county, and feeble-minded
son now in the school for feeble mind
ed. This woman has also borne two
or three children now dead, but all
said to have been feeble-m minded. or
the son, Andrew, we have no record.
He is dead and probably died in
youth. The son, George Washington,
m, rptad faab1a- a1 nd
feeble-minded son was born to them.
George Washington afterwards sepa-
rated from his wife and later married
a second feeble-minded woman. Be
fore marriage this woman had borne
an illegitimate child by George Wash
ington. This child was also feeble
minded 1t should be remembered
that nearly all the persons referred to
in this family record have been dur
ing the whole or part of their lives
burden upon the community. Ev-
cry member of the family, so far as
known, has been Predetermined. Prob
ably one-half the members of the fam
lily have been illegitimate Those who
have entered into the marriage rela-
tion have little or no respect for it, and
there is much doubt as to the legiti-
macy of the children born to married
mothers. The history of this family
is not closed. As it stands to-day
there are probably 13 members sup
ported wholly or chiefly through pub
| lie funds. Hardly year passes that
other Predetermined, illigitimate chill
dren are not born into the family.
The burden upon the taxpayers grows
greater and the curse Of feeble mind
edness and illigitimacy spreads.
1t must be apparent now to all
who read with head and heart in COM
bination, that this country cannot af-
ford to have this faint of preventible
imbecility gaining stronger and
stronger hold upon our vitality. Broad
plans, faithfully carried out must be
adopted else the evil will grow beyond
our control.
In the first place all feeble-minded
women, during the childbearing age
should be kept in institutions other
than the poor asylums of townships.
Next, though feeble-minded men are
not likely to find wives among nor
NAL women, they ought, for their own
sakes and for the sake of making them
productive laborers, to be gathered
with their kind in institutions where
the whole plan is for the benefit OF
the detectives and where the constant
watchfulness as to occupation makes
work stimulating to the feeble intel
lect.
Further, we must put away all sem
timental protest against these thous
ands being forced to celibacy. Cell
bacy is the only way to stop this self
multiplying stream. There are high
er duties than reproducing our kind.
The late war removed ten times ten
thousand and thousands beside from
life and all chance to marry, yet we
admire them for their self surrender.
The Catholic clergy forego marriage in
order that they may be free Ia 90 here