News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1897-06-30

mindedness, is the frequency, almost
certainty, with which it is passed
from parent to children" n y
"Take the fact that there are over
5000 feeble-minded persons in Indi
ana to-day, of whom about one-half
are women, and think of that in its
relation to the other fact that 100
feeble-minded women, of whom we
have partial records, are the mothers
of atleast 149 feeble-minded children,
and the real significance and danger
of the situation begins to be APP
parent" He then gives many family
histories in Indiana, one of which
must be inserted here as a typical
one, that ought to arouse my readers
from any lethargy in regard to the
subject and force them to a determi-
nation 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 de-
scendants have always been ready to
take their places in ranks of pauper-
ism and vice. 1t is impossible to Sc
cure a complete record of this family.
but from the fragmentary history
which is available and which includes
probably not more than half the
whole number of members, the follow
ing facts are taken One of the old
est of the family now living was born
in 1928. He is feeble-minded. His
first wife was feeble-minded. Four
children were the result of this mar
riage, two sons and two daughters.
All were feebe-minded. These chill
dren were named Mary, Margaret,
Andrew and George Washington.
The first wife died and in his old age
this man married a second time, his
second choice being also a feeble
minded woman. The two daughters
who we're born to the first wife of
this man were, as | havs said, feeble
minded. Both are living to-day and
are inmates of the poor asylum.
Neither has ever married. Mary has
borne six or seven children. Two or
three have been dead for years and
their mental condition is notpositive-
ly known. Two daughters now liv-
ing are in the school tor feeble-mind-
ed, and son, who died within few
years, was feeble-mnded. A third
daughter is feebp-minded and is the
wife of a feeble minded man. They
are not in the poor asylum. bnt live
, in a neighboring county, where they
are given assistance by a township
trustee. This couple has one child,
of whose mental condition | have no
information. The other sister, Mar
garet, has daughter, feeble-minded
and unmarried, who works in another
county, and feeble minded son now
in the school for feeble minded. This
woman has also borne two or three
other children now dead, but all said
to have been feeble minded. OF the
son, Andrew, we have no record. He
is dead and probably died in his
youth. The son, George Washing
ton, married feeble-m minded woman
and a feeble-minded son was born to
them. George Washington after
wards separated from his wife and
later married second feeble-minded
woman. Before marriage this woman
had borne an iIlegitmate child by
George Washington. The child was
also predetermined. 1t should be
remembered that nearly all the
persons referred to in this family
record have been during the whole or
q part of their lives burden upon
the community. Every member OF
the family, so far as known, has been
feeble-minded. Probably one-half OF
the family have been illegitimate.
Those who have entered into the
marriage relation have had little or
no respect tor it, and there is much
doubt as to the legitimacy of children
borne to married mothers. The
history of this family is not closed.
AS it stands to-day, there are proba.
bly, thirteen members supported
wholly or chiefly through public
funds. Hardly year passes that
other feeble-minded, ilegitimate chill
dren are not born into the family.
The burden upon the taxpayers
grows greater and the curse of feeble
mindedness and ilegitimacy spreads.
1t must be apparent now to all
who read with head and heart in
combination, that this country can
not afford to have this faint of pre-.
ventible 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 Predetermined
women, during the collaborating 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 the sake of making
them productive laborers, to be
gathered with their kind in institu-
tions where the whole plan is for the
benefit of these detectives and where
the constant watchfulness as to oc-