The Topeka state journal., 1897-07-17
Organized By Mrs. Montgomery
MeGoVern of New York.
LIKE THE SPARTANS,
Its Greed Calls For Peaceful
and Legal Death
For Idiots, Deformed Children
and the Incurably Diseased.

of the maternal instinct.
Most women shudder at the thought
of death in connection with any one
| near to them.
The Association for the Perfection
of the Human Species" is not formed
gomery- -McGoVern bears the proud dis
tinction of having been, with her hus-
band, one of it's founders. AS holder
of it's tenets hers was a marriage OF
science, not sentiment
1t must be acknowledged that Mrs.
Montgomery -McGovern doesnt look the
least bloodthirsty. Indeed, all the wo-
manly qualities seem to be ascendant
| in her She has grace, the tone of her
voice is gentle, the glance of her eye is
mild. But the platform of her creed is
| death and destruction, and electrocu-
| ton it's method. The chair-"the mer-
ciful chair''-fOr her mother should she
ever have the misfortune to enter upon
| her second childhood; straps and the
| cap for her father, should senility be
his portion; a single powerful bolt and
her idiot child be whirled into eternity.
Soon Mrs. Montgomery-McGo ex-
poets to become a mother.
IF my child should be idiotic or in
curably deformed 1 should see it killed
| without a shudder,' she said, quite
calmly yesterday afternoon. Il have
read much in Greek and Roman history
it was the rule of the Spartans. It
should be mine. People speak to me of
maternal instinct but the mind should
good of the race. / married for the
good of the race
Mrs. Montgomery -McGovern's gray
eyes roamed lovingly over the pretty
little home that her husband had pro-
vided for her. Then she remarked slow
ly and with much precision; Really
l did not care for Mr.. McGoVern in the
| least when L married him. He knows
that-I told him so frankly. You must
understand there was no antipathy; on
the contrary, 1 liked him-that is, L
lyEad hi loo
of our society demand, my opposite. I
am tall for a woman; he is short for
man, He is very dark, while 1 may be
called of medium tint. Finally, I heard
him say that he believed all incurable
lunatics should be mercifully electrocu-
ted.
THAT decided me, and within two
married"
After a moment Mrs Montgomery
McGovern continued ref1ectively: To
day may say that I love him, or rath-
er that I have for him strong affec-
ton. That is as it should be. A mar
riage should be entered on common
sense ground. Seal it with respect first,
let the sentiment come afterward.'
Mrs. Montgomery -McGOVern has, by
the way, nothing of the appearance of
wi1d-eyed visionary. She looks, how
ever, like an enthusiast. She has the
brow, the head of an enthusiast She
talks slowly, and quietly without any
of the aggressiYeness of a person anX-
lOOS 10 convince She would like all the
world to believe as she deos, because,
she says, ''They would be happier" Be
fore her marriage she gave lectures on
physical culture. Her repose of man
ner would indicate that she had been
we'll trained in some school of grace.
THE conventional mode of dress, "she
said, speaking of the clothing which
she does not wear, II disapprove of
utterly. No, not boomers! I'm moth
ing of a new woman l don't advo-
cate anything mannish. but I always
follow as closely as possible the Greek
or Roman classical dress. never wear
corsets, and I always wear a reform
skirt in the street, short, to the ankles.
My husband is most anxious to adopt
japanese costume, the soft silk shirts
and the long, loose trousers. We agree
perfectly on every point"
Chauncey Montgomery-McGovern is.
perhaps, % years old. His wife may be
25, but she looks younger. She is a
graduate of Emerson college, Boston,
and has been for some time a writer
for various magazines. Just now she
and her husband have in press two ar
ticles which they have written jointly
One is entitled Scientific versus Senti-
mental Marriages" and the other mo
More Christians in Seven Hundred
Years.
Continuing on the subject of dress.
Mrs. Montgomery -McGovern said: Il
never wear rings or earrings or neck
laces or other useless ornaments L am
a great admirer of Henry Georges
Progress and Poverty don't believe
heve people should get what they
earn
In the next session of the New York
state legislature the Society for the
Perfection of the Human Species will
present a petition for the enactment of
its laws and a recommendation that
the existing constitution be changed.
1t already boasts of $50 members many
of whom, according to Mrs. MOntgom-
cry McGoVern, are physicians and other
public men, as yet afraid to openly ac-
knowledge their creed.
Following is the platform of the As
sociation for the Perfection of the
Human Species:
The labors of this association shall be
the bringing before legislatures such
bills the passage of which shall unfit
mankind physically, mentally and So
cially, through the abolition or REFORM
alton of all existing absurd customs.
l. All hopelessly deformed. idiotic and
3. The education of all children should
be peacefully electrocuted within three
months after said disease or deforrnity
has been by three state physicians pro-
nounced incurabI
2. All children should be educated 1u-
der the immediate supervision of the
state from the time the child is years
old to the time it reaches the fifteenth
year.
3. The education of all childrenshould
be; First, physical; second mental;
third, social. The children to be allow
ed to choose any religion after their
fifteenth year-but not before, as up to
that age their powers of Judgment and
discrimination are not sufficiently de-
veloped.
T. All aged, mentally sound persons
to be cared for at the expense of the
state
s. Every person losing the use of
three senses permanently should be
peacefully eIectrocdted by the state.
6. All ineurably insane persons to be
electrocuted.
T. Man has no right to take the life