The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-08-29
BILL ARP ABOUT MARRIAGE
What Kind of Girl Should Young
Man Lead to the Altar?

Man Lead to the Altar?
When young man falls in love an,
resolves to get married l reckon it is
good thing that he is reckless of tn
consequences. / Has, l know, for
never thought of anything except th
pretty girl and how happy ] would b.
to get her. l had no thought Of trouble
or poverty or grief or war or death
The time was far, far away when th'
silver cord would be looscd and the
golden bowl be broken. AS for tht
girl, she is more reckless than hcl
lover, evon though her peril is fal
greater, for hers is to be the pain anG
suffering, the care and anxiety-thC
night watching and sometimes tho
broken heart. IL is mystery to me
how the mother cndules it all and holds
up her head ana. keeps her strength
But love for her offspring, maternal
love, sustaius her. 1t is the gift OF
God. There was marriage in our
town the other day, and as the crowds
gathered at the church our neighbor,
Mrs. FELTON,, stopped in the veranda to
rest and see the battle from afar. She
was, as usual merry and sad by turns
sometimes the tears were glistcning
in her eyes and soon she laughed
mcrrily and showed her pear]y teeth.
When the bridal carriage arrived she
gave a maternal sigh and whispered
" Poor things, they little known what
is ahead of them" Suddenly she
branched Off into story about her little
pet mule colt that is now her daily
comfort. 1t watches me at the win
dow" she sad, land when l 90 out il
runs to me and lays its head on my
arm and almost ncstlcs in my bosom.
Mary's lamb was not more loving. 1t
bites and kicks at every body, else, but
runs.to me and fawns upon me with
perfect adoration.' She laughed again, :,
but all at once the corners Of her mouth
dropped TO an angle Of 45 degrees and
her voice tremblcd as she said: "But,
ma jor. / have at last come down to
No cook, no help Of any sort, and
though yesterday was my slxty-fourth
birthday l had to pull the buggy down
TO the branch and wash it, Oh, my
country!" She cried little, and then
laughed a good dt al more. Pearly tears
and pcarly teeth arc attractive features
in a womar Nevertheless, between
pctting mu, colts and washing buggies
she still fir tine to plead for the
education OF the poor country girls of
north Georgia.
But what kind of girl should a
young man marry? OF course, she
must be born Of respectable parents,
she should be virtuuus, she should have
rn,,
education. She should be healthy and
have no taint Of her lovers ancestral
blood in her veins. All Of these quail
lications have been discussed and
treated over and ever again, except the
last. | ain inspired to say something
about that because its Importance has
long been VcrlO0Hcd--ncithcr poets
nor philosophers nor scientists have
written upon it DOR given any warn
ing. ~ letter recently received from
a young man in Mississippi asks if
there is anything wrong in man mar
rying his cousin. Yes; very, very
wrong. The answer is found in the
records of the asylums for the deaf and
dumb and blind. Their chief patron
age comes from the intermArriage Of
cousins. These institutions cost our
State about $75 900 a year, and half Of
the expense could be avoided if the in
tcrmarriase of cousins was prohibited.
L have not the reports of the blind
asylum before me, but know of three
blind children of one family who we're
sent there, and they were the offspring
Of parents who were cousins. l know
of five children Of one family who were
sent to our deaf and dumb institute at
Cave Spring. Their parents were double
cousins. They had but one child who
could hear and speak. She was a good
looking country girl. She married a
clever young man who hauled wood for
me. Soon after bis marriage he moved
to Texas and hired to a cattle man,
and was SO faithful in his service that
in few years he bought an interest in
The ranch and prospered. / met him
at Waco sixteen years after he left
Georgia, and he was said to be worth
100000, and his two elder daughters
were at boarding school at Waco, 12
miles from his home. He had six
children, and, alas one of them was a
mute. The faint had cropped out in
the second generation.
Professor CoDnor, the faithful and
long tried principal Of our deaf and
dumb inetitution, has tabulated the
parentage of his pupils for many years
and reports that in 2G families produc
ing 4S mutcs the parents were frs
cousin. In II families producing /!
mutcs the parents were second cousins
In ii families producing Is mutcs tht
parents were third cousins. AltOgeth
or there were 81 mute children 0
parents closely related.
or 400 deaf mutcs 1913 had dca
patents, and many of these deaf parent
are no doubt the offspring of the inter
marriage of cousins.
Among these 400 pupils 50 marriage
have occurred and there have bee,
born to them 40 children, 80 of whom
can hear and 81 arc mutes. In 10 O
the marriages there were no childrcl
born. Now, after one, two or thre
lnNtes have been born III succession t
netents, it would seem sin, if not
crime, for them to have more. Th