Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1901-08-21
NO. 2S.

OF the marriages there were no chill
dren born. Now. after one two or three
mutes have been born in succession to
parents. it would seem sin, If not a
crime. for them to have more. The law
should prohibit it. But if this cannot be
done after marriage. the remedy for
thc future is to prohibit the intermar-
riage of cousins-yeS. and second
cousins. TO be born deaf or blind is a
sin against the child. and to have it
supported by the state is n drain upon
the treasury that might be avoided.
0ut being deaf or blind is not all the
evil that follows these incestuous mar
-iages. If the children are not deaf or
blind they are generally under some
physical disability. They are consump-
tives or epileptics or idiotic and pass
through life and leave no sign. Fortu-
nately most OF such marriages result in
no progeny.
"Oh. we'll" some say. the LeviticaI
law did not prohibit it," No. it did not.
and reckon that Cain married his sis
ter. We know that Abraham married
his half sister. and no doubt that is
why no children were born to them
except one by grace in their old age
But it is said that the Roman laws
and the laws of England permit such
marriages. Yes, the Roman law did
until Pope Alexander III stopped it and
prohibited first. second and third cous-
ins from intermarrying. The laws OF
England permitted suCh marriages be-
cause the kings and the nobility
wanted to keep the crown and the til
ties and their estates in their families.
ANA SO our American people. who have
patterned after English law and pre-
cedcnt for moro than 4 hundred years,
have been reluctant 10 make any
change in this regard
But the question is now coming To
the front, ana the time is coming for Il
change. II seems now to be an CStah-
lishcd and universal rule that these
marriages entail upon the offspring
evil consequences bodily or mentally.
or both. The evil effect of what is cali
cd breeding in among animals leads
10 the conclusion that il is an universal
law. Good stock. bloOdcG stock. is not
permitted in that way Heard a con-
ccitcd man declare that he was de-
seconded from the Carols. OF Carroll
ton. in Old Maryland. Suppose he did.
That was six generations back and
would give him siNty-flHr &nc- raj
tathcrrs and mothers. and hence he
had only one siNty-.0utth part of ola
Charles CarrCl's blood in his veins. 1
know lady who boasts that her rlth-
"r could trace his lineage back ID
Cromwell. That was eighteen genera
uons back, and would give him 5l2.-
coo ancestors uOt much Of Ch0mwolI's
blood in her. u is astonishing how rap
idly Inc anC stili tree widunS. TWO
generations back gives a man only four
grcat-grandfathors and gran i,o.,h-
mothers hut twenty generations gives
him over million. lust think of il.
young man, and quit Dragging about
your ancestors. for thrcre are over "A
million different strains of blood in
your veins. and no doubt some 0f il is
bad-very bad. Ny wifcs grandfather
was Holt and his grandfather was q
Randolph and his grandfather was a
Peyton and his was Lord Rolfe. who
married Pocahontas. That was ten
generations back. and gives my wife
l,02i ancestors. ana therefore. she has
l-l.02ith part of Pokys blood i'm her
veins Nightly Slim strain. it seems to-
me not much Injun about her. One
day | ventured to ask about the other
l.C23 parts that did n"' come from
Poky and she never said anything. but
looked at me in peculiar tone Of voice
that reminded me il was mono OF my
business. But ! honor noble ancestry.
! used to think that maybe descended
from Captain John Smith, but ON in
vcstgation found that he never was
married and had no children TO speak
ol.-bill Arp i'm Atlanta Constitution.