The Banner-Democrat., 1901-09-21
cNL LoRoFoRMINc INcURAsLEs.
A Sail Into the Seas OF the Future 40
:vancsd Civilization.

"The civilization of to-day has not
been ground to that razor-edged keen
ness when the painless putting to their
final sleep of incurables would be JUS
titled" said a well known Washingtoe
aIienist 10 q Star reporter.
But it does not follow that the civ
iiization of 1000 years hence may not
be such that the power of the state over
the lives and property of its citizens will
extend to that extent. l will take two
recest. instances as a basis for my re-
marks:
First, the passage OF bill by the
Legislature of Minnesota, which prohib-
its the marriage of imbeciles and persons
afflicted with one or two other mental
and physical diseases Of serious nature.
The purpose of such bill is open to
discussion, and certain of its features are
worthy of strong commentator, but its
practical workings are nullifed because
such couples may cross the border into
another State and be legally married. 10
become an effective measure OF protec-
ton the law would have to be universal
in the respective States.
THE progeny of a single couple OF
degenerates and paupers have been
traced to their various ramihcations
through several generations, and out OF
over 1000 descendants o5 per cent. have
become paupers, thieves, convicts, muf-
derers. persons of ill-repute and charges
upon the public in one form or another,
male and female alike. Students OF this
interesting social question have made
other compilations of degenerate fam
lilies with equally authentic and startling
results.
"The power of the State to legislate
for the protection of the majority against
the acts of the minority is undisputed,
and is exemplihed in many ways, notably
in arresting law breakers and conhniiiS
them in prisons, the control and restraint
of lunatics, and the seizing and isolation
of smallpox patients. In the advanced
civilization of future centuries this power
will have been greatly extended, and
will, no doubt. place an iron-bound re-
striction upon the marriage Of persons in
undesirable mental and physical condi-
ton with the object of the benefit OF
mankind in general.
1.-THE second instance Is the humane
disposition of incurables. 1t is called to
my mind by the case of woman ii,
Bellevue Hospital in New York, who has
been bed-ridden from paralysis for forty
years.
This woman is practically dead, and
has been so from the beginning Of her
affection. for We cannot truthfully and
accurately say during her life. Her
brain is alive, but her body and nervous
system are substantially dead. In the
advance of civilization of which I speak
such subject would probably be chlor-
oformed or otherwise humauely disposed
of in the same light of humanitarian
motives which is manifested to-day in
the shooting of horse with broken
leg to put it out of its misery.
"Of course, in this country, such an
act would properly be considered bar
barous and murderous, and so it would
be. but 1000 years hence incurables Of
this type may be looked upon in the
light of the injured horse of to-day. A
horses broken leg may be set, but il
would cost more time and money than
the horse is worth when sound, and a
stiff-legged horse is valucless. but he
would live if cared for. 1t is the same
with the human body when It becomes
worthless by reason OF disease. The
advanced civilizationists would reason
that life within such body would bear
a relative value to that of the horse oi
to-day.
while l will admit that the second
proposition may be considered radical
and inhuman, the first one is the one
which commands the attention of the
advanced deep thinkers of to-day. BE-
lieve that the time is not far distant
when some real and concerted attemp'
will be made to prevent the spreading oi
degeneracy, pauperism, disease and
crime by striking at the very root Of ths
evil either by the isolation of or the
prevention Of control of the marriage oi
such persons.
How or the manner in which it is ID
be accomplished is the problem which
will have to be solved"
i