The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-08-28
BILL ARP ABOUT MARRIAGE
What Kind of Girl Should Young
Man Lead to the Altar?

never thought of anything except tll
pretty girl and how happy ] would b
TO get her. had no thought of troubl
or poverty or glicf or war or death
Ihc time was far, far away when tn
SILVER cord would be looscd and tn
golden bowl be broken. AS for tn
girl, She Is more reckless than he
lover, even though her peril is fa
greater, for hers is to be the pain an,
suffering, the care and anXicty-th,
nlSht watching and sometimes tn,
broken heart. II is a mystCIy to mt
how the mother cnducs it al aud hold.
up her heat and keeps her strength
But love for her offspring, maternal
love, sustaius her. 1t is the Gift OF
God. There was Il marriage in our
town the other day, and as the CT owds
gathered at the church our ncighbor
Mrs. FELTON,, stopped in the vcranda to
rest and sec the battle from afar She
was, as usual merry aud sad by turns
sometimes the tears were glstcning
in her eyes and soon she laughed
morrily and showed her pcarly teeth
When the bridal carriage arrived she
gave maternal sigh and whispered.
" Poor things, they little known what
is ahead Of them" Suddenly she
branched of into a story about her little
pet mule colt that is now her daily
comfort. g. 1t watches me at the win
dow" she SAID, " and when | 20 out il
runs to me and lays its head on my
arm and almost nCsllcs in my bosom.
Mary's lamb was not more loving. 1t
bites and kicks at everybody, else, but
runs TO me and fawns upon me with
perfect alteration" She laughed again,
but all at once the corners of her mouth
dropped TO an angle of 10 degrees and
her voice trcmbled as she said: "But,
ma jOr. | have at last come down to
hard pan and misery in my old age
No cook, no help IT any sort, and
though yesterday was my slXty-fourth
birthday had to pull the buggy down
TO the branch and wash it. Oh, my
country" She cried little, and then
laughed good deal more. Pcarly tears
and pcarly teeth are attractive features
in woman. Nevertheless, between |
pctting mule colts and washing bugges |
she still finds time to plead for the |
education of the poor country girls of |
north Georgia.
But what kind of a girl should a
young man mary? OF course, she
must be born Of respectable parents,
she should be virtuous, she should have
good, loving disposition and a fair
education. She should be healthy and
have no taint of her lovers ancestral
blood in her veins. All of these uuali-
iications have been discussed and
treated over and ever again, except the
last. am inspired to say something
about that because lis Importance has
long been overlooked neither pOC is
nor philosophers nor scientists have
written upon it nor 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 intermarriagc of
cousins. These institutions cost our
State about $I5 600 year, and half of
the expense could be avoided if the in
tcrmarrasc of cousins was prohibited.
have not the reports of the blind
asylum before me, but | know Of three
blind children of one family who were
sent there, and they were the offspring
Of parents who were cousins. | know
of five children of one family who were
sent to our deaf and dumb institute at
Cave Spring. Thcirparents were double
cousins. They had but one child who
could hear and speak. She was 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 prospercd. | met him
at Waco sixteen years after he left
Georgia, and he was said to be worth J
500 900, and his two elder daughters
were at Il boarding school at Waco, ~ |
miles from his home. He had six |
children, and, alas! one of them was
mute. The faint had cropped out in |
the second generation.
Professor Connor, the faithful and |
long tried principal of our deaf and
dumb institution, has tabulated the
parcntage of his pupils for many years,
and reports that in 2G families prOduc-
ing as mutcs the parents were first
cousin. In II families producing 10
mutcs the parents were second cousins.
In IL families producing 10 mutcs the
parents were third cousins. hltogcth-
or there were 81 mute children of
parents closely related.
OF 400 deaf mutes 1913 had deaf
parents, and many of these deaf parents
are no doubt the offspring of the inter
marriage of cousins.
Among these 400 pupils 80 marriages
have occurred and there have been
born to them 10 children, 80 of whom
can hear and Il are mutes. In 10 of
the marriages there were no children
born. Now, after one, two or three
mutcs have been born Ill succession to
parents, it would seem a sin, if not a
crime, for them to have more. The
law should prohibit it. But if this can
not be done after marriage, the remedy
for the future is TO prohibit the inter
marriage of couslns--yes, and second
cousins. TO be born deaf or blind 10 &
sin against the child, and TO have il
supported by the State is a drain upor
the treasury that might be avoided.
Rrt hpinu Inof nr hind 10 not oil ~.