Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-09-15

The way in which many marriages
take place Is an object Of criticism and
cause of uneasiness to some sci
entists. They fear 1t is deteriOrating
the race. Men are careful, they point
out, to mate their horses and cattle
so as to keep their blood pure and
develop in the highest degree possible
the special qualities which make them
valuable. But human beings are al
lowed to mate as they please, regard
less Of their physical, mental or moral
deficiencies or Of their adaptability to
each other. For the good Of pos
terity as well as for the happiness Of
the candidates for matrimony there
ought, it has been gravely urged, to
be some authority to forbid the banns
in case it should appear, for scientific
reasons, that they ought not to be al
lowed. Marriages, it used to be said,
are made in heaven. They ought, on
this theory, to be made in the labora-
tory. American Medicine does not like
the theory. 1t questions, in recent
article, If any man ever will be wise
enough to say who ought and who
ought not to marry. 1t points out that
many parents who have good consti-
tutions and seem ideally adapted to
each other have children that lack re-
sistance to the invasion Of patho-
genie organism" other words, that
are weak and puny-while many par
ents who have poor constitutions, or
do not seem we'll adapted to each
other, have fine children. 1t might
have added that many couples who,
when they We're married, were pro-
nounced perfectly mated have ended
in the divorce court, while many who
were regarded as unequally yoked to-
gether live so happily as to be the
envy Of their neighbors and friends.
American Medicine thinks what is
needed Is not more restrictions on
marriage, but less. The interest of
the race, 1t believes, Is that young
people shall be allowed to marry about
as they choose. Perhaps the scheme
of mating men and wcmen scientific.
ally" is not SO scientific as 1t seems
Its advocates forget that domesicated
animals are mated, not with q view
to their good, but with view to the
pleasure or profit Of those who own
them. In state Of nature animals
pair as instinct prompts them The
result is to equip wild animals witt
bodies by which they are enabled
much better than domesticated ones
to take care of themselves wherever
they happen to be. When the goot
of the animal itself OF of its own spe
cies Is to be subserved nature knows
better than man how to guide its con
duct, so it may be, after all, that thu
really scientific marriage is that IL
which science might be supposed t.
have the least part - the marriage
that is, which is prompted by nature
the marriage solely for love. If thi
be the case, marriage is on a NOR
scientific basis in the United State
than in any other country. The youn,
folks here usually arrange everything
The results, on the whole, are salts
factory. Many terminate their re
mances in the divorce courts. Blu
this does not show there is more mar
ital infelicity here than elsewhere. Il
fact, there is less. All it shows Is tha
those who cannot live happily togetf
er, or think they cannot, have NOR
opportunity here than elsewhere t
free themselves from bonds that, ga
tham