Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-09-15

from birth. But though the law OF
bcredity Is memorable, and though our
IioJrlIOIiscS and hospitals are crowded
with lot Of miserable creatures who
are dragging out II suffering. an APP
palling existence because they were
not the offspring of healthy parents,
and though thousands Of men and wo.
men who are not inmates of public In
situations OF charity are social para
sites or dependents upon others for
support through the same dire causes.
yet the strange fact remains that re-
spectacle aud refined society fOrblds
its teachers To discuss these vital ques-
tions In public lest such Il discussion
should offend delicate and sensitive
ears.
Is the offending OF delicate ears to
stand in the way of the untold ngonles
that are cursing childhood because
men ana women are allowed 10 marry
who have no business TO marry? Are
the wards of our public institutions to
be boycotted by all intelligent men and
women because they do not wish TO
see suffering In Its most repulslve
forms? Shall we refuse 10 look ut lit
tie children. born with curvature of
the spine and with diseased blood and
with crooked limbs. who. with swollen
lips and distorted and uniformed fea-
lures. are looking at us from hundreds
OF cots shall we refuse merely he.
stft. hnx In.
hcrited the physical weaknesses OF
their parents? What right had the
parents Of these suffering children to
marry? Some time ago ! attended u
church wedding where the bride hob
bled up the aisle OH n cane. She had
an abscess on one limb and was af
flicted with tuberculosis besides. She
had been an invalid from birth. Her
mother had died of consumption only
u few months after the girl was born.
And yet the minister OF that church
ended his service with the solemn
words Whom God hath joined to-
gether let not man put asunder" Are
we 10 suppose that God meant such a
woman rs that TO marry and perpet-
uato misery and suffering In the world :?
Row 60 Stop IL.
well" some one says, how eau
you stop men and women who are
physical incompetents from marry
ingf' By doing what every intelligent
physician Ia the world Is advocating
by making II obligatory upon every
man and woman To pass proper
physical examination before they can
get from the county license to marry.
In old Sparta II used 10 be the custom
for the attendants To kill at birth chill
dren that were born cripplcs or weak
lings. We cannot do that Such a
icustom would be abhorrcnt to our feel.
ings. But we can do better. We can
prevent feeble children from being
born of physically incompetent par
ents 10y refusing TO let physically I'M
sound men and women marry at all.
Water cannot rise higher than its
source. 4 strong branch cannot grow
from n wlthered trunk. Neither can a
physically and mentally healthy child
descend from unhealthy parents.
The first reformation Of our social
evils should be pathological. 1t should
be Il sweeping diagnosis and should
start with n sound physical marriage
altar. 1t should extend our lmmigra-
ton laws-namely. the laws which al
low little children to come into the
world among ourselves rather than
the immigration laws which prevent
leprous children and their parents 10
come from other lands Into ours Pre-
natal causes may be just as far reach
Ing In their social results az postnatal.
4 child must he born well IN order to
live physically well.
Marital laws having made IL possible
for the coming generations To be born
well. the next question Is almost as
important MS the first. What are we
going 10 do with the physical and NOR
al development of our children after
they are bornf | am alluding To all the
boys and girls who are born In the
slums and in the congested quarters
OF our large cities. The problems that
confront my neighbours children from
the soclalistlc standpoint are just as
important as those that confront my
own.
The street Arab.
Did you ever try To put yourself In
the place of the street arab who Is
running wild IN one of our large cities
Mr.. Sturgeon In one Of his books told
this anecdote: lie was one day visiting
his orphan home. While there little
boy came up and sat down beside
him and said: MIR. Sturgeon. suppose
there was an orphanage and there was
lot OF little boys there. And suppose
all those little boys had lost their ia
theirs. And suppose once month their
mothers came and their aunts and
brought them pennies and apples and
oranges and nice things. And suppose
there was little hoy that had no
mother or aunt or anybody to come
and see him. Don't you think some
body ought TO give him slxpencef
Cause. Mr.. Sturgeon. that's me-"
DO you wonder that the great Lon
don preacher when he heard that little
orphan child pleading his cause so elo-