Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1906-01-10


W IEA$RENRV is no immediate probability of the
VT :E present civilized and cultured race
becoming degenerate, still the present conditions
and tendencies were far from satisfactory. Prof.
Dowd quotes from Nisbet, celebrated authority on
such Subjects and shows there is necessa,
Try connection between degeneracy and genius
''Nsbet cites in his book long list of great men
with the peculiar evidences OF degeneracy which
characterized each of them. Shakespeare, he says
belonged to very degenerate stock, the average
length of life of the children OF his parents being
only thirty two years, and he himself died Of sort
of epileptic selzure.' Milton was blind at the age
Of forty four years, and his daughter Anne was
lame and otherwise defective. Only one OF his
daughters had OfspriDgs, and she gave birth TO ten
children, OF whom only three lived to attain adult
age. WOrdsworth's sister was insane, and Scott
belonged to family Of conspicuous degeneracy, he
himself becoming lame in infancy and in latter years
being afflicted with paralysis and apopeXy. Bach,
the musician decended from family whose members
were characterized by blindness insanity and nu-
merous other disorders. OF his twenty children
only one left issue-a melancholy example OF the
unftness of genius to perpetuate itself. Mendels-
shon's ancestry was notable for an unbrOken se'
quence of blindness, apOpexy paralysis and epilep.
sy. Turner, the painter, was born OF mother who
became insane, and he himself was little above the
\ idiot. Comte, the philosopher, spert term in a
unatic asylum; Hegels sister was insane, and Kant
/ in his last years, became an imbecile."
While we in common with the rest Of the reading
world may Nntertain for Mr.. Nisbet Of England and
] Mr.. Lombroso of Italy very high regard and re-.
sDect for their intellectual attainments and scholarly
productions yet we are not willing to admit that
either of these famous men has shown, from the ex.
cerpt quoted, that there is "a necessary connection
between genius and degeneracy" In the first place
strict construction Of the word degeneTacy de-
fined by Webster and others means moral state, a
condition of the conscience and not physical or mem
tai defects In other Words it relates to phys
~
be permitted to give this word broad construction
and include the physical with the mental the heart
with the soul. We deny it proves that Shakespeare
belonged to Every degenerate stock because for,
sOOth the average length OF life Of the children of his
parentswas OAly thirty-two years, and he himself
died Of sort Of epileptic seizure We admit there
may be great deal in the quoted fthis authority
will show all of Shakespeare brothers and sisters
and other kindred suffered from some inherited
malady and by reason of this disease they shufHed
off quite early in life this mental COIL But the t1nLh
is neither Nesbit nor DOwd, nor any one else,
knows but precious little of the authenticated bog
raphy of either the immortal bard or any OF his
ancestry or kindred. It would be easy matter to
cite instances among numerous families In the hn
bier walks of life In which the parents were uniortu
nete to lose many children In infancy and where the
hand OF death snatChed from the fold almost every
member Of the ireside before any Of the CfepFiDgs
reached than the age OF discretion and matnri
ty Yet this would not prove the family was col
lection OF degeDeTateR, A thousand diseases and
countless microbes constantly the alert watch
ing for their victims, and it often happens that the
strongest constitutions fall vicmk these nsatiate
enemi Of the human race Tie best specimens OIL
physi al childhood havs been known to suocnmb to
the ravages Of diphtheris and scarlet lever. Shake
epeare died 'of sort OF epilepticstizuIeiV Grant
that he did this does not prove that he was oegen
crate. Hundreds Of the most able -boditd men ap-
paIently in the very bloOI Of robust health, have
been stricken with apopleAy and died without beina
able to utter q word 10 those around them IbOns-
ande have succumbed to paralysis and pasted away
as swiitly and noiselessly as appaTiion. 6ccres
have lost their eyesght ODg before they reached
middle life; many have lost their reason; some
hearty women have failed to bear their husbSDds
children; dozens Of people have become lame from
rheumatism, and countless other afictiOns have be-
set humanity from the creation Of onT first parents.
It is said the great Caesar bed ts the Irresistible
DemOsthenes was q stammerer; the polished and
eloquent Cicero was rail Of statue and did not have
any decisive cOnvietion. Napoleon was eupersttous:
Diogones lived in tUb ana searched for an honest
man with lighted lantern In broad daylight;
Burns drank immOdeIately; Bacon accepted bTibes;
Henry the English had cruel heart; Lincoln and
Gladstone both split rails; Lee and jackson wore
slouch bats Monroe became justice Of the peace
after be had eerved as Governor Of his state, United
State Senator and minister to foreign country, and
90 We might cite pecnarities Of great men almost ad
infnitum All Of Us have 10 die Of some disease or
accident or other means, and merely because gen.