The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-07-25
TWO FAMILIES

Genealogles, like statistics, may be
very dull reading, or they may be a
source of pride, or a thing, to ponder
on. Statistics are usually things that
are useful to editorial writer's. About
them may be said, 1t is a serious CON-
mentary,' or in the last analysis or
we point out that in such and such a
year
Now is our chance. Two geneal-
ogies have come up on the f1otsam
and jetsam of printed matter that
rushes through a newspaper ONCE.
Therefore we say 1T is a serious CON-
mentary" that lin the last analysis"
the fact that in 17o3 and 1870 two men
men were born tthey subsequently
married and had families. Most gen
ealogies are only interesting to their
owners We fancy that these have
some interest to others.
Jonathan Edwards was born in 1903
ct East Windsor. Connecticut. Max
Jukes was born in New York state n
l7oO.
But It is their families that we are
concerned with. The Edwards family
represents the highest type in Amer
ica-the Jukes family the lowest. In
one hundred and seventy-five years
the histories of the two families are
something very like sermon for
Americans.
There Is one saying that the wicked
shall flourish as the green bay tree,
and another that the way of the trans
gressor is hard. Be that as it may, of
the descendants of the original Max
Jukes something like 1900 of them
were identified as having been in
mates of charitable and penal institu-
lions up to 1874. Not one Of them has
ever been known to have held an Of
fce of trust or to have been in the
service of his country.
As a matter of fact each Of them
cost the society of his time something
like thousand dollars that can be &C
counted for. and probably great deal
more that can not be accounted for.
That mounts up to $1,25O.Oo0 Three
hundred and ten were in poor houses
three hundred died in childhood, four
hundred and forty were viciously dis
eased, fifty were prostitutes. seven
were murderers, sixty were habitual
thieves, and hundred and thirty odd
were convicted now and then for va.
rious criminal pursuits. The rest
were shiftless or worse. Such was the
family Of Max Jukes.
The Edwards family was little bet
ter off. Thirteen hundred OF the des-
cendants of Jonathan Edwards were
identified in 1900. Two hundred and
ninety five of them were college grad
yates. thirteen were college presidents
Of the greatest institutions in the land
sixty-fve were professors in colleges
sixty of them were physicians. hun
bred or SO were clergymen, seventy.
Ave we're officers in the army and
navy, sixty were prominent authors
and writer's, one hundred we're lawyers
eighty had held public Office. one was
vice president. and three were United
States senators. There were besides
these several governors, members OF
congress. mayors, trainers OF state
constitutions, and ambassadors to for.
eign courts. Not one was convicted OF
crime.
In these cross-sections Of human life
the Human Comedy, that is as we
are wont to say "a serious comment
ary." Yet who shall know how muca
OF heredity and how much of environ
ment there was in all this? Does her.
edity make environment or environ.
ment heredity, or both? Is the way OF
the transgrcssor hard, or does he flour
ish as the green bay tree?