Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1910-08-18
URGES STATE
SUPERVISION
OF PHYSICAL CONDITION OF AP-
PLICANTS FOR MARRIAGE
LICENSES


LICENSES
DR.. ]. Gassick secretary of the
state board of health takes up an i'm
portant question in the current issue
Of the state health bulletin, that of
the control of epileptics and feeble
minded, and it also touches on other
subjects which it appears would be
brought before the state legislative
assembly for consideration next win
ter.
There Is another problem in our
social pathology worthy of atatention.
We have an estimated population in
our state of epleptics and feeble
minded of about 1900. OF these
about $50 are cared for at our state
institution at Grafton, leaving 1850
without care or supervision outside
Of the ordinary rules of society. 1t
has been found that this class are on
the increase and unless the state ex-
ercise it's right to curtail in some
way tn production of the unfit there
will ultimately result such burden
on charity and on society that they
will be overtaxed. This is one OF
the conditions in which heredity
plays an important part. In the
cases admitted to our own institu-
tion fifty per cent with t his as a
causative agent can be directly trac-
ed. When we consider that the fam
lilies of the feeble minded are nearly
twice as numerous as are those of
normal Individuals the far reaching
effect of this problem becomes obvi-
GUS. Our duty to care for these un-
fortunates should be coupled with our
right to regulate their propagation
by methods beyond the control of the
affected individuals. All states have
some restriction as to marriage. A
few have very stringent regulations.
Michigan and Connecticut forbid the
marriage of epileptics. Indiana has
gone further perhaps than any other
state in this direction. It extends
the prohibition to all persons suffer-
ing from transmissable diseases Of
any sort and in 1907 provided that
confirmed criminals, imbeciles, idiots
and rapists be unsexed-surgically.
Under this law about l 1000 have been
sterilized to date. Oregon has de-
fined confirmed criminal as one who
was serving his third term. In
North Dakota we have a law forbid
ding the marriage Of whites and ne
groes. How much better it would
have been had the restriction been
placed upon the class of degenerates
we have been considering.
Summing matters up would sug-
gest as remedies:
II. The prevention of marriages
of detectives.
''2. Custodial care of majority Of
cases.
s'3. A sexualization of selected
cases.
Nor would I confine the restriction
of marriages to he foregoing classes.
/ believe that those affected with the
so-called social diseases should be
barred from the privileges of mar
riage. The fact that forty per cent
of all cases of blindness and seventy
per cent of all special surgical opera
tions on women are directly or indi
rectly the result of infection from one
of these diseases, and that the deaths
Of untold thousands of unborn or
newly born infants, and the lifelong
taint of disease upon the children
who do live, are due to another of
those diseases, should be arguments
enough, for the state to demand con-
troll. The man who approaches the
altar should be made to feel
that he must do so with clean bill
of health or, as the lawyers say,
Come to court with clean hands.
Once let it be realized that physical
standard will be demanded, and that
would be more effective
for morality among young men than
teaching and moralizing."
THE SELECTION OF SEED CORN
For next springs planting is one
Of the important subjects for farmers
to consider now, and to keep in mind
until the opening Of seed corn week.
18th. Moisture in the
corn is dangerous. It is important
that all of 1t be evaporated quickly.
The experts at the university farm
say this can be best achieved through
q free circulation Of afr around each
ear. Husks should be OF Of seed
ears before October LIST. to provide
ample time for them to dry out be-
fore freezing weather. In long spells
Of wet weather q little artificial heat