Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-06-19
MARRIAGE
LAWS ARE URGED
Recorder BroyIes Would Have
Georgia Require a Stringent
Physical Examination.

That race suicide is too prevalent
among the rich and children entirely
too abundant among the poorer classes, 4
and that this condition is serving to fill
the jails and penitentiaries, is the opin-
ion of Recorder Nash Broyles. who
urges that the forthcoming legislature
should pass stringent laws governing
marriage
Lack of proper restrictions on matri-
mony, says Judge Broyles. is one of our
greatest evils. For one thing. he de-
cares, the failure to require a clean
bill of health from participants In we'd
ded bliss is causing an alarming spread
of disease throughout the country Tu-
berculoss and other contagious dis
eases flourish through the careless spir-
it concerning marriage, he says. and as
result thousands and thousands of
the innocent offspring of infected par
ents are imperiled
Judge Broyles asserts that the legis-
lature could do no more humane thing
and could enact No more important leg
islation than to pass law compelling
thorough physical examination of all
persons before marriage.
Sees Much Suffering.
The marriage of persons infected
with contagious diseases is one of the
great perils of the country today. and
it is high time that Georgia should do
her part in combating it" says the re-
corder. In my capacity as police
judge, have come in contact with so
much human suffering and misery that
regard this matter as a burning prob
lem"
Judge Broyles also thinks it would
be an advantaga if law could be
passed requiring a man to show that
he is amply able to support wife and
children before he is allowed to marry,
but says it would be difficult to carry
the regulations to this extent
It was in this connection that the
recorder asserted that children are too
few among the wealthy and too abun-
dant among the poor
Those people who are able to prop
erly care for children and educate them,
so as to develop them into intelligent,
substantial citizens, are the ones who
should give to the world children in
great numbers l don't mean by this
solely millionaires, but the great mass
of people who are in good circum-
stances and able to rear children.
Takes Issue With r. r..
Il think there should be consider
able let up among the very poor classes,
which, as every one knows, are 80 pro
life in children. No parents should
want to bring children into the world
unless they are perfectly able to give
the children the proper training and
prepare them for usefulness and right
eousness It's a mighty hard thing to
place a child here to grow up ignorant
and vicious and to have to almost fight
for it's breath in the battle with the
world.
1T is this class of children, whose
parents are unable to educate, train
and care for them that are growing
up in the streets and in viciousness,
only to become criminals and undesir-
able citizens. The inability and failure
of parents to care for their offspring is
filing our jails and penitentiaries and
furnishing victims for the gallows to-
day | am compelled to take issue with
Roosevelt on this race suicide propo-
sition. We want plenty of children, but
we also want them under the care of
parents who have the means of proper
ly rearing them.