Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-06-21
CIergymen All Over Country
Join Movement to Check
Spread of Vile Diseases

Honolulu ministers who have de-
eidcd not TO marry men unless they
can show a clean bill of health are
upheld by the example of steadily
growing number of pastors on the
mainland. According TO late statistics
3lae8 clergymen, repTeSenting over H.
ministerial associations. have adopte
the same plan and the New York
Times says that their action is taken
ito safeguard the integrity Of the race
and the home by sDre2dingr education-
al matter before their. congregations
md TO insist on the presentation of
a health certificate fTGm: a reputable
physician to the effect that t hose
whom they are to marry have neither
an incurable nor communicable dis
ease" A similar plan is under corr
s;deratiGn by the Protestant Bp;seopai
clergy of New. York state, Ingfact.
as the Times remarks hardly a week
passes that the news does not irfciu.tei
the announcement of sofnea minister
that he will solemniZe no more mar
riages the would-be parties to which
do not present assurances from leonl-s
petent authority of their fitness to as
sumo the responsibilities hitheftod az
ways, and still usually, undertaken in
hghtness and ignorance" tits II no.
table fact" says the Times, that cler-
gymen are the leaders in proving sin
cere belief in the principles which
have developed from the bbSarYations
Of the Gallon school and the more
definite and accurate deductions Of
the Mendelians.' This paperut CEN
tinueS: . i.lIsf. 81
1t is, of course, as, showing a ten
deney, rather than as accomplishing
results, that these annonncementsa are
imeortant and significant. Whoever
will can still get naFried} anywhere.
regardless Ct the consequences to
themselves and others, and the end
ing of, this dangerous FACILITY seems
remote, but progress tstireslly mahing,
and the leaders of it are Of a quality
10 yinficate the innovation from the
charges formerly SUPPOSED to be a
Sufficient. answer to its advocates.
AT any rate. not much more, viii.
lie heard about thu gpagined and q
sSumed extension of stack-farm meth
eds to human beings That phrase.
has been as effective, and with as
little reason, against the eugenists as
vas the refusal to believe that niei
are descended from monkey s---which
no Darwin ever asserted against the
epolutionists Well as it is that cler
gyluen should accept and heed eugene
truths and better stillgas it Will be
when the state acts upon them, as it
must sooner or later. best of all woulG
be such a wide. spreading Of informa-
ticn and intelligence among the pui
lie that no compuEsioni of any kind
would be necessary .Edr that the mil
lenium will probably have to be await
ed Yet. without any laws to. forbid
the unfitness of certain marriages
once common. has become obvious to
SO many that they are almost un-
known" 49, - e. ~
In another issue of the same paper
Mr. Edward Marshall reports an in
teryiew with the Rev. Charles K. Gil
bert, executive secretary CT the Social
service Commission of the diocese of.
New York, in the course OF which this
Protestant Episcopal clergyman says
that Dean Summers plan is IAN inter
esting outgrowth of the earnest
thought upon this general subject
which today is growing everywhere"
But: ~~ ". >>.~ -:
There are probably almost. insur-
mountable difficulties attending the
enforcement Of state law requiring
this These difficulties constitute one
Of the objections most .peTsistentIy Of
fered in the several states where leg
islation CT the sort. is pending. An
other obstacle, in the belief of many,
is that extreme care would be essen
tial to its administration without graft.
- Here in New York state a plan de-.
signed to accomplish similar results
was embodied in the Duhamei bib,
.---------
=