The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-01-27
FEEBL EMINDEDNESS is
PROBLEM BEFORE STATE
Scientific Discussion Tonight Be Led by Eminent American
Authority Before Legislators and
AGenists in Virginia.

VIII be discussed by DIR. Amos w.
Feters, of vineland, N. j.. one of The
<oI einost of the country's authorities
on the subject of mental inf1rmities.
The meeting will be begun at $50
o'clock. and will be attended by mem
bers of the general assembly and sew
eral of the most eminent of Virginia's
experts in mental conditions, In addi-
ton to the members of the academy
and citizens.
The paper to be presented by DIR.
Peters is on the theme: Some Prac-
teal Considerations on the Problem of
the Predetermined and Their Scientific
Basis"
superintendent of. and others con-
nected with, the States Institutions for
the care OF the feebleminded. epileptics
and insane, who will be present in
clude Drs. Drewry, Brown, King. DE
Jarnette and Priddy. -
On the subject of the problem of
feeblemindedness. now seriously con-
fronting the lawmakers of the State
and of the nation. the following paper
has been prepared for The virginian:
FeebIemindedness.
Every age in the history of the
human race has had its own problem
to meet and to overcome. The past
Numbered years saw slavery perish.
the century before had been devoted
to the destruction of the tyranny of
kings, but with each advance has
come a new problem to be met and
overcome.
The perishing of slavery has left us
with the race problem. the arrival of
democratic government has brought
It's problems of graft and inefficiency,
which must be met and which are
being met.
So, too, with that greatest of all ad
vances. the doctrines of mercy, taught
by Jesus of Nazareth. which have
shown us that the unfit, as we'll as
the fit. are entitled to Justice and
kindness And the problem that this
knowledge has brought In Its train
Is. to be kind. to be just. but how
in this kindness and justice are we
to prevent the multiplication of these
detectives. The modern thought In
and out Of church declares there is
but on way. The Rev. W. A. Cooper
meet this, the greatest problem Of
modern life, or we are false to the
teachings of The Master. The feeble
minded must be segregated"
Feeble mindedness may be defined
as a state wherein the subjects mind
has been retarded in its development
to such an extent that he Is able to
perform only such mental processes as
may be performed by a child four
years his Junior, and not over the age
of twelve, for 1t Is at about the latter
age that the human mind has de-
veloped structuraily as far as 1t prob
ably will develop.
Is Lake n Child.
It is said by men like Davenport
Goddard and Peters that were we to
entirely eliminate feeble mind edness
we would have nearly solved all So
cial disorders. They point out that
it is eeble-mindedness and its at
tendant inability to resist tempta-
ton that produces most drunkenness,
nearly all prostitution, all the inmates
of aimshouses, half the population of
the 3ails. and that to this class belong
that most unfortunate of all classes.
the man and woman. who, appearing
normal TO others, Is unable to COM
pete with the world of adults because
he Is merely child SO far as his
mind Is concerned.
This dread scourge of the race
which with each generation as 81
lently and surely creeping upon the
entire population as quick as sand
slowly but surely engulfs its victim
has been divided into three main
classes. idiots. or those who are cap
able of thoughts OF two-year old
child: imbeciles. who can think as
does a child of seven. and morons,
who range from eight to twelve years
of age in their mental development
The frst-eIass are of negligible
importance socially. for ii Is seldom
that these pro create. So, too, with
the low grade imbeciles, but with
the higher imbeciles and the morons
society must deal, or society will be
dealt with by them.
The celebrated family of the
"Jukes' have been investigated
thoroughly. and 1t has been shown
where the State of New York has
spent more than a million dollars in
the past century in criminal. asylum,
poorhouse and other such expenses,
minded women. They have produced
thieves. paupers, hariots. murderers.
drunkards and dope fiends. but not
one valuable citizen.
Virginia Has One Family.
There Is one such family in Vir-
GINA, which has furnished constant
ly at least one inmate of the peni-
Tertiary since the first day that the
doors were open. There Is another
Jukes. a chart OF which appears on
this page Speaking of this family,
DR.. J. r. Mastin said
Feeble minded persons pro-create
more rapidly than do normals. and
the trait OF feeble mindedness per-
sists much more surely than does any
other trait There is no instance
known in which a normal child has
been produced by two feeble minded
parents, though sometimes where only
one parent is feeble-minded the de-
feet will skip a generation. From a
study OF the Jukes. and Of the KALI
kak families. we know that II this
family Is allowed to pro-create with
out interruption. the State will spend
more in the care and custody Of its
members alone in three generations,
than would be necessary now to
properly provide for every feeble
minded child known to be within
this State. This Is true. not only
because In this instance like will
surely beget like. but because II prop
eriy segregated, the members OF this
I family who are more rTariy normal
/ than were some of the Jukes. can be
not only happy and decent and live
lives of Cleanliness but they can be
SO guarded and guided that they can
be made nearly self-supporting and
Of practically little expense If they
are permitted to remain at large,
they will not only add in geometrical
| progression to the burdens of the
State. but will not produce nearly
enough for their own upkeep."
The Kallikak family mentioned
above are the descendants OF one