Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-02
MINISTER'S REAFFIRM
STAND ON WEDLOCK
OF CLOSE RELATIVES
Assert Experiments With Rats
Cannot Serve as Basis for
Radical Conclusions on
Marriage
ROYAL FAMILIES CITED

Possibilities that revolutionary dis
turbance in the whole theory of human
marital relationship would occur as a re-
suit of the announcement of DR.. Helen
d. King, a research worker In the Wis
tar Institute of Anatomy and Biology at
the University of Pennsylvania, that
through the interbreedlng Of 21 genera
tions of white rats she obtained race
Of rats that was 30 per cent. better
physically than the race she started with,
caused much comment and discussion in
clerical circles in this city yesterday.
Practically none of the olergymen be-
lieved that the announcement would
bring about a change In the statutes
regulating marriage and prohibiting the
marriage of close relations. They be-
lieved that the entire civilized world
would revolt against such marriages and
that the moral code of the world was
too high to even entertain thoughts Of
such marriages, even though science
should prove that they would tend to
produce a superman.
Few of the pastors and prominent d.
vines of the city who discussed the ques-
ton of relatives intermarrying believed
that the world would ever seriously con-
slider the mating of close relatives. And,
while some of them questioned whether
or not the mating OF close relatives would
result In a stronger race, as in the case of
the white rats, which Doctor King proud
ly exhibits In Wistar Institute, few
would take issue with the research worker
since they contended that that was a
matter for medical and scientific experts
to pass judgment upon.
The Rev. Dr. william H. Roberts,
stated clerk Of the Presbyterian General
Assembly. and one of the most prominent
clergymen in. the United States, said:
THE intermarriage of close relatives
would bring about a deterioration OF the
race. The best proof of this are some
of the royal families of Europe. do not
think there is any danger of a change in
the present marriage system. Civilized
man would revolt against intermarriage
of relations because of that something
within him which controls his conscience.
The Rev. Clarence Edward Mccartney,
pastor of the old Arch Street Presbyte-
rian Church. said that he did not think
the civilized world would consider the
possibility of the intermarriage of close
relatives seriously.
THE moral fence" said Mr. Mccartney.
could not be broken down to permit such
a thing. In this country and in other
civilized countries there is too much feel
ing of repulsion against the intermarriage
of close relatives to permit It to come
with the sanction of the law and the
church. II such a condition should ever
exist, although 1 am not fearing that
1t ever will, all the happiness that comes
through life and the romance that adds
to the joys of the home would be killed.
Love and romance in the home mean
everything to the proper rearing of the
child. We all know of the unfortunate
condition OF children reared In homes in
which there Is no love between the par
ents. II there was an indiscriminate in
termarriage of close relatives the people
would live together like a lot of animals.