The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-08-04
A Eugene Marriage
Proposal
By F. A Mitchell


Margaret Shelton had occupied the |
same position at the commencement
exercises at Smith. Both took prizes |
for scientific essays.
I'm almost sorry" she said. that
/ went to college"
why SOP
"Well, before entering I had some
pride In myself as a human being. /
regarded our species a little lower than
the angels Now I know that am
merely q fertilization Of atoms, built
to resist an enemy of microbes"
You mean various microbic en-
emies."
Eyes"
But you don't wish to be conquered
by any Of these armies, suppose"
mo. / don't"
"If we are to consider ourselves forti-
ieations we may take certain inter-
est In ourselves as such. We are
links in an endless chain of human
beings. Our ancestors ages ago began
to fight microbes that we might exist
In our present shape; shape superior
to theirs. Should one not be inter-
ested, indeed should it not be our duty
to take measures that our descendants
should be superior to us? Certainly not
inferiorT
you mean in a eugenic senseT
I'm part. A criminal should resist a
predisposition to crime"
How can he. since he is nothing
more than what his molecules have
made him?"
Granted. Is 1t. not then his duty as
a molecular fertilization to strengthen
the weak spots in his descendants"
81 presume so. But how can he do
this without reducing himself to the
level of stock farm principles?'
He may still be climber to greater
heights. Are not morals and intellect
hereditary"
She admitted this, and he went on:
Marriage based upon love alone is
not conducive to an advancing condi-
ton of a race. Take hundred such
cases and compare them with as many
based on monetary provision for
family, good health on both sides and
normal intellect on the part of the ia
| ther''-
"And mother"
Comparing the descendants Of the
first with the second hundred marriages
! one gets very different results. Those Of
the first are much inferior to those Of
the second"
But the romance, or, rather. the alb
sence of IT."
Romance is an unimportant, evanes-
cent condition. Take our alma ma
ter. Can one get better education
in Dartmouth or Wellesley than at
Brown or Smith because the former
have high sounding namesf"
Nevertheless have wished that
Miss Smith, who founded my alma ma
ter, had been Miss Cholmondeley."
"It would not have helped the matter.
The students would have called the col
lege Chumley. And II Nicholas Brown
had been Taliaferro the boys would
have shouted for Tolifer"
"And yet would not your Illustration
have been as effective in the words, "A
rose by any other name would smell as
sweetp"
'True. And what I am about to say
to you has been said more beautifully
by many lover than / shall say 1t.
But one should remember that the lover
may have been scrofulous and the lady
Of his love had weak heart"
| aOnxr1drtk N dafo0% ~
out the heart entirely?
II could, but you and act our parts
In an age when the world has awaken
ed to the fact that science is a bettel
presiding deity on engagements thar
cupid. Marriages have been made fol
various reasons beside love. an
thankful that live In period where
in science is preparing the way for {
race of beings far superior to any thu
world has known"
"And suppose a lovers proposal Il
a maiden will no longer be foreshadow
ed by gifts Of lovely flowers"
Instead, he will ask for list OF dis
eases hereditary in her family, ant
upon receiving it will furnish list o
those In his own blood"
rs there to be no expression of af
fectionT
mot until the catalogue Of disease
has been examined by the physician
Of both families, and 1t has been de
cided that In this and all other re
spects a marriage would not be to de
teriOrate but to elevate the race. WheI
all is settled transports will be in OF
der"
81 see. If the transports came first
in case the physicians report was ad
verse, the lovers would need to be I'm
transported"
Exactly"
There was silence between them TO
a time, when he added:
MAY 1 be honored by permission T.
call upon your family physician for al
exchange Of our pedigreesT'
: This is very sudden. May I no
. have time to considerT
Certainly, but there is nothing bind
iuo in thaGa r,ralinfnorfoc