Milford chronicle., 1923-02-09
DAlIlIING THE FLOOD
(From Sunday Starl

|
In the midst of so many excellen
things contained in the message O
Governor William D. Denney to thC
Ninety-ninth General Assembly oi
Delaware, there is one remarkable
statement which thus far has receiV.
ed no comment, and, it would seem
has escaped observation. We refer to
a significant paragraph contained in
the section devoted to the State Board
of Charities.
This paragraph is as follows:
"The Board has also made
careful study of the question of
sterilization of feeble-minded per-
sons and by. it's endeavors four of
the inmates of Stockley, with the
consent of their relatives, were
operated on so that they mighE no
longer be a menace to society. I
strongly advise the Assembly to
consider most earnestly and IA
vorably what the Board Of Chari-
ties shall advocate regarding the
necessity of the sterilization of
the feeble-minded."
We are not aware at this time of
just what the Board of Charities will
recommend to the Assembly along
these lines. The important fact to
.Delawareans is that sterilization has
already been practiced on four of the
feeble-minded inmates of Stockley.
Such protective measures against
the contamination of society by the
unfit have long been advocated, not
only by eugenists, but by citizens who
have made no study of eugenics and
have formulated no particular theory
as to what is the best method of rails
ing the social, mental and physical
standards of civilization. So much has
this progressed that at present the
burden of proof that the unfit shall
continue to fill our almshouses, hos
pitfalls, prisons and welfare stations
with their progeny has been shifted to
those who oppose such measures and
who insist on detectives continuing to
breed detectives for society to take
care Of
We might well imagine, for the sake
of argument, that two of the inmates |
operated on at Stockley would have !
become counterparts of the famous |
Jukes sisters. The two Jukes sisters |
were ancestors for 1900 lives, of whom
7O9 have been traced and recorded. OF |
this number, 140 had been in prison /
and 2SO were paupers, while the re-
throughout were of low phys
ical and moral standards.
Or the Kallikak family, in which
young man of good family, through
two different women, became the an
cestor of 496 persons of good char
acter and 222 feeble-minded persons.
In this case, we see clearly the nor
nality of the young man struggling to
recover from the defective blood in
reduced through the feminine line.
Such a catastrophe may happen to
my normal person in Delaware, and
le or she may become the ancestor OF
host of feeble-minded.
Or the case of the Jonathan Edwards
amily of New England may be put in
contrast. Over 1870 of the descendants
# the normal Jonathan Edwards and
lis normal spouse, were persons above
he average in mental and moral
standards, and the balance up to the
verage.
Detectives, or feeble-minded per-
ons, breed their like There is no
this. 1t is the detectives in
arge measure who fill our asylums,
ospitals and jails. We have an in
vitable effect flowing from deter
lined cause. Shall anything be done
D stop the flow of contamination to
ociety?
This is the question which the Gov
mor's message and the action of the
of the hospital at Stockley
as raised for the consideration of
ne members of the General Assembly.
he operation effecting sterilization is
mple and is classed as minor one.
he action of the legislators will be
waited with interest.