YOUNG WOMEN MARTYRS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10319, 19 December 1896, Page 2 (Supplement)

YOUNG WOMEN MARTYRS.

A SOCIETY TO CHECK HEREDITARY .DISEASE. . '.ONLY HEALTH!' : MAY < MARRY, ■Tub Society for tho Prevention ;of. Here ditary Disease formed in Now York last March, Its president is Miss Alice Barnard, who lives lit No. 65, Easb Fiftyninth.street. Miss Bariiatd is yourig, and, in fact, admits just - hitting passed ' her twentieth birthday.' She is a prolloiinced blonde, and her yellow hair waves most unphilosophically ab either side of her face, while her eyes and smile oxptOss iiigeiiliblisness of the most undiluted sort. Miss Barnard does nob appear to bo a very Widely road young person or to have gained her theories from books. She is, so to speak, an inspired philosopher, This young Wolaali hue the entire responsibility for the origin and progress of the new enterprise, atid if New York ever finds that hereditary disease is a theory of the past; and that''whatever disease may manifest itself begins audi ends With its immediate victim; ib will ha.ve to look back and thank this nloit "advanced" young woman; <'■ The 5.8.U.1), slutlis publicity. It prefers to propagate its doctrines in a quiet and unobtrusive Way. Tho Utopia which these young people dream of is a most robust and healthy one, whole illness shall bo so rare as to bo interesting, and the most dreaded diseases of to-day shall bo unknown. In stating tho methods by svhiqh this is to bo brought about, Miss Barnard remarked: " Wo proposo to prevont hereditary disease by a very simple moans, lorsons With' any taint of inherited diseaso must nos! many, Wo cannot immediately persuade everyone of this, so wo havo begun by sotting an example. Twenty of us, men and women, the yotitigost of whom is eighteen and the oldest thirty-live, have formed (i society mid voweil never to marry a person whose family is subject to hereditary disease. . Marriage under these circumstances seems to Us ii frightful and a wicked thing,and we think that the least we can do is to begin by avoiding this crimu ourselves, Then, us others gradually got Our Idea and see its reasonableness, tho practice we objoct to may fall into disfavour,

lliis is what we beilovc ; That persons who marry awl become responsible for Other lives should feel it. their duty to make tlioso other lives as perfect as possible. All physical and mohtal characteristic;! are object to transmission, There/ore physical ailments, as well as frailtios ol character and disposition, should be avoidod so far as possiblo. Diseases that obtain a particularly strong hold upon a family, and that aro sooner or later almost inevitably transmitted, should constitute an insurmountable obstacle to marriage in tho case of the raoinborsofsiioliafainily.A'niainvliosogriiiid. father was insane or whoso father had consumption should regard entering into marriago as a positive crime." To tho ordinary person it will appear that there are difficulties in the way of carrying out this beautiful theory. What is to be done with foolish young people who fall in love where they should not, mid how may they be convinced of.their lolly? And how may the presence of an hereditary germ oven bo definitely determined, any way? One thinks of hundreds of difficult questions that might arise. But evidently Miss Barnard has thought of them, too. She rises superior to all sentimental considerations. "Of courso, it isn't always easy to decido those things," she admitted. But Wo bellevo that men and women nowadays aro not wholly subject to their emotions, but are willing to bo guided by their reason and a sense of duty. Every person who thinks or observes must acknowledge tho _ awful consequoncos of marriage that is contaminated by disease, and everyone ought to bo willing to do his best to prevent such consequoiicos in the future."

Miss Barnard was urged to tell how tho society began. "It started almost spontaneously," sho said, "and with a great (leal of enthusiasm. I have long thought upon this subject, and when I happened to mention my views to a number of my friends they agreed with me so thoroughly that wo decided to band together. That was last March; and, though wo were active in the spring, wo have, of course, been unable to meet during the summer, and we begin our winter's work in October! •Still, our work has already become pretty widoly known, and a great many loiters liavo come to us with requests for information, and oven application to join, Wo hops to start a good many branches in different places. In referring to tho admission of new mcmbors,. Miss Barnard chancod to confide the nature of the initiation ceremony, which is undoubtedly an extraordinary affair, i "It is original with us," she said. "The candidate is placed upon a raised dais in the centre of the room, and a strong is thrown on him from above. Then ho iB made to hold a Roligio-Modlca In ono hand tin(l un hour-glass (the emblem of slipping time) in rho other, and to repeat the vow. It is dreadfully solemn, and only ono has broken ic to far. Ono of our girl members murned a consumptive, and so, of courso, we hud to drupe her picture in black and '"V" 0 'I, 10 Wtt "" I don't think any others will follow her example. "Of oouivu, we do not know what tomptat Otis tho other members may hiWo had since they joined tho society. Persons aro likely to keep their romances to themsolves. But we all hold so firm convictions that I am sure wo would sacrifice our individual haoplness. Wo expoct. thai) difficult points will come up now and then, as when the taint of discaso inay be very slight, und the decision in such matters may have to rest with the society. Miss Barnard was asked if sho considered her idea original. " We nro not following any one leader alio answered, "ami our ideas aro based upon no especial book or treatise. 8 i far as I know, they aro our own as much as anybody s, and while I have read and hoard a good deal upon the subject, I do not trace my first interest in it to any one person or thing. Vot I realised that my ideas were not new Olios, and I had no expectation that our sooiety would be considered so in the light of n novelty as it lias boon. I onlv wonder that such a movement has never been started before. Our principle surely needs no argument to sustain it. To be sure, somo people have been disposed to mako fun of us a little, but we try not to mind that. All reformers liavo to be subject to it. When wo marry, we can do it with clear consciences; while those who join the society knowing that they aro tliemsolvos tainted and cannot marry, will liavo a still more sublime satisfaction in their sclfsacrinoe. " Some day wo hope to get laws passed that) oolnclde with our views. At present force" ' 1 ° f th ° B ° Ciety lUO tllo °" ly bl,lcllll K Tho opening sections of the. constitution of < tho I•H I), are as follows 'We, the members of this association, beliovo it to bo a crime against society and future genctacions for certain persons to marry. 1 " Wo oaoli solemnly pledge ourselves not to ontor into any matrimonial allianco with any person whoso family is subject to such heroditnrydisoasesas consumption,insanity or tho appetite for strong drinks, knowing that such individual is responsible for the physical perfection of hundreds yet un born.' 3 Tho officers are Miss \. Barnard president; W: Franklin Crockett, iun' vicepresident; J. D. Ohauncoy, secretaryMiss I, Fairfax, historian, '< • ■ y '