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TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, TORTLAXD, JANUARY 1, 1922
sf ouriding New I heory I har
Men Sbuld Marraleir Sister
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Si, Helen Dean Kins, university faculty member, advocates the . Inter
marriage of close kin.
Dr. Helen King, After Years
of Scientific Research and
Laboratory Experiment With
Animals, Declares She Has
Proved That Blood Marriages
Would Produce a Superior
Race, and Tells Some of the
- Reasons Why.
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The rata In the upper picture are progeny of inbreedlns; carried through rodent generations equivalent to 13 cen
turies of human life. The rodents below vrere not Inbred. 3ote how Inferior they are to those vthere the
life stream was not mixed.
Reproduction of Haas Makart's Cleopatra. She was the last Ptolemy, a line which practiced
"Inbreedlns with selection." Is the new cal fitness of the individuals but also
theory of eugenics -which Dr. Helen Dean on tneir recorded pedigree for gen-
ratin. solutely forbidden
produce a vigorous race," she says in to the unfit, the surest means of im-
arffect.
or your
nlMnra a nri nprnotnutA
line. Be sure, however, that you prevent which the members show exceptional
defectives from marrying at all. mental and physical endowment in
Dr. King
r.lAntifia RnalOKV.
ducted experiments with rata. she has and to the community at large,
carried the process of close inbreeding It was tnia bojd , Bummary that
down through innumerably successive gen- .v.
eratlons. After reaching a point analogous created the sensation among the
to 1200 years of human life, she has pro- theologians, the doctors and the law-
duced a rat much bigger and much sound- BiveP. not to SDeak of the common
"marry your sister, your brother proving the race will be through con
cousln. By doing this you con- r . sit i-
and perpetuate the virtues of your "anguineous marriages in families In
e, however, that you prevent which the members show exceptio
m marrying at all." mental and physical endowment
supports her argument with , t - , A i
logy. For years she has con- ways that are of value to themsel
tist. And do not lose sight of the
fact that Dr. King is one of the few
women in the world to hold a full pro
fessorship in research work.
Nor does Dr. King take herself too
seriously. She has plenty of time for
social life and for sports. She de
lights in parties,' knows how to tell
a good story, reads the U.test novels,
finds Joy in detective tales, attends
consanguineous marriage.
the movies, knows more about base
ball than most men, and sometimes
goes fishing. She knows more about
rats than most biologists because she
takes a real interest in them. Some
of them she calls by name. She knows
all about their great - great grand
fathers.
And, aftar all, there isn't much dif
ference between a race of rats and us.
Dr. King has discovered that we are
wrong in saying there are more
females than males produced. It is
Just the reverse, and this is true with
rats; 107 males to 100 females. Also,
the female has greater power of re
sistance with humans as with rats;
more males die soon after birth than
females. The rat shows a propor
tionate decline with humans. Rats
are on the other eide of the hill at
an age that corresponds with 40 yean
in the human kind.
How Inbreeding Works Out.
Dr.- King has bred - rats down
through generations that might cor
respond with 1200 years for the
human race, and she has found thai
inbreeding did not show any injurious
results. Here are her views on the
subject:
"Inbreeding invariably brings to
light the latent characters that were
hidden by outbreeding; it cannot from
its very nature introduce any new
characters into the stock. Random
matings in an inbred stock will not
suppress the undesirable traits, but
if only the superior individuals are
permitted to breed, the unwanted
trait9 in, the stock gradually can be
eliminated, if linkage does not exist,
and the' will not reappear unless
through mutation, because the germ
plasm of the stock no longer will con
tain the genetic factors on which
these traits depend.
"Inbreeding with selection thus be
comes a powerful agent to purify
stock, to bring about a concentration
of desirable traits and to eliminate
serious detects. It is through, inbreed
ing combined with skillful selection
that the most celebrated breeds of
animals have been evolved.
"Man i9 subject to the same laws
of heredity a the rest of the organic
world. Xot only feeble - mindedness,
epilepsy and insanity, but also gen
eral mental efficionajr and marked
ability in music, in art and in litera
ture undoubtedly arc transmitted
from generation to generation, ac
cording to the same Mendelian laws
that govern the inheritance of the
color of hair and eyes.
"History shows us that tho preju
dice against consanguineous mar
riages, which has persisted from the
beginning of the Christian era, did not
exist among the early nations, and
that such marriages were common for
centuries among the Greeks, riroenl
cians, Jews, Peruviana and Kgyptians.
One of the longest of known human
pedigrees is that of the royal rtole
mies of Egypt, noted for its close in
breeding; brother and sister mar
riages being very frequent. There is
no evidence that consanguineous mar
riages were injurious to-any of tho.se
nations. The decline of the Greeks
and Egyptians came when they ceased
to be an exclusive peoplo and the
vigor of the race was sapped by vices
and luxuries introducel from other
lands."
er than any of his forebears. This rat, "she
says, is the result of a successive inbreed
ing of brother and sister.
BY ROBERT B. VALE.
R. HELEN DEAN KING, who has
startled other scientists with her
D
variety of man and woman who
viewed Inbreeding as something fear
ful and awful. Biologists were in
tensely interested. From all parts of
the world came requests for her
views and a record of her experi-
quiet assurance in, declaring ments. Skeptical and prejudiced per-
READING SIGNBy Kenneth B. Clarke
that consanguineous marriages are
eugenically sound, is a very human
young woman who likes baseball and
dime novels and who doesn't care a
rap what prudish folk may say about
her or her theories.
sons cried "bqsh," npt knowing that
Miss King had, by her great ability,
unusual fund of knowledge- and keen
analytical mindmade a place for her
self. She is a graduate of Vassar.
For a few years she had charge of
the research work at Bryn Mawr. It
tcntion of the authorises of he Uni
versity of Pennsylvania and was in
duced to join the faculty.
Thirty Generations of Rats.
She began her experiments with
four rats. Today she has a colony
numbered by the tens of thousand.
Each generation is pedigreed. There
is a record of the physical develop
ment and, in so far as is possible, a
She has spent more than eight years was there that she attracted the at-
Invcstigahting the subject of in
breeding; studying cause and effect
through scores of generations of ani
mals. When she arrived at the con
clusion that intermarriage between
members of the same family can pro
duce a better race of humans, it was
not a hasty, half-baked decision. She
is regarded at the University of Penn
sylvania as a woman of unusual
ability and she already has an inter- record of the brain quality. There is
national standing. one colony of more than 100 rats, each
The world has believed since Bibli- on showing a defective eye. Some
cal days that it is wrong for brother have small eyes, some have one large
and sister, pousin and cousin, uncle nd ne small eye. The reason is that
and niece to marry. In many lands they have been bred from mothers
laws have been passed to prevent such with defective eyes,
unions. And now comes Miss Helen There are rats in the King labora
King to say tnat by interbreeding tory with verified pedigrees going
small animals sue has produced a,back to the 30th generation. All of
ettcr type. It is rery upsettlsh. ' to the traits of the families have been
say the least; quite improper, accord- followed and charted. It has been a
Ing to the view oi the populace. Most tond tradition among breders of ani
cf her tests have been made with rats. mals that Interbreeding will produce
nd conservatice persons refuse to runts. This is not true. Dr. King
place the human race on a par with has developed through interbreeding
rodents. the largest rat known. It was given
. Dr. King is not arbitrary. She has, the name "Goliath" and was the prod
as is the way with true scientists, uct of the seventh breedin-g of brother
placed the results of her experiments and sister. Ho was nearly twice the
before the thinking world and she is size of the average white rat. Of
quite ready to accept the deductions course, it is true that if runts are
of those who can prove that she is bred with runts a stunted progeny
mistaken. For the present she stands will be produced. But if the physical-
cn this declaration: ly perfect and the mentally sound
"When the time comes that mar- are bred, a higher type will result.
riato is based not-only n the.. .pbysi--according to taia noted-womao acien- .
(Qontlnued From Page .1)
cance of that little plain band on her
finger.
Lanham was stirred as shehad not
stirred him before. It was not the
music it was not the mere charm of
things sweet to the senses; some
where at thd source of these outward
expressions lay something fine and
beautiful yet undiscovered. It was
the mystery of this hidden something
that moved him as one is impelled-tp
search out and know the flower that
drifts unwonted perfume across a
path.
If Helen knew of the disturbance
within Lanham she gave no sign out
wardly. Her attention was devoted
largely to a daily period of Btudy and
reading with Don. Birds and flowers
were game that these two hunted
with little books during their hours
in the saddle. Her evenings with
Lanham passed in the same gracious,
impersonal, friendly way that had
marked their beginning-.
But an event of the following fall
brought disturbance on her own ac
count, filling her with vague uneasi
ness." It was a telegram from Bar
clay of the New York office, stating
that he was traveling eastward from
theiwest coast and would stop off to
see Lanham about some affairs at the
mines.
As Helen Maitland of those days in
the office she had seen mildly an
noyed by intermittent but persevering
attentions of the complacent young
secretary. As Helen Lanham she
shrank from another meeting with
peculiar aversion. And the thought
that Barclay, with his inquisitive,
smug little analytical habits of mind,
might pry under the surface relation
ship of her marriage to Lanham made
her flush with ready resentment.
- Barclay was received by Lanham
with the cordiality of the -frontier
home. He accepted an invitation to
remain for a couple of weeks and have
a try at the' quail shooting. A camp
ing trip was planlcd, and with, a, cook
and two of the punchers they made
a party of seven for a ride into the
hills.
Two things impressed Barclay im
mediately: One was open astonish
ment, and the other with curious
wonder. The first was the change
that had been wrought in Helen
both in looks and in the Interests to
which she gave her attention. It was
difficult for him to reconcile her with
the repressed professional . woman of
those other days.. The rather strik
ing good features she had before were
now awake 'with life and colorful
beauty. It was a new experience to
hear her laughter. What had been
her attraction before was now mag
netic. The other thing to cause wonder
and arouse a speculative interest in
him was Lanham's strange bearing
toward this woman he had sought so
impetuously. The. man's attitude was
almost that of avoidance. What could
have cooled his ardor was more than
Barclay could imagine, in view of his
own impressions of the young wife.
At camp be found things the same
way between them; the woman
friendly, attentive, evenly sweet tem
pered ;the man quiet, courteous, but
stoically undemonstrative and aloof.
"That eastern guy," remarked Bud
to Al Lawley over the woodpile, "don't
stack up with me no higher than
paint on a stone floor. I don't like
"his damn white little hands, an' I
don't like the look of them button
eyes o' bis when he looks at her."
"I kinda been feelin' the interest
he's takin' in quail ain't hardly up
to huntin' standard. An' I been feelin
the interest the Chief is takin' in him
ain't hardly up to what he'd ought
take In a stranger startin' a brandin'
fire on his range." ,
( "Meanin'7" asked Bud, gratingly.
"I reckon Milt has got you about
right you ain't delicate, too much."
"Now, there yuh go! Yon an Milt
an' delicate! You make me ache in
my thoughts, You -do a. beap,. look,
in' an' can't see nothin' fer the view.
You got heads, an'.thejrYe just knobs
to keep yuh from slippin' down
through your clothes. They couldn't
no one even think crooked about her
in the sign language without I'd
crawl him as quick as any one. I'm
talkin' about men. Here's the pore,
spunky little crittur puttin' it through
out'here alone, turrounded by a herd
of men. An' look at 'em! Those that
ain't just sprung-kneed cow hands is
either a stubborn, buck-jumpin' son-of-a-gun
that won't hitch or a creep
In', coyote slinkin' up In the grass.
Now, that mayn't be delicate enough
to suit you, but it's facts."
In the light of Al's commentary,
Bud watched the trend of affairs
more closely. It was not difficult to
see that the Chief acted queerly. He
threw short, like a new rope, in the
woman's presence. There wasn't any
thing hearty about his companionship
with her; he took a lot of trouble to
see that she was comfortable, but
he let it stop at that. "Well, doggone
me!" Bud muttered
And then he noticed that the east
erner kept making little plays to talk
with the woman alone; and that she
kept finding ways to ride with him ,
Budi or to sit near the Chief in the
evenings or to keep Don beside her.
"Well, doggone me!" Bud declared.
But with patience Barclay awaited
his opportunity, and an hour came
when the others were drawn away
on various affairs.
"What an experience it has been
for you," he mused, with a vague ges
ture indicating the west in general.
Helen, seated with her knitting on
the fragrant needle carpet under a
yellow pine, freed a length of yarn
from her workbag and answered
lightly:
"With not an association of Mie old
life carried over!"
"And yet without fulfillment of the
new.". He -cast up at her a shrewd,
searching gaze from where he lolled
atifer feet. "Why pretend?'.' he con
tinued. "Two might carry it off to
gether but one cannot alone."
"Very well," she answered; "let us
not pretend. Just what is it that you
have in mind?"
"I can't put it into its proper verse
exiujtly, but something about a flow
er 'unseen, and desert air and all
that. You left us rather precipitately
back there quite a Jolt you gave us.
But that aside. It has been an expe
rience, but under the circumstances
it must have been also Somewhat of
an experiment; one, I am forced to
assume well, let us say as I said be
foreshort of fulfillment."
"You assume readily. Under the cir
cumstances might we not say that
almost you presume?"
"You forget. We are not pretending.
L'm telling you what I see. You say
that none of the old associations are
carried over. I get your point. You
have been avoiding me for a week,
and you wish to have me believe that
my old interest In you can no longer
be entertained "
"Was it ever entertained?" she in
terrupted. "Doesn't it mean something to a
woman to have an interest mani
fested?" he returned with warmth.
"The position you are placed In here
Is intolerable. And 'position de
scribes it about as I see it."
"So you would suggest my resign
ing? And I may have my old position
back?"
"Look here, Helen. Face the facts.
What your feeling may be you suceed
admirably in concealing. He does not
do so well. For some reason that
heaven only knows, he does not care.
He "
"He is coming now," ehe broke in.
"See along the trail through the
pinons. May I tell him how you feel
about it or will you?"
"No for I suppose, according to
western ethics and in a glorified atti
tude of outraged egotism, he would
start killing me with his six-shooter."
"You speak of it as though It would
be a sort of drawn out process. With
a revolver his technique is a marvel
of dash and precision."
A semblance of casual interest had
been re-established by. the tUna Lat
ham came .up to their resting place;
but that night, when Lanham walked
with her to her tent carrying a lan
tern, Helen saw Barclay's eyes fixed
upon them from the campfire. She
would have given, she knew not what,
Just then, for a tender. Jovial word of
goodnight under that man's gaze. She
could have begged on her knees to
this constrained, inflexible man iit her
side to take her in his arms and kiss
her lips that once. But Lanham
gravely gave a look to the water
bucket, the tent ropes, lifted the flap
for her to enter, and with a low
spoken wish that she sloep well lie
hung the lantern on the polo hook
and strolled back to the fire.
Tears of humiliation and helpless
ness blurred her uncertain gaze as
she tugged at her boot laces. The
dark, shrewd eyes of the loiterer hnd
seen one thing too clearly, with tl!
of his lack of comprehension: the in
complete fulfillment, emptiness, where
her life all but brimmed over in
repletion.
On the third day after their home
coming, in the early afternoon, Al
Lawley returned unexpectedly to thn
corrals to replace a lamed horse. He
found Barclay struggling with the
harness of his hired team and making
botched work of hitching the restive
ponies to his buckboard. Tho-man
traveling bags and overcoat were
piled back of the soat. Ho glanced
sharply at Lawley with furtive ex
pression of dismay, but quickly cov
ered his confusion by frankly asking
for help. Lawley finished the hitch
ing for him without comment, but
watched Barclay covertly and with
the alert suspicion which goes with
instinctive dislike.
Barclay lingered about tho buck
board while tho cowboy caught up
another horse and threw on his sad
dle. With a feeling of relaxed ten
sion he watched the man ride away.
In tho big room Barclay found
Helen where he had left her an hour
before. She was attaching some
pressed flowers to labeled cards for
Don's botany flics. The' boy ho had
seen earlier, playing about his rabbit
hutch. Dropping into a deep chair(
tCuouidOed ou l'a J.)