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My Dear T'iiiENDS : It always gives me pleasure to respond to the .' /itation of the members of the Literary St)cietyof Kendall Gr en ; and it will always be my object in addressing you to choose subjects that will be of interest and importance to you in your future Hves. You have come together here from every part of the United States to receive in the National College for Deoi- Mutes that higher education which you cannot obtain in tlie States from which you cnme. In a very little while— it may bo in one year, or two years, or more — you will sepai-ate from one another, and each go back singly to the places from which you came to begin the battle of life. You will go out into the great world, the world of hearing and speaking people ; a world of people who cannot spell upon their fingers or make signs. Ai'e you prepared for that change, and what is to be your position in that world 1 I would have you all remember that you yourselves are a part of that great world of hearing and speaking people. You are not a race distinct and apart, and you must fulfil the duties of life and make your way to honorable positions among hear- ing and speaking people. Now, I have considered what subject I could bring to your attention to-night, the consideration of which would be of as- sistance to you when you go out into the world ; and there is no subject. I am sure, that lies closer to your hearts than the subject of marriage. It is a very difficult thing for me to speak to you upon that subject, because I know ^hatan idea has gone fo)t-), and is very generally beheved in by the deaf of tliis country, that I want to prevent you from marrying as you choose, and that I have tried to pass & law to interfere with ypui- marriages. But, my 1 frienilK, it, is not, true. I lifivo ncvor doiio Hucb a thing, nor do I intend to ; and boforc I si)oak upon this Hiibjpct I want you diHtinctly to understand that I liave no intention of interfering with your hberty of niariiage. You ean marry whom you choose, and I liope ytni will be hajjpy. It is not for me to blame yt)u for marrying to suit yournelveH, for you all know that I myself, the son of a deaf mother, have married a deaf wife. I think, however, that it is the duty of every good marj and every good woman to }'emember that children follow marriage, and I am sure that there is no on^' among the deaf who desires to have his aflrtiction handed down to his children. You all know that I have devoted considerable study and thought to the subject of the inheritance of deafness, and if you will put away prejudice out of your minds and take up my researches relating to the deaf, you will lind something that may be of value to you all. We all know that some of the deaf have doaf children — not ail, not even the majority —but some, a comparatively small num- ber. In the vast majority of cases there are no deaf oifsjiring, but in the remaining cases the proportion of offspring born deaf is very lai'ge — so large as to cause alarm to thoughtful minds. "Will it not be of interest and importance to you to thid out why these few have deaf offsin'ing ? It may not be of much importance to you to inquire whether by and by, in a hun- dred years or so, we may have a deaf ^■ariety of the human race. That is a matter of great interest to scientific men, but not of special value to you. What you want to know, and what you are interested in, is this : are you yourself liable to have deaf offspring ? Now, one value in my researches that you will find is this : that you can gain information that may assure you thiit you may increase your liability to have deaf offspring or diminish it, according to the \>'ay in which j'ou marry. The Rev. W. AY. Turner, of Hartford, was the first, I think, who showed that those who are born deaf have a greater lia- bility to have d 'af offsjn'ing than those who are not. Ho showed that where a person born deaf marries another person born deaf, that in this case about one-third of the children are deaf. iNIr. Job Williams, the present principal of the Hartford Institution, has still more recently examined the subject ; and in a letter published in Science, a short time ago, he arrives at the same conclusion ; about one-third are born dori. In 1888, } \ Mr. Connor, tbo principal of tlio Georgia InHtitntion, mndo jin examination of tlio rcKiilts of tlic marriages of his pupils, and liis staiisticH are pitblisbed in I'^iietn anif Opitiiona Jiclalhiij to the Deaf. He also comes to tlie same conclusion ; about onc- iliird are born deaf. Tlie tollowiug table will show you the exact figures : Taiit,k \.-CiiHCfrttin(/ the itffKjrring of rtnipkn, hath of whom were born deaf Autljority.' Turner (1808).. Coiiiior (1888) . Williams (181I1) 24 16 52 • 57 17 50 19 151 1 i 48 20.8 32.4 31.8 70.8 118.7 02.3 It is obvious that persons born deaf run considerable risk of having deaf ofl'spring if they maiTy persons who ai"e also born deaf. If we take all the marriages of congenitally deaf persons, without reference to whether they manied deaf or hearing persons, we have five indejiendent sets of statistics from which ve may derive information regarding the eft'ects upon the off- spring. (1) My own researches indicate that where one, or both, of the parties were born deaf, there will be fifteen deaf children in every hundred families ; (2) Dr. Gillett's statistics give eighteen deaf children to every hundred families ; (3) Dr. Turner's, thirty-two ; (4) Mr. Williams', forty-seven, and (Z)) Mr. Connor's, ninety-five. ♦For lluv. W. W. Turner's results, see my Memoir, p. 20. For Mr. Connor's results, .see FaHx nnd Ofinionn relating to the Deaf p. Gl. For Mr. Job Williiims' figures, see Scienre vol. xvii, p. 70, published February G, 1801. Dr. Gillett, in Scienre (vol. xvii, p. 50, January 30, 11-01), says there were thirteen eouples in the Illinois Institution in which both parties were born deaf. One of these eouples had two hearing and one deaf child. He does not state how many children vere born to the other twelve couples, but says they could all hear. J* Tabl* 11.— Coneerning t/ie offspring ofcoupkn, one or both of wham were born deaf. Authority.* a 1 Turner ("1808) 190 Bell (1883) \ 300 Connor (1888) 22 Gillott (18',)1) Williams (18',)1). 71 211 S It 3 m 1. o 5 o « 01 50 21 13 I 18.3 101 47.8 32.1 15.,'i 'jr.. 4 Persons who are reported deaf from birth, as a class, exhibit a tendency to transmit the defect ; and yet when we come to individual cases we cannot decide with absolute certainty that any one was born deaf. Some who are reported deaf from birth probably lost hearing in infancy ; others rej^orted deaf in infancy were probably born deaf. For educational purposes the distinction may be immaterial, but in the study of inherit- ance it makes all the difference in the world whether the deaf- ness occurred before or after birth. Now, in my researches I think I have found a surer and more safe guide to those cases that ai'e liable to transmit the defect. The new guide that I would give you is this : Look at the family rather than at the individuid. You will find in certain families that one child is deaf and all the rest hearing, the an- cestors and other relatives also being free from deafness. This is what is known as a " sj^oradic" case of deafness — deafness which afflicts one only in a family. Well, the deafness in such cases may be accidental. There is no proof that such deafness is liable to be inherited, except- ing where the person is reported deaf from birth. In the vast majority of cases reported deaf from birth there is an un- doubted tendency to inheritance. But where the deafness is caused by meningitis, scarlet fever, or like causes — and no other case of deafness exists in the family — there is probably little, if any, tendency to inheritance. But when you have two mem- bers of one family deaf, or three, or four, or five, there you * References us for Table I. For my own results, see Memoir , p. 25. i have the proof that a tendency to deaTneas exists in the family. W it I term " family deafness " exists there. Something has been transmitted froo. the parents to the children that has caused deafness, or helped to cause it. I remember a case in which there were four children in one family deaf, and none of them were bom dt if. One child became deaf, perhaps, from measles, another from ocarlet fever, etc. I do not now remember exactly what causes were stated. They became deaf, however, at different times, and from apparently accidental causes. But can we consider that it was accidental that there should have been four children in one family deaf? The fact that a num- ber of children in the sama family are deaf points to an in- hterited tendency to deafness in the family. One result of my reseai'chos is to show the great importance of studying the re- sults of marriages of persons who come from families of that kind. My results, however, until verified by other observers, should be received as probable only, and not certainly proved. 3o far as I can find out, the hereditary character of the de- fect in a family is roughly indicated by the proportion of the family who are deaf. If you make a fraction, and place the number of deaf children above as the numerator and the total number of children below as the denominator, for example, \, that fraction will give you some idea of the tendency to deaf- ness in that family ; one child in six is deaf. Again, take a case in which thi-ee out of six are deaf (f ). Now the tendency to transmit deafness in this family (J) wLl be greater than in that {\). Every member of the first family (f ), whether deaj^ or hearing, will have a greater tendency to have deaf children than the members of the other (^). In general, the tendency to transmit deafness is greatest in those families that have the largest proportion of deaf members, and smallest in those that have the least. This conclusion is exceedingly probable, and should, therefore, be taken as a guide by those who desire to avoid the production of deaf offspiiug. If you maiTy a hearing person who has three or foui- deaf brothers and tisters, the probabihty of your having deaf children will be gicater than if you many a deaf person (not bom deaf) who has no deaf relatives. The statistics collated by me {Memoir, p. 25) indicate that 816 maniages of deaf-mutes produce 82 deaf children. In other words, every 100 marriages are productive of 10 deaf children. That is a result independent of the cause of deaf- 8 ness — an average of all cases considered. Eliminating 40 cases where the cause of deafness is not given, I divide the remain- ing 776 cases into 4 classes. Class 1. Persons not born deaf, who have no deaf relati\a8. Class 2. Persons not bom deaf, who have deaf relatives. Class 3. Persons bom aeaf, who have no dwaf relatives. Class 4. Persons born deaf, who have deaf relatives. Table III. Class 1. Not. born deaf. No deuf relativas Glass 2. Not born deaf . Deaf relatives Clasp a. Bern deaf. No deaf relatives Glass 4. Born deaf. Deaf relatives f5 a t4 O g O D 3C3 53 130 230 17 5 15 41 4.7 9.4 11.5 17.8 The percentage results are shown by themselves in the fol- lowing table (Table IV). in which the figures indicate the number of deaf children produced by eve^ry 100 marriages of persons belonging to classes 1, 2, 3, and 4. Tabll IV. Teriod of life when dtalucss occtj' -ed. Chauaoteii of the Deafness. Sporadic deafuesH. j Family dcufm--^. Afterbirth Birth 4.7 11.5 !).4 17.8 My statistics are confessedly very imperfect, and many per- sons have hastily concluded that the results ai-o, therefore, of no value or significance. This, however, is not the case, for the imperfection of the statistics assures us that the figures given ai'e a U under-cstimates — the true nuniber of deaf children in every case being greater than that mentioned. As a matter of fact, all the statistics since collected by otiiers ha\o shown larger percentages. ,, ... ' . .- - . ■ •] I ir.^-^^y. c&SSiSiSe.- 9 ;mg 40 cases the remain- i£ relati\;)8. elatives. latives. ives. 1 u "§ iSgS "O p ^1 Ijl a s ^•ss; K & 17 4.7 5 9.4 15 11. .5 41 17.8 s in the fol- ndicate the larriaj fes of Deafsesh. nily deiifui'--. !).4 17.8 1 many per- herefore, of he case, for the figures leaf children As a matter ha\o shown While it is believed thtt the true percentages are larger than those given, it is probable that they are proportionately larger, so that we may conclude with probable accuracy that persons belonging to Class 4 ai'e moi e liable to have deaf chil- dren than those belonging to Cluss 3 ; those of Class 3 more liable than those of Class 2 ; and those belonging to Class 1 are the least hable of any to have deaf offspring. The relative liabilities are probably represented by the percentage figures. The results are imperfect from another cause. The Insti- tution reports, from which the statistics were compiled, did not give details conceiving both the parties to a maiTiage. It would be stated that Mi*, so-and-so "married a deaf-mute," but no information would be given as to whether hia wife was born deaf or not, or whether shf had or had not deaf relatives. I have only been able, therefore, to classify the mai'riages by one side. For example, the results noted for Class 1 give the summation of all marriages of persons not born deaf who have no deaf relatives, quite regardless of the fact that some of them married congenital deaf-mutes, others semi-mutes, and still others hearing persons. We may deduce, however, from the figures that, if the husband belongs to Class 1, his liability to have deaf offspiing will be greatest if his wife belongs to Class 4, and least if she belongs to Class 1, etc. Now that Prof. Fay has taken up the subject, I hope that we may obtain statistics of greater accuracy and importance than any yet compiled. When we obtain statistics classified by both parties to the marriage, I think it will be found that where persons belong- ing to Class 1 marry persons also belonging to Class 1, thei'e will be no deaf offspring, or, at least, that the percentage of deaf offspring will be insignificant. For siu-ely accidental deaf- ness is no more hable to be iixherited than the accidental loss of an arm, in battle, for instance. If, however, a person born without an arm should man-y a person also born without an arm, eome of the childien would probably exhibit the same defect. In a similai* manner persons belonging to Classes 2, 3, and 4 exhibit a decided tendency to transmit deafness to tbeir offspring. Now, there is a law of heredity that may afford great com- fort to many of the deaf — the law of Reversion. There is a very strong tendency in offspring to revert to the normal type of the race. It requires constant selection from generation to f r ^>iMwi.« ^"W »i '^i g fe" ot ^^;V | »^)p ;^^^^^ ^ 10 I rt goueration on both aides to perpetuate any abnorma peculiarity. There will always, therefore, be a tendency to produce hear- ing children rather than deaf, excepting in cases where both parties to a marriage come from families belonging to Glasses 2, 3, and 4. PROBABILITIES FOB YOUR OUIDANOK. Whatever may be the character of the deafness in your own case, you will probably diminish your liability to have deaf off- spring — 1. By marrying a hearing person in whose family there is no deafness. 2. By man-ying a deaf person (not bom deaf) who has no deaf relatives (Glass 1), or a healing brother or sister of such a per- son. On the other hand, you will probably increase your Uability to have deaf offspiing — 1. By marrying a deaf person (not bom deaf) who has deaf relatives (Glass 2), or a hearing brother or sister of such a person. 2. By marrying a deaf person (bom deaf) who has no deaf relatives (Class 3), or a hear- ing brother or sister of such a person. 3. By marrying a deaf person (bom deaf) who has deaf relatives (Class 4), or a hearing brother or sister of such a person. Of course, if you yourself v/ere bom deaf, or have deaf rela- tives, it is perf ' ctly possible that in any event some of your children may be deaf. StiU, I am inchned to think that if you marry a member of a family in which there is no deafness (or only a single case of non-congenital deafness), you will not only have fewer deaf children than if you married into a family containing a congenital deaf-mute, or a number of deaf persons, but the deafness of youx children will not tend so strongly to bo handed down to the grandchildren. The tendency to in- heritance will be weakened in the one case and intensified in the other. That is, in the former case your deaf child will have a less tendency to transmit his defect to his children than you yourself possess ; in the latter case, a greater teiidency. Take the case of a family in which thi'oe or four children are born deaf. Now, suppose that all the members of this family and their m rity. lear- hoth Bses own off- )ility rel&- your you s (or not mily 3onB, y to o in- d in lave you :';™M\v lare bheir 11 deaf descendants are careful to marry only into families which are free from deafness, or which contain only single cases of non-congenital deafness. Then the probabilities are tliat at each generation the percentage of children born deaf will be less and the ))roportion of heai-ing children greater, until finally the deaf tendency disappears and all the descendants will hear. On the other hand, suppose that the members of this family and theii- deaf descendants marry into families containing a congenital deaf-mute, or containing several deaf persons. Then the probabilities are that at each generation the percentage of children born deaf will increase and the proportion of hearing children will be less, until finally the tendency to produce hearing offspring disappears and all the descendants will be deaf. This family would then constitute a deaf variety of the race, in which deaf offspring would be the rule and hearmg offspring the exception. Now, the point that I would impress upon you all is the sig- nificance of family deafness. I would have you remember that all the members of a family in which there are a number of deai-mutes have a liability to produce deaf offspring, the Iiearing members of the family as well as the deaf members. This, I think, is the explanation of the curious fact that the congenitally deaf pupils of the Hartford Institution who mar- ried hearing persons had a larger percentage of deaf children than those who manied deaf-mutes. It is probable that many of the hearing persons they married had brothers or sisters who loere born deaf. Cases will constantly aiise in which a proposed maniage will appear undesirable and desirable both at the same time. For example, a semi-mute having no deaf relatives may form an attachment for a congenitally deaf person in whose family deafness may be hereditary. Of course, I have nothing to say as to what the young people should do. That is a matter for them to decide. I cannot even undertake to advise. The semi-mute will have no tendency to have deaf children if he or she w ill maVry a person of similar kind (Class 1), or man-y a hearing person belonging to a family in which there is no deafness. Hence, this person, '->y marrying a congenitally deaf person in whose family deafness is hereditary, will create a liability to have deaf offspring which would not otherwise exist. From this point of view the marriage is undesirable.' On the other hand, from the point of view of the person 12 < born (loaf suoli a marriage is extremely defirable, for it will diminish the hereditary tendency in iiis family. In such a case the fiiends of one party would probably favor the union and the friends of the otlier advise against it ; and the mutual friends of both could only say, "It is desirable to one and undesirable to tlio other ; we cannot adnse ; your own hearts must decide the matter." Now, I have come before you to-night to show you that there may bo something in my researches of benefit to you ; I want also to assure you that there is nothing of harm. I want to disabuse your minds entirely of the idea that I intend or de- sire to interfere with your perfect liberty of choice. I claim the right to advise you as I would advise my own children, or any young people in whom I feel an interest. In this matter my views coincide very closely with those recently expressed by President Gallaudet through the columns of Science. You have to live in a v.-orld of hearing and speaking people, and everything that will help you to mingle with hearing and speakinp; people will promote your welfare and happiness. A hera-iug jiartner will wed you to the hearing world and be of inestimable value to you in all the relations of life. Not only will your own success in Ufa be thereby increased, but the welfare of your children will be materially promoted. It is surely to the interests of children, both deaf and hearing, that one at least of their parents should hear. I would, therefore, hold before you as the ideal marriage a marriage with a hearing ])erson. Do not let any one place in your minds the idea that such a marriage cannot be a happy one. Do not let any one make you believe that you cannot find a hearing person who will treat you as an equal. The chances are inlinitely in your favor that out of the millions of hearing persons in this country you may be able to find one with whom you may bo happy than that you should find one among the smaller numbers of the deaf. I think the sentiment is hurtful that makes you believe you can only be happy with a doaf companion. That is a mistake, and I believe a grave one. I would have you believe that the welfare of yourself and your children will be greatly promoted by marriage with a hearing partner, if you can find one with whom you can be happy. And now, my friends, I must thank you very much for the attentive way in which you have listened to me, and I hope ■^ 'C;'>^S^'"-*»s^**Sfefi*'»''''^ . vt)|!*«Sa*-'»At«iiKiP*»»V*"-i^ 13 i that you will all dispel from your minds any idea that I intend to interfere with your liberty of marriage. I know that very grave misconceptions of my position and views Imvc boon cir- ciUated during the past few years among the dctf. I have before me to-night an audience composed of the brightest and most intelligent minds among the deaf, and I want you to help me in dispelling these ideas. These misconceptions have arisen chiefly, I think, h'om too great reliance upon newspaper stories and second-hand in- formation. The newspapers seem to know a good deal more about my ojiinions and views than I do myself, and I am constantly seeing items about myself that have utterly no basis in fact. Only a few weeks ago I read in a newspaper a long report of an interview with me that never took jtJaee ! The substance of that article has since been copied from paper to paper all over the United States. I hajipened to be suifering from a slight headache 'vhen the reporter called at my hotel, and I thought this wouh^ r fiord a good excuse for avoiding an interview. I therefore sent my compliments to the reporter and begged to be excused. He went away, and I thought that that was the end of the matter. Alas ! no. Next morning I found myself in the paper, in large capitals, giving forth opiiiions relating to the education of the deaf that I had never expressed ! Now, I would impress upon your minds the fact that if you want to do a man justice, you should believe tohat a man sai/.i himself, rather than ichat people say he says. There is no miin in America, I think, wlio has been more interviewed l)y newspaper reporters than I have, and I can assure you that I have never yet seen a report of an interview with mo that was free from error. But now I begin to bo afraid of you, for you are the interviewers in this case, and I wonder how I shall be re2)orted by you in the newspapers of the deaf. I am talking to you by word of mouth, while my friend. Prof. Fay, is translating what I say into the sign language. Then by and by you will translate it all back again into English for the benefit of your deaf friends in distant parts. You are the interviewers this time, and I fear you are just as liable to make errors of statement as the ordinary newspaper reporter. I have, therefore, brought witii me to-night a gentleman who has taken a stenographic account of all that I am saying to you. I will look over his notes and 14 correct them, and then it will afford me i^leasure to present evcrv member of the Literary Society with a printed copy of my remiuks. Allow me, therefore, to request the correspond- ents of distant i^apers kindly to reserve their notes of my remarks until they can get my own words in black and white. I must thank you very much for the attention with which you have listened to me, and in conclusion I would simply say that if any one here desires to ask me questions upon the subject of my address, I shall be happy to do my best to reply. I sSaiafeiWSt-'^ lent y of •nd- my lite. lich say the b to APPENDIX. CONSANGUINEOUS MARRIACHS. ! t i 1336 Nineteenth Stheet, Wahhinoton, D. C, May 22. 1891. Hon. John Hitz, Superintendent of the Volta Bureau, 3414 Q Street, WaMngton, J). C. Deab Sir : I am glad to know that my address on Marriage has been so widely appreciated that a second edition has be- come necessary. I learn from your communication of the first instant that the members of the Literary Society of the National Deaf-Mute College desire to ascertain my views on the subject of con- sanguineous marriage. In cases where a number of deaf persons are found in the same family, I have no doubt that a consanguineous marriage would result in an increased tendency to deafness in the off- spring. But I do not think that an increased liability to deaf- ness would result from a consanguineous marriage in a family in which there is only one deaf person, not born deaf (Class 1, p. 8). I do not look upon a consanguineous marriage as a cause of deafness, but as a means of increasing and intensifying the defect where a tendency to deafness already exists. We have no proof that a consanguineous marriage produces deafness in a family which has hitherto been free from the defect. This subject was considered by the Census Committee ap- pointed by the Jackson (Miss.) Conference (1888) ; and in their report (see Annals, vol. xxxiv, pages 232-236) the commit- tee made the following recommendation to the Superintendent of the Eleventh Census (1890) : £1 I 16 " An iinpreswiou is proviilt'iit tlmt (l.'itfiicss, hliiKliiPss, " idiocy, and insunity nn> often duo to conMaii^iiinity in tho " pnrentH, and statistics have lim>n colUM'ted wliich sliow tlmt " ft considuraliit' i>cri>i'iita>,'i' of tlie deaf, Idind. idiotic, mid " insane arc tl'c cliildi-cii of first cousins. These statistics, " liowevcr, can l>e of little value in delcriuinin^' tlic (pu'H- " tions involved until we Icnow what pereenta^'e of the j^en- " eral population arc the otTspriuK of nuch unions. We " therefore rcconnncii.l that in scheduh' numl)er one the o ([ucstion lie asked : Were the (larcnts of tliis person first " cousiiiH y" Unforfcuuiitcly, thiw recoinmeiuktioii of the coiiunittee was not iuloi)te(l by the ceiisiiH iiutboritieH, so that we Htill hwk the comparative data which wouhl make our statisticH rehiting to the deaf of vaUie. I can only, therefore", Htate what a])pear to me wouhl be the probable results of marriage with a blood relative. PROBABLE KESULTS. 1. A deaf person, not born deaf, who has no deaf relatives (Class 1, p. 8), will probably not in- crease his hability to have deaf offspring by marrying a blood relative. 2. A deaf person, born deaf, who has no deaf relatives (Class 3, p. 8), will probal)ly in- crease his liability to have deaf oilspring by marrying a blood relative. 3. A deaf person, whether born deaf or not, who Jias deaf relatives (Classes 2 and 4, p. 8), will probably increase his liability to have deaf offspring by marrying a blood relative, especially if that relative should happen to be on the deaf side of the family. For ex- ample : If his father has deaf relatives, and his mother has none, he will b? more hkely to have deaf offspring if he marries a relative of his father than if he marries a relative of his mother. The laws of heredity seem to indicate thnt a consanguineous marriage increases or intensifies in tha offspring whateve." pecu- liarities exist in the family. If a family is characterized by the large proportion of persons who enjoy good health and live to old age with unimpaired faculties, then a consanguineous iyi.Hsi*»*W«»«Vi:l'*«BUi*-«*^- ■■ ■>r^vin-4freMyv^ e.«3Si'*'-*«»««!S^*^-™*''™' ' ■ill tlio |w that niid listicH, (HIPH- I" K«n- W.. [if til.' Ml first ^uittce was till luck tho roliitinf,' to hut ai)pf'ivr itli a blooj ilt'iif it in- f,'ijy (leaf r in- Ig by who ■ 8), liave ,tivc, ■n to r ex- and k(>ly itivo e of 17 mairiaf,'o in hucIi a fiiniily would jirohaljly he bcnclicial, by increasing,' and intiMisifyiiig tlicsc desirable characteristics in the olVspriug. On tiie other haml, if a large proportion of the nn^nibers of a family betray weakiiess of constitution — for exaiiqile : If many of the children die in infancy, and a large jiroporti'^n oi the others siiH'er from ill health, only a few living to olil age with imjiaired faculties — then a consanguineouM mar- riage in such a family would i)robably be hurtful to tin oil' sjiring. A large jiroportion of the children woiiM proiiaiily die in infancy, and the survivors be subject to some form of constitutionid weakness As tliere ar«' few families entirely free from constitutional de tecis of some kind, a prud(>nt person would do well to avoid a consanguini'ous marriage in any (rase, not necessarily on ac- count of deafness, l)ut on account of the danger of weakeninf^ the constitution of the otl'spring. Remoteness of blood is emi iK'iitly favorable to the production of vigorous otl'spring, and those deaf persons who have many relatives deaf woidd greatly diminish their liability to have deaf offspring by marrying per- sons very remote in blood from themselves. Children, I think, tend to revert to the type of the common ancestors of their parents. If thc^ nearest common ancestors are very far back in the line of ancestry the children tend to revert to the common type of the race. Deafness and other defects would be most likely to disapp(!ar from a family by mirriage with a person f)f dilt'erent nationality. English, Irisli, bcotch. German, Scandinavian, and Russian blood seems to mingle l)eneticiallv witii the Anglo-Saxon Anieiican, aiiparently producing increased vigor in the otl'spring. I trust these sugestions may l)e of service to our deaf frieudb. Yours, very truly, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL. mgumeouH teve," i)ecu- ized by the md live to .nguineous i*