Prevention and elimination of disease, insanity, drunkenness and crime - a suggestion

Abstract

Under the present social system marriage is permitted to persons quite unfit, physically or mentally, to produce sound and healthy offspring; say, rather, quite sure to produce offspring that are sickly and unsound. If it is in the power of man to prevent it, does not every humane instinct demand that it be prevented? If we pause a little and reflect, we see that it is in man's power to prevent it to such a great extent that the face of human society would be blessedly changed. It is in our own power to effect this happy change by the exercise of self-denial and self-restraint; and without some self-denial and self restraint virtue is impossible, nay, society itself is impossible. The greatest happiness of the greatest number is not only a principle of social science, it may become a demand of virtue and humanity. And no persons in the community will be more benefited by the restraint and restriction than those very persons who will be denied marriage licence on account of unsound constitution.