crowded up to the edge of the precipice from
which we obtained our first view of the
Oasis of Garah.

IDIOTS AGAIN.

PEOPLE whose ancestors came in at the
Conquest, are apt to have one idea over-
ruling all others—that nobody is worthy of
their alliance whose ancestors did not come
in at the Conquest. Of course, this has been
an idea ever since the Conquest began to be
considered an old event; and, of course,
there have been fewer and fewer families
who had a right to it. Of course, also, those
families have intermarried, and the
intermarriage has been more and more restricted.
Another "of course" follows, on which we
need not enlarge. Everybody knows the
consequences of prolonged intermarriages
between any sort of people who are few
enough to be almost all blood relations. The
world was shocked and grieved, some years
since, at the oldest baronage in England
''going out at the ace of diamonds"—expiring
in the disgrace of cheating at cards. The
world ought to be quite as much shocked and
grieved at seeing—what has been seen, and may
be seen again—the honours of the same ancient
birth being extinguished in a lunatic asylum.

It used to be thought a very religious
and beautiful thing (it certainly was the
easiest thing) to say that it pleased God to
send idiots, and other defective or diseased
children, to try and discipline their parents
by affliction, and so on; but religious physicians
now tell us (showing reason for what
they say) that there is something very like
blasphemy in talking so,—in imputing to
Providence the sufferings which we bring
upon ourselves, precisely by disobedience to
the great natural laws which it is the best
piety to obey. It is a common saying, that
families who intermarry too often, die out;
but no account is taken of the miseries which
precede that dying out. Those miseries of
disease of body and mind are ascribed to
Providence, as if Providence had not given
us abundant warning to avoid them! Dr.
Howe, the wise and benevolent teacher of
Laura Bridgman, says, in his Report on
Idiotcy in Massachusetts, that "the law against
the marriage of relatives is made out as clearly
as though it were written on tables of stone."
He gives his reasons for saying so; and of those
reasons, the following sample will, we think,
be enough. When the tables of health and
disease were compiled for Massachusetts, a
few years ago, the following was found to be
the state of seventeen families, where the
father and mother were related by blood.*
Some of the parents were unhealthy, and
some were intemperate—but to set against
this disadvantage to begin with, there is the
fact, that the evil consequences of such
intermarriage very often do not appear until the
second generation, or even later. However in
these seventeen households there were ninety-
five children. What were these children
like? Imagine a school of ninety - five
children, of all ages, or the children of a
hamlet at play, and think what the little
crowd would look like ; and then read this !
Of these ninety -five children, one was a
dwarf. Well, that might easily be. One
was deaf. Well, no great wonder in that.
Twelve were scrofulous. That is a large
number, certainly ; but scrofula is sadly
common, and especially in unhealthy
situations. Well, but FORTY-FOUR were IDIOTS.

* Dr. Howe's Report on Idiotcy, 1848. P. 90.

Of all the long and weary pains of mind
to which the unselfish can be subject, we
know of none so terrible as that of the
mother attaining the certainty that her child
is an idiot. Beviewing the whole case as we
have ourselves observed it, it seems to us an
affliction made tolerable only by its gradual
growth, and the length of years over which
it is spread. How sweet was the prospect of
the little one coming—not only in the sacred
anticipations of the parents, but when the
elder children were told, in quiet, joyful
moments of confidence, that there would be a
baby in the house by-and-by! And when it
came, how amiable, and helpful, and happy
everybody was—keeping the house quiet for
the mother's sake, and wondering at the
baby, and not minding any irregularity or
little uncomfortableness while the mother
was upstairs. Perhaps there was a wager
that baby would " take notice," turn its eyes
to a bright watch, or spoon, or looking-glass,
at the end of ten days or a fortnight, and the
wager was lost. Here, perhaps, was the first
faint indication. But it would not be thought
much of, the child was so very young! As
the weeks pass, however, and still the child
takes no notice, a sick misgiving sometimes
enters the mother's mind—a dread of she
does not know what, but it does not last
long. You may trust a mother for finding
out charms and promise of one sort or another
in her baby—be it what it may. Time goes
on; and the singularity is apparent that the
baby makes no response to anything. He is
not deaf. Very distant street music
probably causes a kind of quiver through his
whole frame. He sees very well. He
certainly is aware of the flies which are
performing minuets and reels between him and
the ceiling. As for his other senses, there
never was anything like his keenness of smell
and taste. He is ravenous for food—even
already unpleasantly so; but excessively difficult
to please. The terrible thing is his still
taking no notice. His mother longs to feel
the clasp of his arms round her neck; but
her fondlings receive no return. His arm.
hangs lax over her shoulder. She longs for
a look from him, and lays him back on her
lap, hoping that they may look into each
other's eyes; but he looks at nobody. All
his life long nobody will ever meet his eyes;