Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 69.djvu/449

Rh marriages was among the Jews 23.3, and among protestants only 6.1, per 1,000 marriages.

It is doubtful whether this inbreeding is the cause of most of the diabetes, insanity, idiocy, deaf-mutism, etc., encountered among the Jews. It is at present the consensus of opinion that consanguineous marriages contracted by healthy individuals are not at all detrimental to the offspring. But when contracted by defectives, the physical or mental defect is likely to appear in a more accentuated form in the progeny. It must in this connection be mentioned that consanguineous marriage among the European population rarely exceeds one per cent, of all marriages and is more frequent, as a rule, in the country than in the city. The Jews, as city dwellers, ought to have a still smaller proportion of marriages of near kin.

The prevailing opinion that Jews have always refrained from intermarriage with non-Jews is erroneous. Biblical tradition shows clearly that the ancient Hebrews intermarried freely with their Gentile neighbors. Some of the most important patriarchs (Abraham, Joseph, Moses) and kings (Solomon) had gentile wives. The prophets, Ezra and Nehemia, both arraigned the Hebrews for their carelessness in this respect and appealed to them to maintain the purity of the race of Israel. A study of their history shows that the Jews have always more or less intermarried with the races and peoples among whom they lived. This was particularly the case during the Hellenic period, and in Spain for some time before their expulsion. Only during medieval oppression and persecution, rigid confinement in the Ghettos and strict isolation have the Jews married exclusively among themselves.

In recent times the Jews again began to marry with christians in Europe and in America. In some countries this intermarriage has assumed such proportions as to threaten the integrity of Judaism. A survey of the census statistics published in various European countries reveals that wherever the Jews are subject to special adverse legislation, segregated in Ghettos and deprived of friendly social intercourse with their non-Jewish neighbors, very little or no intermarriage occurs. This is particularly the case in oriental countries, like Turkey, Persia, Morocco, etc., and also in semi-oriental countries, like Russia. There intermarriage is prohibited by law; unless the Jew first accepts Christianity or mohammedanism, he may not marry a gentile. On the other hand, in western Europe, where he enjoys all the privileges of a free citizen, mixed marriages are of frequent occurrence. In fact, in some countries even more frequent than intermarriage between catholics and protestants.