herd acknowledge a chieftain, or head, who maintains
his position by virtue of physical health, strength and general
superiority. He not only directs all their movements but is literally
the father of the herd. When a stronger than he comes, the post of
chieftain and sire is yielded, but in all probability his successor is
one of his own sons, who in turn begets offspring by his sisters. The
progeny inheriting full health, strength and development, the herd
continues in full power and vigor,[23] and does not degenerate as
often happens when man assumes to make the selections, and chooses
according to fancy or convenience. The continuance of health, strength
and perfect physical development is believed to depend on the _wisdom
of the selection, upon the presence of the desirable hereditary
qualities, and the absence of injurious ones_, and not upon
relationship whether near or remote.

It has fallen within the observation of most persons that in the human
race frequent intermarriages in the same family for successive
generations often tend to degeneracy of both mind and body; size and
vigor diminishing, and constitutional defects and diseases being
perpetuated and aggravated; but neither in this case is the result
believed to be a necessary and inevitable consequence. Else how could
it be, that Infinite Wisdom, whose operations are ever in accordance
with the laws of his own institution, in originating a "peculiar
people," chosen to be the depositories of intellectual and physical
power, wealth and influence, and who, in spite of oppression without
parallel in the world's history, have ever maintained the possession
of a goodly share of all these,--would have allowed their first
progenitor, Abraham, to marry his near kinswoman Sarah, a half sister,
niece or cousin, and Isaac their son to wed his first cousin Rebecca,
and Jacob who sprang from that union, to marry first cousins, and
their offspring for long generations to intermarry within their own
people and tribes alone? At a later period, marriages within certain
degrees of consanguinity were forbidden by Divine authority, but not
until the peculiar race was fully established, and so far multiplied,
as to allow departure from close breeding without change of
characteristics, and not improbably the prohibition was even then
based more upon moral reasons, or upon man's ignorance or recklessness
regarding selection, than upon physical law.

Such laws exist among us at