e existence of a definite mental anomaly.
These people most often marry at a time when no one has yet recognized
their true mental condition, or foreseen the consequences of their
marriage. The unfortunate who finds herself (or himself) bound by such
a union is then an object of endless martyrdom. The frequency of
mental anomalies causes them to play an immense, and too often
unrecognized role, in unhappy marriages.

At the request of the mother the tribunal of Bale recently prohibited
the marriage of a young man affected with a slight degree of mental
weakness. This judgment was upheld by the Swiss tribunal for the
following reasons: "Although capable of work, of earning his living,
and of performing his military service, an individual may be an
unsuitable subject for marriage. In the interests of family life and
the future generation, it is the duty of the State to prevent the
marriage of the feeble-minded, in order to avoid the perpetuation of a
race of degenerates." I quote this from a journal. We can only
congratulate tribunals which have the courage to consider the vital
interests of the nation in their judgments.

=Right of Succession.=--Although right of succession has no direct
bearing on the sexual question, it is indirectly connected with it
through its influence on the procreation of children.

At the present day the poor have more children than the well-to-do.
This is because they have nothing to lose, because coitus is one of
their few pleasures, because they are ignorant of the means of
preventing conception, and because they hope to profit by their
children's labor. People who have some property are, on the contrary,
afraid of falling into poverty through the procreation of too many
children, and those who possess more are afraid of poverty for their
offspring. The latter only desire a few heirs, so that after their
death they can leave each a fortune suitable to their social position.

In France, especially, well-to-do people often limit their families to
two. The parents have the unhappy idea that a certain fortune must be
assured to their children to enable them to live in comfort. They do
not understand that the necessity for a man to earn his living by work
is the chief condition for a healthy existence.

Again, among very rich people there is often the fear that a large
fortune may lose its power when divided, and thus diminish the
influence of the family.

It is obvious that great poverty a