OF A CERTAIN PENNSYLVANIA FAMILY. 73 



those who have helped her, but is resourceful, aggressive, persevering. 

 Their two children (V-244, 245) she describes as strong and intelligent 

 as any would wish to see; the former (a son) was born in 1902, the 

 latter (a daughter) in 1908. 



Let us consider finally the mating of III-50, Chart A, who is 

 identical with III-58, Chart B. III-50, born 1848, is lacking almost 

 entirely in sense of number and quantity. Never able to learn to read 

 or write or plan any kind of work properly. Is nearly blind. Was 

 unable to find a life-partner in his native village, but persuaded III-51, 

 in a neighboring county, to marry him, much against her people's com- 

 mands. She was born 1863. Held to be the weakest member of her 

 fraternity. Was unable to learn in school, though she attended many 

 years. Her later history, however, would indicate her case to be one 

 of mental backwardness similar to that of her brothers, only more 

 extreme, rather than one of absolute defect. She has, too, in good 

 measure the physical endurance and persistence characteristic of her 

 family. Shows much caution and cunning and makes a tool of her 

 simple-minded husband. Is dishonest, untruthful, vindictive, sexually 

 immoral. They have always lived in a two-room shack on the 17^ 

 acres left III-50 by his father, which they make a pretense of culti- 

 vating, and eke out their scanty livelihood by working for their long- 

 suffering neighbors and cheating them in various small ways. All of 

 their four children were feeble-minded, and the three who grew up 

 were so mischievous and so neglected by their parents that the whole 

 family was looked upon as a public nuisance. The eldest daughter 

 had previously been committed to the Institution for the Care of the 

 Feeble-Minded, Polk, Pennsylvania; later an effort was made to give 

 them all custodial care. They were taken in 1904 to the county farm, 

 but the parents fought so hard for their liberty that they were allowed 

 to return home, while their two boys were committed to Polk. 



For a number of years now the parents are said to have been doing 

 much better than they did in former years. They seem nearly equal 

 to the problem of caring for themselves. They have gained some 

 appreciation of the value of money; handle small sums with a degree 

 of accuracy and have a fair power of calculation as to their simple 

 needs. They work with fair steadiness, although not always very 

 satisfactorily. Pay some of their debts, but are still allowed to cheat 

 their benefactors in numberless small ways. For example: III-51 

 will ask that the neighbors keep her preserves in their cellar over 

 winter. When spring comes she declares that she has not as many 

 quarts as she put into the cellar, and to keep the peace they will give 

 her some of theirs. In getting change at the village store she has been 

 known to come back and say she was a dollar short and thus secure an 



