Dear George,

The eugenics issue is a disturbing one. Years ago I found one of my grandmother's high school textbooks from the 1920s. Its primary purpose was to teach young girls to marry within their own ethnic group. Now I discover that I work in a building named for someone who promoted that. I hope that times were different then and that eugenics was incredibly PC.

It also seems that my greatgrandfather (from the other side of the family) was a member of the KKK in Harrisonburg . I found it ironic that one of his German ancestors was forcibly enslaved when he entered this country in 1748 at the port of Philadelphia.

Ellora Young (electronic mail, December 1, 2000).

Editor's Note: I, myself, was surprised sometime ago to find that one of my German ancestors (who had settled in Gooney Manor, Virginia in the 1780s) owned slaves.

Inspired by Ellora's mention of her grandmother's high school textbook, I located one of my wife's, handed down to her from her Aunt Mary, entitled "Christian Politeness: Attaining Success in Life" published in 1890 (entered into the Library of Congress in 1871).

The following can be found under the category of mental training:

"It is very hard to define woman's true place in the world, her rights and duties; to put her in the exact position she should occupy, between the absurd and outrageous one claimed by the misnamed 'strong-minded' woman's rights woman - the weakest and most foolish of their sex - and that assigned to her by those who would have her consider herself hardly as a responsible being, having no duties except domestic ones, no claims except to protection, indulgence, and fondness from men.

It is said, in the Jewish Liturgy occurs this episode: The men in the body of the synagogue chanting alternately with the women in the galleries say: "We thank Thee, O Lord, that Thou hast not created us women." Whereupon the women, in the true spirit of the devout sex, respond: "We thank Thee, O Lord, that Thou has created us as it hath pleased Thee." No better illustration could be found for defining the spirit with which woman should be actuated if she will only understand it, and take it to its full extent; that is, see and believe that God has created her subordinate to man. She is the completion of his nature, as he is the beginning of hers. He cannot do her part in the world, neither can she do his. The master minds in all arts and sciences are the minds of men." (pp. 213-214)

Some of this mentality, of course, remains in the culture today, particularly as expressed by some Southern Baptists.

I did not find anything in "Christian Politeness" which directly encouraged one to marry within one's own ethnic group. However, I would assume that the inference is clearly there.

Part I is for Young Gentlemen. Part II is for Young Ladies, which includes a section entitled "How To Have Good Servants," followed by a section on "Housework".