"I was glad to hear of that determination as I detest the practice of cousins marrying or any marriage between persons in which there can be traced the most distant relationship. I go for the improvement instead of the deterioration of our race"

Ezra Cornell's quote reveals his strong displeasure of marital relationships between cousins or any other relationship in which there is a far-off connection. He believes that such unions lead to the deterioration of the human race, and he is happy to become aware of a decision to avoid them. He rather advocates for the improvement of the mankind, which he believes can be achieved through marital relationships in between unrelated individuals. This sentiment shows the 19th century belief that intermarriage in between loved ones could lead to the weakening of the gene pool and the spread of hereditary illness. Cornell's quote also shows the idea that marital relationship need to be based upon love and not on family connections. He thinks that marital relationships need to be based on shared respect and understanding, and that the mankind must make every effort to enhance itself through such unions.