Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1867-06-29

iiie vi the nOGQer. UT IL bCncrW ISc stfOnS
to conceal shame, it was dene.u under the
most profound secresy. And how is il
now? Why the practice has become
SO popularized in certain localities
that both the victimt and the operator
boast of their success. And PROPOSE
tion to destroy the unborn child is talked
about with as much of a business air as
farmer woula talk about exterpiting
patch of thistles And through this ia
miliaritN of tsih, upon this subject II
some IIieighborhoods, the mania to de
stroy- unborn child seems to spread
like an epidemic. Why, / know foul
married ladies, living in close proximity
who have had during the last five years
eight abortions, seven of which were con
fessedly willfuL And some of them will
doubtless find that no Intervention will
hereafter be needed; for the habit once
established, often continues. A celebra-
ted physician of city practice says =
That in my practice alone can find you
fifty wives who, by abortion are for ever
incapacitated to bear children. Another
feature in respect to this crime of most
sad import is, that it is peculiarly the
crime of Protestants. Not that the Pro
testant religion connives at it, or is less
severe in its dcnunciations of crime than
the Catholics, but because in the church
of the latter "human life is guarded al
every step OF its existence by the confes
sional and by stein denunciation and
fearful accommodation.
Strange as it may seem, there are null
titudes ofprofessed christians who find it
easier to make confessions of crime to the
searcher of hearts than to make them to
fellow man, armed with the power OF
a most whitening excommunlcatlon.-
Hence we may see why it is that the
Irish Catholics have large families, while
the Yankee protestants have but small
ones. And we cannot shut our eyes to
the fact that, if this practice, which one
!. of the most influential divines of New
kEngland denominates 'fashional murder
; is to continue with its present ratio of in
crease, the time is not far distant when
the Catholic element will predominant
over the Protestant, and our country be
given over to foreigners.
Professor Edward Hitchcock has been
making Investigations in some of the ru-
raj towns of Massachusetts, where the for
eign element is not large, and basing his
observations upon the vital statistics of
those towns ascertaius, that from the
years 1850 to 1866 there have been adj
ded to the population of those towns by
birth one child Of American parentage to
three and. half Of foreign.
Now If this is to be the 'sinevitable
law Of population" in time to come, how
long will it be ere some Irishman may
write upon the tombstone the last of the
Puritans? Future generations may in
quire for that noble race which founded
a great nation of freemen, but there shall
be none but foreigners to answer.
Now we are led to inquire what ought
to be done. ] answer:
l. As guardians of human life and
of health, we must do what we can to, re-
move from tie minds of our erring sis
tiers that cloud of ignorance which has
hitherto hung over their pathway, in
regard to the consequences Of their acts
upon their own lives, health and hapi-
ness.
2. We must teach them that there is
no stage of embryonic existence, more
than there is in the respiratory existence
in which a human life is not concerned,
and hence to wilfdlly destroy life in ell
ther case is murder. If the magnitude of
the crime is to be determined by the term
of existence, then our laws are all wrong
in making the penalty of infanticide equal
to that of homicide.
8. We must call upon the pulpit and
the press to take up the theme, and ''cry
aloud, and spare not and show the peo-
pie their SINS" confessing sorrowfully
our own inability to make Roadway a.
gainst sin SO strongly sustained by all
classes of society.
4. We must hold our public journals
to a strict account for the influence they
exert in communities in respect to this
crime.
l am happy to say that two distin-
guished divines, DR.. Todd of Massachu-
setts, and Dr. Eddy, of Chicago, have re-
Gently led off most nobly in exposing it
as the very climax of wickedness, and we
may reasonably hope that others will fol
low.
have spoken of this crime as involving
the guilt of females only. But I don't be-
Eeve any such thing. believe that in
most. eases, if not in all the husband is
as guilty as the wife. And in nine cases
out of ten, if the husband would exercise
that compassionate tenderness towards
his wife in her discemforts and sufferings
which belongs to. him, and should try to
inspire her with resignation, patience
and fortitude in view OF her anticipated
trials, the temptation to involve herself
in a crime that must ever be standing
reproach would be very much abated.
| have now occupied the attention of
this society longer perhaps than seemed
necessary, and have in compliance with
request, discharged what seemed to me
an unpleasant duty. If, however have
succeeded in awakening thought and feel
ing on this important topic, [ am salts
fed.