, 1870-07-03
MORALITY IN ENGLAND.
1snby-Fnrming and lnfnn1fcls,c.

MORALITY IN ENGLAND.
nnby-Fnrming and snfnn1fclic.
From tie Lvaava Saturday Reritn.
Daby-f.rming is the result. not e1actly OF
modern civilization, but Of certain form Of
modern batbatlsm. 1t y connected with the
cuphcnistica}ly termed. Incontinence. when
followed by LastArdy, takes Two forms in these
later days- In o,,1 country districts the prtEii-
at.tlo hatrin.oAit las, within the last eighty or
ninety years. taken rank as = recognized
institution: Two young people, in rural
parishes, keep company till the population
! ia likely to be increased, AMI then they
marry The trailty is cured. and the frnil falr
Lecents Al Honest wonan+ Little or no dis
grace and no loss Of character is attached to
ing OF tllis eort Frayails- Factory hands, fe-
male servants, alrd tie daughters OF small
tradesmen incur tlese little Aocilents, but
:Aeto is no thought Of marriage on either side.
II it the interest both OF father and mother to
huddle up the Transaction. Hence the institn-
tim Of bab,-faIming. Ol eouree, it presents
itself to tho plilanthropic Inind nuleC very EN-
ga&,iuE considerations. Elrnt, there is the pour
Victim OF indiscrotion, the young lady who
loves not wisely but 100 woA. How much
bctter to give her q fresh ztart i'll lie! II sho
Il not relieved from the burden OF her
illicit offspring. ale may take to bad courses.
Size has now had her warning, and terrible Que
s!.e Or lici parainour inuat. OF course, support
the poor child. This il punishment enough,
aiiu 1t IL recunlary punishment. Here 10th
Justice and mercy combine to welcome happy
social management by which llome au,i
siealiuus motlct 4 love il supplied hv those
| warnhca1ted mat1ous WHO love babies, wI.o
delight III nursery tolls, and who advertise for
children so tend ssue4tes. Bus, sI Il,sis Is much to
I - Hatu fof babr-farms. They are usually as
Il. u.
thropy, and the proprietor Of balsy-fAtn il
| frequently tho director Of a private lyinH-in
! hospital. EVERYBODY knows that the birth Of
| solitary child III an ordinary household not
only entails great espcnsc, but much expense
which might be nvoled. 4 ringle patien. al
ways costs more than u patient treated
in a. hospital. The l!stlo stranger
Ut ordinary married Life i'll its ortllo-
do1 and orsauized shape requires not
only its own private equipment, ltd OWL Pri-
yate nuTsemaid, its OWL private pal, aud tops
and bottoms, but its existence aud rearing
must he conducted Oh tho most expensive and
uuccouomlcai scale. One COW il r1linous. but
= herd Of cows il profitable. SO Que baby il
Lept most e1pensively: but a rcore;bf babies
have philanti1ropic and ecouo,uieai grounds
for juetfying the existence OF haby-farms
They arc only further application Of tie
chaxlty Which supports cr.nts aud infant
schools; a1!l which ueed to tupport founding
1
least against some Of which, We haye nothing
| to tay, further than that they require to 10
carefully watched, interfering. hs they do. not
I uhly with that natural love. but that natural
Trouble, and Inconvenience, and sacrifice which
The nero fact Of being a neither ought to en-
tail.
Now VIC arc taking baby-farms at their very
test-a best which We believe il q mere mat
ter OF theory, and best which only exists in
the apprehension Of those whose interest it iA
I n En faE Nf ham t..,f1,IF kr,f
baby-fazming as it waa pEactised III the South
ot France in notorious case which hosrihad
half Europe two or uIco years ago. We eav
nothing Of lsing-in institutions, OF Of mid
wives establishments. III which abortion II We
lenently suspected. We speak of the ideal OF
the ioundling's home. |. murt never be lost
sight OF that in these domestic homes OF those
i WHO sre by accident wurhe tLAn tatleriess aud
notherlGes round lump sum is usually pail by
anticipation. II matTcss Of 3 baby farm only
takes weekly payment, she will. Of course, run
the risk uf many lefaulters. Besides, it costs
50 much to collect the money from weekly
deltors. Ono Of the great objections to the
aftlliatioa aud basta11y laws IL the difficulty Of
recovering the weekly Lalf-crow. So the pay
luent il generally nale to tho baby-fa1nler by
anticipation. AID III gross. Fifty er hundred
toulds il paid onwu, Oh condition tl1at tho
toye-ch,,l is provided ior, and for life. con-
siderable exercise OF faith. aud al engaging
| couiiIerce in the power OF q Laby-farnlnl; lady
| TO lind place for every Guild she adopts, must.
ol cu,tse, le exercised by the parents. Hnw-
ever, it Goes not exactly suit the pu1po-e Of
either party to the Transaction 10 lie too
anxious or careful for the future.
! | Sufficient for the day Is tic evil, aud
!, The good thereof. The poor little baby
, has met With ! good mothe.ly home and a
: | 1nu.t amlaGie fus,er-mothcr; the parents have
J done ucf duty and provided for their on
. spring, And 20 engaging IL this mutual couti-
Itnce that few Subsequent inquiries are male.
Z To be eure, the transaction louks rather like
J the gambling interest in u Life assurance, OF
9 more precisely leasc granted on lives. II
c the child Ines to boyhool or girlhool, oil
: co;rse. ;Ae parents hass mada good bargain
= il the child dies, the adopting mother gets tbs
Lcet u the policy. It il . fact which ought 4
e tc startling, aud Id startling to everybody
: except tAuse whose interest it is not to bt
/ startled, that these adopted children do die il
g uumters much in e1eess Of their more
i sure. il is the interest CT TIT
n woman who has received considerable pre-
). r,iunl. bat which premium will never be re
u mrner.ive il the child survives. that It shout
9 die. And die it docs. but then this may b
q accounted for. Psychologists will be foun,
9 lcaEne,lly TO argue that the chances Of life ar
; Absolutely Iesa in the cAse Of child who's
y enb1yotic life has been carefully couceale1
J. and xhoee mother during pregnancy has bee
l. h1rassed b. torn,enting dread Of shame an
o teGotten. and whoee coming is ostentnlous'
proclaimed. and whose birth is azdently longe
= for. We do not SAY that there il not som'
= thing in this, but it Lardly Account
II for the death-ra:e Of tastards. The l.
}; OF the average duration Of infant iii
70 more morally ,indics,ed, which showed mar
e years ago, IN Ease1, that the dea.h-rAte {
!, children the expenses OF whose interuet
.. were insured in burial club sas much in 81
y cess Of tho mortality Of children not 30 Il
y, eured.
b, This is about III thas csu be saia pro aud %
t. as 10 the theory Of babv-farming. In os
y simea they cut the mAttes yer: short. by e!
u posing on Mount Taygetus the children Wh
:, we're likely to be an Improbable nuisant
q both to their parents and the State And
3 certain proposals, which looked 80 precis
y that some folk took them in earnest, Swi
<, propoundcd Il notable plan for diminishing Il
., Giah population, by Introducing cannibAlisl[
70 md encouraging the breed Of infants for II
at table Either course, We are bound to e
ID would be nnro mcrciful to the victims thu
ID that which it seeuls is our British Prsctic'
% We are far, Of course, from prejudging ~
= accused person, and we make no speaA [sta
10 epce to a case which ia now before the tSu
=, beth Police Court Still there arc certain facs
le strange Significance The Surrey Coroner Q
!e Tednesday intimased the discovery ot ~
d, bodies Of no fewer than sixteen deaa tnt n!
u within one immediate nelsnoo1Iooo alal y
20 ! the last few weeks. Two such Wretche
Or victims Of infanticide we're found b.
g, hind come timber near CatnbeEwe
II last Last supa.y. There may be no conne
non between these two murdered bahis
X 10, murdered they unquestlonabS we're
81 and bsbv-fa1minE. And it may turn ont tn,
it tbe woman Waters, now in custody, nay ha,
ev . coed deliye1anca from the crime With uhic
Of .be il charged. The crime technically is n,
IS 4 very helnous one, and it only resolve
it itself into neglecting to provide food and nou
en- isLmeut for certain infants under her Cal
OF II will seldom bs otherwise it must alxAys
ed difficult to make : case Of murder out OF elc
y starvation Ind Eeglect- The woman, bab
IS fArmerH or not, engaged in infantcide, seldo
y proceed TO e1hemitiea- The tale told by I
r police is sufficiently honfylnE, and, naku
ae Allowance for those well-knoHn powers in sc
to sationA fiction which are possessed by t
60 London poGce-thxt is to say, assuming, Aa
N are bound to do, the Innocence Of the WON
So, charged before Mr.. Elliott. and assuming ~
that Police serieant ReH has invented ~
Il; facts about his dornicliay visite 70 "
Tu Waters for the mere purpoee OF displaying
re- simulated .ct1vity and in.e1GSance-khare
IN MANS Bousthing which oven An 'mAg1nAt1
'ee detective could not invent He could OF
lse yent printed advertisement IN Lloyds Ne
'aA Of June s, which runs thus:
81, "ApoF11nn.-A good home, win notners Y