The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-26
BABY-KILLING.
From the Pal Mall Gazette.

From the Pal Mall Gazette.
Some of the crimes and vices of highly
civilized societies are scarcely less inhuman or
more refined than the crimes and vices dis
played by savages or by semi barbarians.
Among untutored tribes, and among nations
like the Chinese, infant life is little valued,
and many are the tales recorded by travellers
and missionaries If desertion or infanticide.
In England and in France we may hear simi-
lar stories almost daily of inhuman mothers,
and of women who make it their business to
get rid of infants that are not wanted by their
parents.
The British and Foreign M6dico- ChirUrgt-
cal Re0ielo for the present quarter contains
an article on this subject which deserves a
wider circulation than it is likely to obtain in
a professional journal. The writer points out
land and Wales die within three months of
their birth; but how many of these are delibe-
rately done to death is unknown
Iegitimate infants says the reviewer) are not
necessarily, or even usually put out of the way
directly; more commonly indirect means are en-
plOyed. Still the statistics Of the general registrar
ONCE tell that in the five years 1851, out OF
the S39s voent deaths of infants under year OF
age SD proved to be instances OF direct nan-
ticide and OF these $40 infants murdered within
month of the time of their birth OF these we lind
that 2lS were stTaugled otherwise sufrocated 80
were killed by blows tracturing the SKULL by cutting
by stabbng,5l by intentional negect,22 by drown
ceeding Of leaving the cord united at birth.
But, unhappily what we know with regard
to the prevalence of baby-killing does not
show the full extent of the crime. Much is
left to conjecture; for the irregular manner
in which verdicts are returned the ease with
which the dead bodies of infants can be dis
posed of, and the habit which prevails of
bringing in the verdict "Found dead, forbid
correct statistics. There is therefore room
for gross exaggeratiou, as in the case of
writer in the Church and the World, who
observes that ''the metropolitan canal boats
are impeded as they are tracked along by the
number of drowned infants with which they
come in contact;" but it is certain that the
murder of infants directly by their mothers
or indirectly through the tender mercies of
baby farmers is a crime of no common mag
nitude in this country. The author of the
paper from which we have quoted believes
with Mr.. Acton that among other means of
diminishing the evil change in the bastardy
laws is imperatively necessary. Not one m IN
in fifty, according to Dr. Lankester,
contributes to the support OF his ille-
gitimate child; for since IS. Cd. per week is all
the mother can claim, there are few women
who will put the law in force. Mr.. Acton
points out with terrible distinctness how om
bastardy law tempts to murder, makes prosti
tuition compulsory, and encourages trade
hardly less infamous-that of baby farming.
This law was enacted nearly forty years ago
and there can be no doubt that cogent rea
sons mav be urged for its amendment. Al
the same time il is essential that some means
should be adopted for diminishing the evil