The Labor enquirer., 1886-01-30
A Plain Statement ofTheir sit-
uation BIZ One Who
Understand 8
The Child Pensioning Theory Of
Mrs. Black Carefully
Reviewed.
Woman VIII be Free When the Glori.
ous Sun Of Socialism Illumines
the Darkness.
Editor Labor Enquirer.

dItiClo WIlttou of !ufe. DldCk Which ap-
peared in The ENeUIRER of January 9,
respecting the status of women and chill
dren under our present laws, and al
though 1 have feeling cf gratitude to-
wards every woman who is striving to
elevate her sex. AND am glad to see any
new idea promulgated which is born of
the wish to improve the conditions un-
der which we live. / see numerous OBJ
jections to the plan proposed by her.
In the first place. it seems to me that
at the stage of the development already
reached bv the human race, the object
should be improvement rather than in
creased productions which would Ger
tainlv result under such stimulus as a
certain increase Of income, and the
greatest increase would undoubtedly be
among what we regard asthe most OBJ
jectionable class, viz: the thoughtless,
idle and thriftless. Secure In certa ain
amount from government, the father of
!. a large family of young children would
in a vast number of cases lose his incen-
tive to exertion and cease to provide
even for himself. In proof Of this as
sertion one has only to point to the
large number who are content to let
their wives earn living for them.
Mrs. Black claims that people &c mate
not for offspring but mutual Affection"
and the resulting children "belong not
to them but to the state" lam sure
there are vast numbers to whom the
first statement would not apply, for the
little ones expected to follow as natu-
raj result of their affection are the OBJ
ject hoped for bv many. remember
being told by young girl that "she
would not cara to msrry, except to have
q child of her very own True it is
that in some instances parental affection
is not very strong, brt if the conditions
of life we're easier, parents would have
more enjoyment in the possession of
their children.
In the second place comes the ques-
ton ofexpense, which would practically
be unlimited. Mrs. Black thinks it
could be saved in other ways, and men
tions lessened criminal account and
also the school funds, but we must re-
member that although crime and mis-
e1y might be lesseuei the process would
be gradual, and the criminals now to be
supported would cost no less; neither
would school funds be available because
of the children now to be educated.
Then as to the chance Of getting such
a law passed. Ifear.it will be some time
before women are BILE to get any legis-
lation in their own interest. for the
reason that so many womeu are indifer
ent to the degraded position in which
the law places them In fact. the situa-
ton respecting women's advancement
presents the same aspects as that of the
laboring population as a whole; their
blindness TO the opportunities awaiting
their united action form an immense OBJ
stacle in the path of progress, 80.
Nevertheless we who are hoping for
better things have our duty too plain
before us to falter in it. We must use
every means, embrace every opportunity
in the endeavor to obtain laws founded
on Justice, and there is one law l would
like to see all women unite in demand
ing, which is, one giving to them the
ownership of their children. All over
this land there are peopla whose little
ones form the only chain which binds
them together. The links of gold which
once bound them have turned to letters
of iron; the mother submits to scorn,
insult and brutal treatment rather than
leave home, because her husband will
not give up her little ones and she will
not 90 without them. The difference
between the married mother and the
mother of an illegitimate child is we'll
set forth in a,boek I have lately read,
and Mrs. Black speaks of a.woman in
Michigan who wentinto court and swore
that her children were not her hus-
bands, thus destroying her character
previously good in order to retain pos
session of the children to which she had
in Justice the best claim. Let anyone
fairly consider the subject, thinking OF
the long months of discomfort and suf-
ering endured by her in the hope of be-
coming the happy mother of living
child. Comparing it with the small part
allotted by nature to the father and say
if it is not monstrous to maintain his
right to be as great as hers, It's posi-
BILE that even such a lawas this would
result in hardship in indisidual cases.
for, although everyone comedies mother
love to be immeasnrably the greater,
there are instances in which the father
clings to his children with passionate
fondness. This is difficulty, but do
not believe one-hundredth part OF the
suffering now endured would result, and
I also believe it would contribute not a
little toward increasing the respect and
esteem to which our sex is entitled.
4 It is certainly true, that the state fails