Omaha daily bee., 1889-12-08
PLAIN WORDS ABOUT WOMEN.
Grant Allen Blunt Discussion Of a
Lying Issue.
THE FuTuRE OF THE RACE.
IT Man is ito Hold the Earth and
Subdue 10 woman Must Ac-
cept the Divine Duty OF
Motherhood.
Women and the Race.

II any species or race desires a continued
existence, then above all things it is neces-
sary that that species or race should 60 on
reproducing itself.
Let us look briefly at the needful condi-
tions under which alone the human race can
go on reproducing itself.
1T every woman married, and every woman
had four children, population would remain
just stationary. Or rather, # every mar
riageabie adult man and woman in a given
community were to marry, and If every mar
rage proved fertile, on the average. to. the
extent of four children, then, under favor
able circumstances, that community, 1 take
II, would just keep up its numbers, neither
increasing nor decreasing from generation to
generation. If less than all the adult men
and women married, or if the marriages
proved fertile on the average to a less degree
than four children apiece, then that COM
munity would grow smaller and smaller. In
order that the community may keep up to its
normal level, therefore, either all adults
must marry and produce 20 this extent, or
else, fewer marrying, those few must have
families exceeding on the average four chill
dren, in exact proportion to the rate of alb.
s%tentlon. And ii the community is to in
crease (Which on Darwinian principles / be-
ileve to be a condition precedent of national
hNNieAi pho bhCh lblS vi duulbS DluSL
marry and produce more than four children
apiece, or else, fewer marrying, those few
must produce as many more rs will compen-
safe for the abstention Of the remainder and
form a small surplus in each generation.
In Britain, al the present day, l believe 1
am right in deducing (after MIR. +. Galton)
that an average of about six children per
marriage mot per head of female inhabit-
ants) is necessary ia order to keep the popu.
lation just stationary, writes Grant Allen in
the Fortnightly Review. Ana the actual
number of children per marriage Is a
little IN excess of even that high
figure, thus providing tor the regular in
crease from census TO census and for over
flow by emigration. :
These facts, all piatitudes as they are,
look so startling at first sight that they will
probably need for the unstatistical reader a
little explanation and simplification. .
We'll, suppose, now, every man and every
woman in a given community were to marry.
and suppose they were in each case to pro-
duce two childrenea boy and a girl; and sup
pose those children were in every case to at
tain maturity ;sWhy, then, the next genera
ton would exactly reproduce the last, each
father being represented by his son, and
each mother by her daughter, ad infinitum.
q purposely omit, for simplicity's sake, the
complicating factor of the length and success
sion OF generations, which oy good luck in
the case OF the human species practically
cancels ltSelf). But, as a matter of fact, all
the children do not attain maturity: on the
contrary, nearly half of them die before
reaching the a9e.of manhoOd-in some con-
dttiohs OF life, indeed, and in some countries
more than half. Roughly speaking, there
fore (for l don't wish to become u statistical
bore, it may he. SAID that in order that two
children may affair maturity and be capable
OF marriage, even under the most favorable
circumstances, four must be born. The
other two must ne provided to cover risks of
infant or adoleScent mortality, ana to in
sure against niferility or incapacity for
marriage in later life. They are wanted to
l muka nm the putpFnriac nf on13ia,, ,;lo
lmbeciles, cripplcs, and incapables gener-
ally. So that if every possible person mar
RED, and II every married pair had four
chilpren, we should only keep up the num-
Der of our population from one age to an
other.
Now, 1 need hardly say that every pos
sible person does not marry, and that we DO
actually a good deal more than keep up the
number Of our population. Therefore it will
at once be clear that each actual marriage is
fertile to considerably more than the extent
of four children. That is, indeed, a heavy
burden to lay upon women. One aim. at
least, of social reformers should certainly be
to Tighten 1t as much as possible.
Nevertheless, l think, it will be abundantly
apparent from these simple considerations
that in every community, and to all time. the
vast majority of the women must become
wives and mothers, and must bear at least
four children apiece. If some women shirk
their natural duties, then n heavier burden
must be laid upon the remainder. But in
any case all must become wives and mothers,
and almost all at least must bear four or five
children. In our existing state six are the
very fewest that our country can do with.
Moreover, it is pretty clear that the best
ordered community will be one wnere as
large II proportion of the women as possible
marry. and where the burden of maternity is
thus most evenly shared between them.~
Admitting that certain women NAV have
good reasons for avoiding maternity on vari-
GUS grounds-unftneSs, or. what is probably
much the same thing ut bottom, disinclina-
tion-and admitting also that where such
good reasons exist, 1t is best those women
should remain unmarried, we must still feel
that in most cases marriage Is in itself de-
sirable. and that limited families are better
than large ones. In other words, 1T Is best
for the community ut large that most women
should marry, aud have moderate families,
rather than that few should marry and have
unwieidily large ones; for if families are
moderate there Will be a greater reserve OF
health and strength left in the mothers for
each birth, the production OF children can be
spread more slowly over a longer time, and
the family resources Will be less heavily
taxed Tor their maintenance and education.
incidentally this Will benefit both parents
as well as the community. That is, TO say,
where many marriages aud small families
are the rule, the children will on the average
be born healthier, be better fed, and be
launched more fairly on the world in the
end. Where marriages are fewer and fani-
lies large, the strain of maternity will be
most constant and most heavily felt; the
l ldtutT WILL " uaIbtT WOThtu, anu UlG chill
dren will be born feebler. will be worse fed,
and will start worse equipped in the battle of
life. 81
Hence I would infer that the goal q wise
community should keep in view is rather
more marriages and fewer children per mar
riage, than fewersmarriages and more chill.
dren per marriage.
Or, to put these conclusions another way;
in any case, the vast majority of women in
any community must needs become wives
and mothers, and in the best ordered COM
munity the largest possible number will
doubtless become so, In order to distribute
the burden equally, and to produce IN the
end the best results for the nation.
Well, it may Re brutal and unmanly TO ad.
init these facts Or to insist upon these facts.
as we are often told it is by maiden ladies'
but still, If we are to go on existing at all,
we must look the facts fairly and sauarely in
the face, and must see how modern tenden-
cies stand with regard to them.
Now, / have the, greatest sympathy with
the modern woman's demand for emancipa-
ton. l am an enthusiast on the woman ques-
ton. Indeed, so far am i from wishing to
keep her in subsection to man, that | should
like to see her a great deal more enamel.
pated than she herself as yet at ali desires.
Only her emancipation must not be of a
sort that interferes In any way with