The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-12
A HoRRInIp coNprrIoN.

We do not know when we nave reau or e more depiorabie or damnabie condition of affairs than has recently been revealed in Pennsylvania in connection with child life insurance. That parents would in- sacrifice them, either by intentional neg ligence or by actual murder, is almost too horrible for belief. and yet we are compelled to believe that it is done in not enough to say that such acts are un- natural in any civilized country. for mo- body will dispute 1t, but the fact remains that the practice prevails in Pennsylvania to such an extent that the State Insur- ance Commissioner has been compelled to take cognizance of 1t in his official ca- pscity. Tn a recent letter to the Govern or on the subject, he states that he is not disposed to suggest any very radical changes in the laws and regulations on the subject, yet he declares that he would nevertheless recommend the en- actment of such laws as would limit the amount of insurance to be paid to a burial benefit only. and fixing an age under which children could not be accepted. This might properly be fixed at eight years. for the reason that. in the natural course, a child of that age would in few years be of more pecuniary benefit to the parent than the pittance which would be obtained from the insurance company by its death"
 In certain old World countries-we be- lieve Sparta was one-it was once the custom to kill off weakly and imperfect children which were born into the world. This was done that they might not be- come a charge on the State and that none but strong and healthy warriors or females who would become mothers or such. should arrive to years of maturity. There are certain savages which yet fol- low the same brutal custom, we are in- formed.
 We naturally look with horror on such brutality, but we must remember that these savage people had at least the shadow of an excuse in that they had the good of their race in view and were looking only to perfect manhood and womanhood for the future. No savage. so far as we are informed, ever put his children to death for money. That re- mained for civilized and presumably Christian people to do. and for the great State of Pennsylvania as a shining exam pie. To what extent this crime has been practiced can never be ascertained. we presume, but the recent deaths of five insured children called attention to the matter and investigation left little doubt that they were put to death by or through the connivance of their parsnts. The publicity given these cases has led to further investigations which leave little doubt that the practice has been carried on sxtensively--so much so that official action becomes necessary.
 To a man with ordinary human feeling, it seems impossible that avarice could lead to or countenance such brutality. Nothing earthly appeals so strongly to it is hard to understand how parents can even neglect their children, much less deliberately murder them in order to get the comparatively insignificant
 amount paid by the insurance companies | in such cases.
 If the law takes hold of these cases as
 we naturally suppose it must and will
 and interferes to prevent the insurance
 of childrens lives. We expect to see the
 argument advanced, as it is advanced in
 certain other cases, that the State has
 no right to interpose. and that the na- tural rights of the parents are interfered 1 with. The answer to this is that the
 State has the same right to protect chil- dren from assassination that 1t has to
 protect them against contagious diseases
 or other dangers, And if the law fails to interfere in such cases as these. il need not be a matter of surprise if inter.
 ference and punishment comes in other