St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-12-05
Grace Suicides" Other Side.

IL used to be said that 1t did not cost
| anything to raise baby, but that, on
the contrary, it was an investment.
Such proposition can no longer be
maintained. Every baby costs a great
deal of money. Each baby
cramps little all that have come be-
fore it, with the result that the mother
and father are soon obliged to sacri-
fee themselves almost entirely on the
family altar. They must give up their
comforts and pleasures; the mother
must give up often even the necessi-
ties of life and take up its worst bur-
de1s in order that the children shall
not suffer.
It makes me sick to look at friends
OF mine who ten years ago were young
and happy and are now prematurely
old and wan and sad. The young fell
low who used to have the elastic step
and the bright laugh Is now gaunt and
dyspeptic and has Populistic views Of
life. His wife, who was such pretty
girl, whom we all liked so we'll, who
played and sang SO nicely and was the
charm of any social gathering, now
looks like little old hen. Her face
is careworn; her look is haunted; she
ed mentally, physically and spiritually
to minister to four or five youngsters
who must have ''the best" of things
and who are lucky to get enough to
make decent appearance.
1 presume that l am as fond f.
Their as ever lived. have four chill.
dren; and If any Of them were not
welcome when they came, not one Of
them would be spared on any account.
1t happens that we are able to care
for four, not quite in the style which
two could have been maintained, but
to all tatents and purposes quite well
enough for them and sufficiently well
for us to maintain our social position.
which is very dear to us, though to
some such statement may seem fol-
". If time should come when VIC
had to give up our present style Of
living (Which, practically, means our
friends, since in that event we would
not and could not continue present
relations with them). would consider
it perhaps the most serious day OF my
life. So far as can be judged at pres
ent, the only thing that might threaten
such an event would be the appearance
say of couple of more children
presume there are those who will
think that this is an ignoble state
ment, but 1t is not only true, but it
is true of about every family of which
/ have any personal acquaintance, ex.
cept in those rare instances where
there are no children at all. Nothing
Is sadder to me than a large family
except one with no children at all.
do not like to compare the presi.
dents expressions in his letters with
tho brutal sayings OF Napoleon about
the necessity of French. women breed
ing soldiers, but there is altogether
too much resemblance to suit me.
have for the president the greatest
and cannot believe
that he wants to see the population Of
this nation grow simply because It
will give us military strength. The
fact is that we need better citizens,
not more of them; and until there has
been some way provided by which
every child born INTO this world has
as good a chance as it ought to have |
In the race for success shall continue |
to hold to the opinion that the fewe-
there are in the family the better. |
President Roosevelt has large fam.
lily, but he has always had abundant
means to care for them. II he could !
know the sufferings of poor women 1 |
do not believe he would encourage |
poor men to increase their families. |
=" Paterfamilias." in North American
Review.