Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-04-18
WHICH Is THE RIGHT IDEAL?

The discourse delivered last Sunday
in Lyric hall, New York city by Rev.
Hugh o. Pentecost, as reported In the
press dispatches on Monday, have occa-
stoned much comment by the leading
journals Of the country. The gentle
man likes notoriety and keeps his name
before the people by expressing extreme
views on popular topics. This time he
attacked the recent utterances of Pres
ident Roosevelt against race suicide
which he characterized as nonsense
and said "The rabbit seems to be MS
ideal citizen"
The President, as Is pretty wen
known, set himself in opposition to the
practice. that threatens to put an ehd
to the sturdy stock which transplanted
its roots from the Old World and found
ed in the New this mighty nation The
custom of limiting the number Of chill
dren in the family, by means at yarl-
ance with Nature, and In many IN
stances of preventing increase alto
gether, he deprecated In strong terms
and held up as an example worthy OF
imitation, those valuable citizens VINO
rear large families to become
strength TO the nation.
That the race which prIdes Itself as
being distinctively American, Is giving
place In numbers at least to more re-
cent arrivals from the European ma
lions, is generally conceded and the
President Is not the first by any means
to call attention to the lamentable fact
The following Of French expedients
with results similar to those that are
so pregnant with evil In that country,
cannot fail to bring about something
Pike the catastrophe against which the
President warned this nation.
Dr. Pentecost may for sensational
purposes denounce this as nonsense
but the thoughtful reader will in most
instances coincide with the President
And certainly the Jack rabbit COMPARE
son drawn by the preacher viii not
strike the average mind as either fit
ting or elegant He went on, as re-
ported, to ridicule Mr.. Rooseyelts ideal
citizen as zone who Is ready to work,
fight, suffer and have children Sup
pose the definition To be col 'ect where
is there good reason to object to that
'ideal?' What sort Of citizen Is one
who refuses TO do either? A lazy, cow
ardly, shrinking and chlldless citizen
is surely not one TO be very proud Of,
DR.. Pentecost then made these re-
marks:
TO be married and have children II
you are intelligent and are sure you
are bringing your children into a de-
sraDle world Is well, but marriage and
child bearing as il now goes on among
the poor and ignorant IL a crime
against the race. As people become
more intelligent they have fewer chit
oren and venture to say that after
many people have had children grown
II they had the experience over again
they would have none.
so long as conditions remain es
they are now II is foolish for working
people to marry, and still more fool
ish for them to have children II they
do marry. for every child BORN to them
Is new little slave Of mine or mill"
We regard such utterances as those
as vicious and melting to evil, as anti
Christian and yiolatlye OF the first
great commandment from God TO man.
Tolbidding to marry was denounced by
the Apostle Paul as "a doctrine Of dew
is and the increase and multiplying of
The race was made mandatory IN the
beginning by Divine law. Il Is true
that in the press OF troubles and perse-
cutions surrounding some OF the early
Christians Paul temporarily advised
them to be cautious about marrying.
still, he did not forbid marriage and
was careful TO state that il was he.
Paul, and not the Lord that gave the
counsel And the command OF Deity at
the first has never been repealed or
modified by It's Author It does nos
sound well in the lips Of a protested
Christian minister to promulge such
sentiments as those expressed by Rev.
H. o. Pentecost.
That rash and hasty and mismated
marriages are too frequent and that
The production and rearing OF the hu-
man race are carried on with less intel
lgence and rational thought than en-
tiers into the breeding Of TIE lower ami
nals. Is deploruble fact Rut to
say that only the rich and cultured In
certain branches Of learning arr 10
marry, and that they are 90 have few
cr children The more intelligent they be-
come Is 70 talk nonsense of the rank
est Kind and 70 encourage those act7
ly which nations have been brought
10 swift decay, as well as to thy On the
face Of heavens DEGREES as recorded IN
holy writ and woven ln,o the fabric OF
human nature.
Because some people who seek only TO
enjoy that kind OF lie that s found In
"fociety' and who shri the duties
aud responsibilities of true wedlock. re-
grct the number II their offspring and
wish they had neycr brought them into
the world, Is that 10 form O deterrcat to
more rational. normal and natural men
ind women. 70 prevent their following
the voice Of their own being and the de-
cree u the Great Eternal7
And what are we 90 infer
fiom the preachers doctrine OF child
less parents as the great family ideal'