The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-07-06
ANOTHER SIDE OF THE RACE
SUICIDE MATTER.

Of enthusiasm for large families and
his censure of what he calls race sui
eide have been applauded," says a
correspondent, signing herself Wife
and Mother" "by that large class of
persons, mostly men, who think that
a wife ought to give up the ten or
fifteen best years of her life to breed
ing children, and spend the remainder
of her days, a shapeless, prematurely
DID, Overworked woman, mentally and
physically exhausted, in serving her
numerous offspring, says an exchange.
1t is the men who think that a wife
ought to suffer every year the keenest
agony of which the human frame has
had experience. so that the pOpula-
ton of this vale Of sorrows may not
that goes about. receiving congratu-
latiOns and glowing with pride, after
the birth Of the baby"
While this WOman'S argument is
rather strongly expressed, it is i'm
pressive and merit some thought.
Many circumstances cOnspire to keep
down the birth rate in this country
at this time For one parturition has
become, If not less PAINFUL certainly
more dangerous to tIe mother than it
was of old and still is among the saw
ages. Civilization. as We are pleased
TO call it, has made women so delicate
and has SO distorted their a1atomies
that the bearing of children often
pense attendant on the event has
increased. There must be a physician
and a trained nurse, to do the work
formerly done by a midwife; and al
though medical science does much to
avoid some of the evil consequences
of childbirth. it deters, rather than
encourages, the frequent production
of children.
Vanity and selfshness undoubtedly
have some part in the Discrimination
of so many married women to have
large families The mother of large
family, if she does her duty. must Sc
clude herself from society for many
years and give all her time to her
children. This is honorable and noble
work, but rather wearing and mOnot-
onOus. 1t has turned many a bright
and blooming girl into a haggard and
uncOmely woman. The husband and
father, who is responsible for the state
of affairs, mas his business and his
various interests, and under their in
fuence he develops more and more. In
many cases. after ten or fifteen wears
of matrimonial experience. he becomes
dissatisfied with his wife because she.
poor woman, has not developed intel
lectually as fast as he Her prattle
about the children wearies and an
nOys him. His affection wears away.
He ceases to take pleasure in her com
pany and if nothing worse happens.
they drift along. having no interest in
each other; he spending his evenings
away from home she hardly more
than a hOusekeeepr or woman of all
work: quarreling with each other on
occasions, and both cynical about mat
rmony This is not so unusual a sit
niZe it.
Another and the chief reason of the
falling off in the number of children
in moderately well-tO-do families is
the fear of adding to the cost of main
tanning the family. Each child is
cause of expense. A couple that were
able TO live comfortably on a certain
income before they had children find
that three or four young ones make
considerable difference in the fami
Tvs manner of living. Pleasures that
were once within the parents means
must be resigned. The family may
have to drop out of the social position
which it has held 1t becomes diff
cult or impossible for the father to &C
cumulate any capital, and thus he is
kept in the position, perhaps, of a
salaried hack These considerations
do not affect the rich, but the MAORI
~ of families are not rich. A man
does not wish to call children into
the world unless he can give them a
decent bringing up and put them in
the way of making comfortable liv
ing. Girls. especially, present prob
lem to him. He dose not wish to send
them out to work, he cannot leave
them an Independent income, and,
therefore, he must find husbands for