, 1903-03-26
MARRIAGE
QUESTION DISCUSSED BY NO LESS
A PARSONAGE THAN SUSAN
3. ANTHONY.
She Takes Exception to the Position Of
the President and Holds That Wo-
mar 10 Doing Her Full Share To
ward Keeping Up the Race.

A correspondent of the Philadelphia
North American recently interviewed
Miss Susan B. Anthony on the Ques-
ton of marriage and the rearing OF
children, with particular reference to
the recent letter of President Roose-
welt to Mrs. Van Worst on race sui.
eide" Miss Anthony dictated a reply.
which follows, in part:
President Roosevelt often talks with
out due consideration. and this time he
is particularly unconsiderate in his ut
terance.
His ideas on race suicide are those of
a soldier. who looks upon human be-
ings either as possible soldiers or pos
sible mothers of soldiers. 1t is the
idea of Emperor William of Germany.
There is nothing new in the PROPOSE
lions advanced by the president. They
are as old as the patriarches, who,
believe, had families large enough to
suit even Mr.. Roosevelt.
There is not the slightest danger of
the race dying out. On the other hand,
there is a certainty of the race deter
iorating because of overcrowding.
There are already too many people on
earth. There are too many morally,
physically unfit to live. There are too
many marriages-too many ill-consid-
cred and hasty marriages between ir-
nationally mated men and women.
1t is absurd for Mr.. Roosevelt, or
any other man, to say that the women
Of the world are evading the duties Of
maternity. We see on all sides cumula-
tive evidence to the contrary. Look
at the thousands, hundreds Of thou
sands, millions of faded, tired out,
physically wrecked wives and mothers,
and then tell me. II you dare, that the
ping the world.
That is where the women make a
great mistake. This idea that a young
girl should look forward to marriage
as the chief aim in life, that the day
after she lets her skirts down to her
shoe tops she must look out for q hus-
band, is all wrong. Likewise it is
worse than wrong to teach the youth
with a budding mustache that some
girl in the world Is signing for him,
and that 1t Is his duty to marry on
nothing q year and with no definite
aim in life.
We see the sad consequences Of this
haphazard sort Of marital contract
every day Of our lives. We see the
fruits in discouraged men, broken
down, physically wrecked women,
sickly. poorly reared children and
wretched homes. For man is a selfish
creature. and in the majority Of in
stances where there is not money
enough for all, he spends what there
is on himself, in drink and disgraceful
dissipation, as like as not.
As l before remarked. Mr.. Roosevelt
has propounded nothing new. It is the
same old doctrine handed down from
the days of the shepherd %patriarchs,
marriages the better, big families, the
fathers, Early marriages, the more
marriages the bette r. big families. the
bigger, has always been the doctrine
of the lords Of creation.
1t is the doctrine Of the polygamous
Mormons In Utah. And do you know,
Ii don't see much difference between
the Mormon with his four wives and
the Pilgrim Father living with his
fourth-the three sainted predeces.
sors lying in the church-yard after pre-.
senting their common husband with
their quota Of children.
It is merely q difference In style, the
Pilgrim Father driving his wives tan
dem and the Mormon his four abreast.
The systems come to the same end
that is. the wives are mere slaves to
their husbands and children.
say that the mother Of q large fam.
lily is in nine cases out Of ten q physi.
cal wreck. One child usually satisfies
the matrimonial instinct. two, or Ger
tainly three. Beyond that number the
wife becomes a mother under protest
Save under exceptional circumstances
q large family cannot be properly car
ed for by the mother. Better q small
family where the children are healthy
bright, plentifully fed and adequately
clothed than q large family neglected
and unschooled.
Look about you in any large city and
tell me II you notice any lack Of child
ren. The streets fairly swarm with
them. l don't know of 4 city In the
Hand where the public purse is eQual
to providing school accommodations
Everywhere q large percentage Of
children are forced to remain out o.
school because there 10 no provision
for them. Today the children come &C
fast that boards Of education canno'
keep pace with the demand.
The big family idea was invented BY