The Washington times., 1904-05-15
Race Suicide Not True,
Says a College Expert

ceeded in number eight children either
died at middle age or became hopeless
invalids.
The economic situation made rena=-
rage a necessity for both men and
women A poor man could not afford
TO hire some one 10 take care OF his
motherless children. so he took another
wife; and II she was young, and his
family was large. she usually died at
motherhood. and he had to marry again.
If mother of little children was left
had no course but TO accept the first
man who offered a home Men and
women alike seem to have looked upon
the matter OF bringing up another's
children as a religious duty.
This old-fashjoned large family was
not, DR.. Smith finds, a robust family.
Although the records OF mortality OF
children were too incomplete for gen.
eralization, he deduced from records
given for individual families q rate OF
90 to 60 per cent OF deaths. A. -arentiy.
there was no knowledge IN those days
CT the laws OF hygiene and heredity.
Cases like these We're not uncommon;
-. Ten children lnine 1ead); first
wife died OF consumption at forty-1ve
years.
in childhood); mother died at forty-sev-
- Ten children tnine died in
childhood; the fathers salary was so.
lowing the history OF old New England
families that the largo Sanity tends
TO extinction IN the fourth or NTH gen.
Grafton. The families OF moderate size
through successive generations. Our
gIandmothers. saints though they were
in the patience and purity Of their lives,
exhausted themselves by overdrawi1g
their account OF physical vitality.
Race Suicide VS.. Lost Ideals.
Granting that the families n modern
college graduates are small, Or. Smith
thinks that the United States need feel
no anxiety in regard. to race suicide.
From the late census reports II appears
that the population Is increasing at a
ratio, which, IL continued. will in time
crowd even the wide territory of the
union. The literally educated classes
are. moreover. growing so rapidly that
the land viii not lack educated men De-
cause college graduates haze not large
families to send TO their tIm2 matters.
Economically, the present condition Of
things IS desirable.
College graduates prefer professional
life TO manual labor. and II the balance
between the productive laborers of the
country and the organizing element Is
lost the prosperity OF the United states
will suffer. There is yet another aspect
TO the matter; II is illogical TO speak OF
race suicide" on the basis Of the de-
crease Of one class. and. after the last
census. II Is equally
II there is any truth behind th5
popular lament that the falling of in
the number Of children among the
70 miles of educated people today i'm
piles a falling of in the ideals of fam
ily life and parenthood. herein is u
real and great danger TO the state.
for such an opinion among the educated
classes would sooner or later hitter
down and affect the entire population
In regard 10 this question DR.. Smith is
optimistic
The educated woman OF the pres
ent generation" he writes has a high
e- ideal OF motherhood than her grand
mother had, because her knowledge ia
wider She refuses TO marry. even at
the sacrifice of her own personal hap
piness, he declares. II she believes there
exists any reason that would deprive her
children of the right to be well lsIl. 1t
Is possible that in this reforsa as in
other reforms. the pendulum. n swing
ing. has swung too far, but time VIII adj
Just IT, and in the meanwhile IL IS a
satisfaction to know that in the SOL
lege records of the future we shall not
be likely TO find that a consuInptive
mother died at the age of forty laaV-
ing seven children, none of whom lived
to maturity
DIR. Smiths theory is practically the
same as that advanced by Herbert Spen-
Ger 10 aliay the fears aroused in the
public mind by the doctrine OF Nal
thus.