The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-02

What a profound tragedy IT Is that
the advent Of a little child (the most
. touching and the most sublime pre-
nomenon in the world) may excite re-
gret and even anger in a nome! pa
You ever stop to think that the
ecstacy with which a baby is well
coined Is an acquired and not a
natural joy, and SO is the highwater
mark of human evolution!
Last summer, while lying In a hos
pital bed, heard from the lips OF
young nurse a powerful description
Of her horror at the discovery that
babies were not always welcome! She
learned this hideous lesson IN New
York Institution where the homeless
women of the great metropolis cOIne
to give birth to their offspring. When
she saw with her own eyes that THESE
perverted wretches had to be
Watched for fear they would desert
the seed Of their own bod1es, or even
Kill them, she said that the very World
seemed to rock beneath her feet, ana
she discovered with amazement tnat
Il the love of children q say love IN
the love Of children q say love In
of countless centuries Of the educatlon
of the moral and spiritual nature Oh
human beings.
The race will never go back to bar
barism and paganism. but lndlVlduals
are constantly doing so. 1t IS not
only the miserable outcasts or the
slums and the tenderloins VINO nate
b their offspring, but the occupants OF
hotels. flats and "houses that are not
\ homes are manifesting the same re-
pugnance of collaborating.
[ know of a group Of young couples
who were married some eight or ten
years ago, and there are only 'htee
children among them-all In the
same home!
This is not the place to discuss the
details Of this revival of paganlsm.
The whole subject of antagonlsm nc 10
warning. For married people IN
great numbers to be hostile to their
advent is to threaten the stao1!1ty OF
human society and to preclpltate
a themselves individually into the ABYSS
But this is the place to set forth
in the glowing colors Of truth, the
blessing of the child in the nome
and to bid husbands and wives hail
its advent with such JOY as that WIN
which wanderers in wilderness greet
the rising sun, or sillpW W the,r
aid.
The traditional difficulties and en-
barrassments Of collaborating and
rearing are more imaginary than real
g There Is not a better authenticate
or more wonderful and more peauIl.
full fact in life than this-that mer
and women with large families Of
children do not have to work percep.
tibly harder, nor to deny themselves
many more Of the real comforts O
life than those who have none. IL
is as easy for a hen to scratch Tor
dozen chickens as one You may ar
que about it as you will, but by avoid
ing children you do not avoid trouble
1t Is not actual troubles that peopl
.r5, avoid by refusing to have ch1ldren
nor actual benefits that they gain
Their sole and single motlve IS SCI
fish and irrational love Of ease am
luxury, and nature is never NOR
grimly ironical than when she multi
0 plies the SORROWS of ch1ldless peopl
without giving them new resources L
bear them. 1t is as absurd TO IT,
to avoid troubles by refusing to nav
D children as to avoid labor by refus1n
to have arms.
1T may be an open question hoy
many children families ought to have
but there Is no question that the
ought to have some. And When PEG
pie deliberately refuse to bid these lit
tie bearers Of all the best joys of lif
a hearty welcome, you may set 1T dow
X in your book that they are not onl
knaves, but fools.
The baby Introduces us to joys tina
are not only unknowable, but unlm
aginable, without it's presence In GU
lives There Is a feeling of wonde
at it's advent which is deeper an
more joyous than our wonder at star
y and flowers. There is a kind OF ten
derness in our souls that no othe
object can awaken but child. Their
is an ineffable happiness In seeing ou1
selves reproduced in a little boy Q
girl 1t is a happiness than can b
caricatured and made to appear al
surd, but it cannot be overlooked l
taking stock of life's values.
One time a little "upstart' Intro
duced his family of eight children t
Ils- rS,,,rnn D Anthonv In thesa words