The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-28

shall certainly be made to pay, even II Il
be necessary to use restraint to get the
payment out Of you.
Mr.. Wells holds that the only practical
way Of equalizing completely the position
Of the sexes is that which the modern Utopia
is supposed to havo adopted, namely, by
insisting that motherhood Ia a service to
the State and gives the mother legitimate
claim to living. II the State IL to exer-
else the right Of forbidding or sanotioning
motherhood, a woman who Is or is becom-
ing a mother under the conditions pre-
scribed by law ia as much entitled to wages
above the minimum wage or allowance
payable by her husband to a motherless
wife, LIS as much entitled, In fact, to support,
to freedom and to respect and dignity
as is q king, solicitor general, bishop
in the State Church, government profess
sor, a policeman or any one else whom the
State sustains. In our authors imaginary
Utopia .the State secures to every woman
who is. under legitimate sanction, beoon,-
ing or likely to become mother. that is
to say who is duly married, certain wage
from her husband. to secure her against
the need Of toll and anxiety; it pays her.
too, q certain gratuity upon the birth Of q
child, and continues to pay at regular in
tervals sufficient to keep her and her child
In independent freedom, 30 long as tho
child keeps up to the minimum standard
Of health and physical and mental develop
ment." Moreover, the State pays more
upon the child when 1t rises markedly
above certain minimum qualifications.
physical or mental, and, In fact, does It's
best to make thoroughly efficient mother
hood profession worth following In
correlation with such enoouragements to
motherhood the State sforbids the In
dustrial employment OF married women
and Of mothers who have children needing
care, unless they are in position to en-
ploy qualified, efficient substitutes to take
care of their offspring
What differences from terrestrial oondi-
tions would ensue from the regulations
here attributed to a modern Utopia? Our
author answers that this moderate extent
of Intervention on the part Of the State
hardships and evils Of civilized life. 1T
would abolish the hardship Of the ma
joity Of widows, who on this earth arc
poor and encountered. exactly In pro-
portion as they have discharged the chief
distinctive duty Of a woman, and who are
miserable just In proportion as their stand
ard OF life and Of education II high. It
would abolish the hardship Of those who
do not now marry on account OF poverty.
The fear that often turns q woman from
beautiful to meroenary marriage would
vanish from hfe.' In Utopia q career
Of wholesome motherhood would b, under
such conditions as Mr.. Wells hero sug-
gests, "the normal and remmerative call
ing for q woman: and q capable woman
who has borne, bred and begun the edu-
cation of eight or nine well built. intelligent
and successful sons and daughters would
be an extremely prosperous woman, quite
irrespective Of tho economic fortunes OF
the man she has married. She would
need, indeed, to be an exceptional woman,
and she would need to have chosen q man
at least little above the average a. her
partner in life. But his death, or mis-
behavior, or misfortune, would not ruin
her"