The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1905-09-20
Race Suicide Foolish
ness.
Cheap and Vulgar Claptrap Which
Ought to Cease
kansas City JournaI.)


faddism has been conferred upon
the dictum of "race suicide" and
no less a person than President
Roosevelt has extended his spon-
sorship to the theory, there are
many sober-minded people who
believe the agitation not ony
lacks the element of proPriety,
but that it is not sound in fact.
From the postulatet that Ameri-
ca needs more children to pre-
serve the national traits and
racial integrity it is argued that
one element Of society Is justified
in demanding another element
that It assume the responsibilities
of bringing children into the
world regardless of the physical,
moral, or financial fitness of
parents to take care of them.
But the acme of official imperti-
nence seems to have been reached
in Massachusetts,, where the state
census superintendent proposes
to invade every home and ask
every woman how many children
she has and, in the event the
answer does not satisfy the emu
merator, she will be asked why
she hasn't more. After the sta
tistics have been compiled they
will be laid before the state legis-
lature with the probable recon-
mendation that law be enacted
providing penalty for each family
that does not numerically grade
up to standard. Of course, the
ancient and ridiculous farce of
proposing a tax an bachelors and
spinisters will be revived, and in
other ways the legislature will
poke its nose where it has no
business.
The shallow and silly theorists
who are continually harping
upon "race suicide" have excited
a mere supercilious joke into the
dignity of social issue. Elimi-
mating the bad taste of cheapen-
ing the most sacred consideration
of the home, the Grace suicide
agitators are tamperlng with a
dangerous subject. They shout
the cry of larger families without
once giving a thought to the
thousands of poverty y-stricken
and depraved parents who have
neither the means nor the capa-
city to care properly for the
children they already have. 1t
is an old saying, GA fool for luck
and a poor man for children"
In every large city in our land
and in many country districts
there are children born in igno-
rance and squalor who might
better be dead than dragging out
their miserable lives in the con-
dition provided them by their
parents The problem of the
children of tenements is one that
must be faced in all our great
cities. This problem would be
no problem at all were it not for
the fact that weak and degraded
parents bring children into the
world without being able to
minister to them or to properly
care for them. Yet such parents
are lauded by the "race suicide"
tinkerers as far better citizens
than the father and mother who
have a few children that they are
able to care for and educate into
useful members of society.
This is subject that may be
left to the parents themselves.
Instead of continually clamoring
for larger families it would be
better If parents were compell-
ed to properly rear and educate
their children. The cheap and
vulgar cIaptrap preaching of the
Grace suicide" enthusiasts will
not affect the intelligent fathers
and mothers, but it might increase
the number of insane, criminal,
and pauper children who must
be cared for by the state. What
America needs for its preservation
is not more children, but better
children, not more recklessly pro-
life parents, but parents who
will contribute to the state a
high standard of citizenshin