Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-30
SAYS POOR FAMILIES
SHOULD AVOID CHILDREN
Woman, Student Of Subject, Claims
Parenthood in sIums Is Crime
Against society--seeI<s
Aid of New Laws


meeting of the Womens Peace circle
Mrs. c. c. Crossman, who is prominent
in club life and charitable work in the
city, startled the members by some par
ticularly outspoken expressions in favof
of race suicide.
What we need" said she, 'is the sup
preston of unnecessary reproduction.
When parents cannot support their chill
dren 1t is crime to bring them into the
world"
Her views were published and created
much comment. To make her position
clear Mrs. Crossman has prepared an ar
ticle on the subject. in which she says:
Marriage is the most sacred institution
| in the world. 1t involves duties, RESPONSE
bilities and burdens which children should
be taught to understand from their earli-
est childhood The bringing of children
into the world by parents totally unfit
to rear them and aid in their development
is crime that it will be necessary in the
end to eradicate by legislation.
For couple unable to support even
| themselves to bring into the world fam
| lily of children is an unspeakable crime.
The environment of children born in pow
erty, deprived Of even the necessities of
| life. and turned out upon the world to
shift for themselves at an age when they
| SAOulQ U6 ntSLn0S dI Inelf mOIneT 8
| bosom precludes the possibility of their
ever becoming aught but burden on the
community.
| 'It is among the thousands of improvi-
| dent families that are yearly committing
| this crime that missionary work today
| should be done. Thousands of dollars that
are spent now for the support of mission
aries should be turned toward the sup
| port Of those who are willing to go out
into such homes and teach the mothers
| and fathers the gross wrong they are do
| ing. The system of education should be
carried even further. 1t should include
| the children themselves who. as time goes
| by, will marry and bring forth children
| of their own.
| 'It is not subject to be treated light
| ly. On the contrary, 1t is most sacred. It
| involves what is the foundation of the
home and society-the child. Our future
as nation depends upon our children.
! What, then. will be that future If each
year sees thousands and hundreds of
| thousands of children brought into the
world only to grow up in an atmosphere
of vice, degradation and false ideals?
BIames Men for Neglect
"It is my hope that the time will come
when the parents will realize the enor-
nifty of their offense in bringing into the
| blighted.
"The responsibility for the neglect and
non-support of the children rests in the
| great majority of cases upon man. while
the labor. privations and pain fall upon
| the woman. Race suicide it is called,
| to plead for smaller families, but 1t is
nothing but mother killing to impose the
burden of rearing large family upon the
shoulders of the wife.
| he toll or
day with youths accused of crime. Yet
| they are not the ones to be blamed. In
| the vast majority of cases they are
| members of large families, children OF
| improvident parents, improperly nour-
ished in their infancy, turned out on the
| streets in their youngest childhood, ac-
| customed to sights of brutality and deg
| radiation from their first days under
| standing it is no wonder that they come
eventually within the class of law
| breakers 1t is not the child that should
be in jail-it is the parent.
what try to do, and what like to
| see Christian men and women do, Is to
| go about and teach these children of the
| slums and streets the awfulness of bring
| ing more of their kind into the world.
I would teach them that they should not
marry until they can suppor- themselves
and their offspring.
1
childless marriages. Marriage should be
| blessed by children, but not by children
whose support is not assured.
.eTo bring this about will take time, but
| no matter how long 1t takes, it is some-
| thing that should be done.
"Whenever the opportunity has pre-
sented itself have tried to teach people
| of the slums my ideas. Many children l
knew years ago today are heads of their
own homes, happy, prosperous and un-
weighted by the burden of children they
cannot support. Out of Sunday school
class of fourteen girls taught some years
| ago all are married and none has more
| than two children. Yet nearly all of these
girls are members of large families them
| selves
'It should not be necessary to teach
children outside their homes. 1t is the
duty every father owes to his SON and
every mother to her daughter. 1t is a
1 subject of most vital Importance to the
country itself for the character of its
future citizens is at stake"