New-York tribune., 1911-04-07
ROOSEVELT ON THE FAMILY
A Minimum of Four Children Ad
vocated-Race Decadence.


Returning 10 one Of his favorte topics.
Ex-President Roosevelt. writing in TINS
weeks outlook on Race Decadeuce -
declares for "A minimum of four children IN
every American family. Mr.. Roosevelt
believes that "the race cannot go ahead
il will not keep it's numbers. even, II mar
minimum figuTc is reduced.
Speaking directly on the point cf the de-
creasing birth rate in families OF natiNe
Americans. Mr.. Roosevelt says.
In most of the Southern states there *
as yet a purer and higher stanoa u ~,
conduct in this matter. the men ana
! women are truer TO the old standards Oh
duty and morality in these funda
matters which touch the very life ot
/ race. and therefore the birth rate mas n"l
yet materially fallen. But throughout me
North and West there has been the same
/ shrinkage in Australia, Canada ahu
States the shrinkage has been not ohly
greater than in the British Emplr" nut
greater than In France Itself.
The American stock ~ being cursed Nlth
the cuI So of sterity. and II is earning tue
curse because the sterilty Is wilfuL II
Is due 10 moral. and not physioioaica al.
shortcomings. IL is due to coldness, 10
seldshness. to love OF ease. 10 shrinking
from risk. To an utter and pitiful failure
IN sense OF perspective and i'm pow er or
Weighing what really makes the hiSh"Si
a
duty or a twisting of that sense into i'm
proper channels. Moreover. this same ra-
cial crime is spreading almost as rapia'y
among tine sons and daughters of irmi-
grants as among the descendants OF the
native born
Quoting a remark credited to Lincoln,
the ex-President goes on 20 show the re-
suits Of race suicide" in this country,
saying:
During tho last decade tho increase in
population OF Tin. -nitei States was a.
most two-thirds by Immigration. the in
crease by birth rate showing a far lower
percentage than ever before. Lincoln
rarely ventured to prophesy. His chief
prophecy. which looked far ahead into the
future. was abou our growth Of popuia-
ton. and this has been lamentahlv falsfed
by the facts. He prophesied that by this
time We would have over two hundred
millions Of people. and so would have
had " the United states had continued
to increase AZ the rate that II increased
during lincons lifetim.. A. II is. II the
present rate Of decrease in the birth rate
continues this country will have be
come stationary in population by the mid
die of the century; and so will the f,n2lish
speaking peoples cf the British Empire.
Mr.. Roosevelt takes shot at those who
answer his argument with the plea that
quality is better than quantity" dec.ar-
ing the statement false and adding that
when quantity falls Off. thanks 10 wilful
sterilty, the quality will go down too"
He cites the case OF France. where for tho
last half century the population has re
mained nearly stationary. while that
Of Germany has nearly doubled. The
average of individual prosperity has
grown much faster in Germany than I
I'm France he says. and social and :
industrial unrest. and discomfort nave
increased more rapidly in France than /
in the Kaisers realm. Unless the dangers !
of race decadence are realized and RENE /
died by English speaking peoples. Mr. /.
Roosevelt predicts that the future OF the .
white race viii rest in the hands Of the |!
German and the Slav. lie continues:
AS nation We pride ourselves upon TAX /
ing great thought about education. But it .
IS useless To waste time on education 4
there are NOT going 10 be enough children /
TO educate. To spend thought and money /
in elaborate plans for the bringing up and
cultivation OF a young man amounts 10 |
nothing II We have also arranged that ne /
shall commit suicide shortly after he gets
OF age. and 50 il is idle to take thought .
about the nations future II the men and I
women Of tins generation are 10 leave be- I
hind them only a dwindling remnant TO in /
herit this future. Surely N ought 10 be- OBJ !
vious that no material prosperity and men /
n.
and subsidiary virtues. Will count for any /
thing i'm the life Of individual II ne puts (
an end to that life and surely % ought 20 /
be obvious that this Is Just as true OF |
race as OF an individual.
In leading up to his demand for the four I
child family Mr.. Roosevelt writes:
Sterile marriages include those where !
there are but one or two children, just IA |
they include those where there are no chill |
dreu: wilful sterilitv IN much "A crime I
against the race in the case OF the one /
child or two-child marriage as IN the case |
of the marriage where there are no chii- I
dren From the standpoint OF the race the /
average three-child marriage must also be
treated AZ q sterile marriage. for the one /
extra child does not. on the average cover I
the cases Of death. the cases where, 1or
proper and legitimate reasons. the man or /
woman does not marry and the cases where |
married people through no fault OF their
own fail 20 have children.