Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-12-07
irtuousAmerica

From the Louisville Courier-Journa;.
Figures recently published by the
New York World showing the large
percentage oe illegitimate births IL
discussion. and a contribution to the
World begs space to say that the
Worlds statement that the statistics
of Berlin are no worse than those of
Paris, London, st. Petersburg or Wen
na Is exa~ggeratfon.
London. says the contributor, shows
an illegitimacy rate Of only 40 to the
1000 births, according to the Encyclo-
paedia Britannica and the Statesman's
Year Book. while the rate in Berlin for
1909 is set down as ESQ to the 1000. Eur
opean countries, he says. show q wide
variation, Ireland having Is illegitimate
irths to the 1000 and Austria 141.
A recent reference of the Courier
Journal to the difference in standards
Of morality between men and women in
America expressed in figures roughly
estimating the percentage of men who
fail to live up to is required Of
women surprised some of our readers.
AS nothing approaching a single stand
ard has ever been maintained-or even
supposed to exist-in any country, no
matter how desirable 1t may be from
the point of view Of persons interested
in eugenics as we'll as from that Of
persons who are militant for the spir-
itual uplift. 1t should console many
Americans to reflect upon the moral
superiority OF America over Europe.
If one-fourth of the children born in
an American city in q veal were illegi-
innate. the discovery of the fact would
cause greater national agitation than
h appearance of the bubonic plague
on the Pacific coast. In Indiana a few
years g an effort was made to get
accurate statistics showing how many
children were born put of wedlock and
h returns were not quite ~ per cent.
While the figures may not have been
exact. they were probably al correct
as those made elsewhere.
In America Paris Is popularity regard
ed as the most licentious European
city. That Is due partly to the fact
that enterprising Parisians skilfully
capitalize the vice Of their city as a
catch-franc device to part American
because Paris Is known by many
Americans who have seen little of other
European capitals.
The Encyclopedias Americana's fig
ures bear. out the statement made by
the world as to the percentage of ille-
gitimacy being as high In other con-
tinental cities as in Berlin, but credit
Berlin with a lower rate than is shown
by the latest misunderstanding that
those presented by the World are thu
births to the 1000. compares unfavor-
ably with Berlin in the Ameirana's ta-
BILE. which gives the German metro
polls credit for only 1874 to the 1000. as
against 449 in Vienna, 439 in Prague.
439 In Munich. 1896 in Stockholm, 800 in
MOSCOW. 279 in Copenhagen and 236 in
st. Petersburg. Smaller continental
cities are credited with better condi-
tons. The rate is 1872 In Frankfort and
Turin. 129 In Antwerp. 80 in The Hague,
20 IN Rotterdam, 101 in Palermo and Sc
in Naples. The smaller French cities
are not in h list, but presumably they
would reflect a higher state Of public
morals than Paris.
The table OF figures for countries
gives France 81 illegitimate births to
h 1000: Germany. 81: Belgium. 90:
Denmark, 100: Lower Austria. 26O: Up-
per Austria. 21U: Italy, Is: Prussia. 81:
Sweden, 148; Norway. 79; Portugal. 40:
SpaiI.- 81; Greece, 16; Holland. SO. and
Switzerland, 48.
When considering figures upon ille-
gitimacy as an index Of morals It must
be borne In mind that even IL absolute
~ correct they cannot be taken as an
absolute key: yet for purposes OF COM
parisOn between conditions In countries
about equal In point OF civilization and
In h matter of the distribution Of
population. they serve well enough. It
te not necessary to have figures to
show that in this respect America is
certainly less immoral than any Of the
other countries mentioned with the
possible exception of Holland and
Greece.
A. 49,.