The Washington times., 1911-01-23
MANY GIRL BABIES
COME INTO WORLD
UNDER HANDICAP
By DOROTHY DIX.

POOR, little, young, nerve-racked
N prospective mother writes me a
~ piteous letter in which she i'm
plnres me to say word IN oe-
Tense of girl babies, and in excuse 1or
the mothers WHO are so unaccommoual-
ing as to bring these undesired citizens
into the world
MY husband and his family have
badgered me almost cut of my lie on
this matter" she writes, "as II nature
and not I, did not decide the chnd s
sex, but l honestly believe that II my
baby is a girl my husband ana my
in-laws will be so angry that they Will
be glad If we both die. Personally
should prefer my baby 10 be girl, be-
cause I have observed that girls are
generally more comfort to their parents
than boys are"
This is rather a tragical view to take
of a commonplace occurrence. Never
theIess what my correspondent states
is. in its essence, true. 1t is a fact
that nine-tenths of the girl babies
come unwelcomed into life, and that
tho words, 1t is a fine girl, sir" fall
with a dull, cold thud Of disappoint-
ment on the average mans ears.
Primitive Conditions
Furnish Answer.
Why? You will have to go back to
primitive times for the answer, TO tribal
times when the family held its own with
clubs and bows and arrows and spears
and javelins against its enemies, and its
strength was in the number of fighting
men il could muster. Then sons were
desirable, and daughters encumbrances.
Later on, when the family acquired
name and lands and herds. the pride of
race began, and sons were desirable to
inherit the wealth and carry on the
glory of the name, and daughters, who
married and took other names, were
nnconsidered trif1es.
Among poorer people. sons who
could till the soil and bring in money
were desirable. and daughters who
must be supported were burdens; and
SO the tradition grew up that boy
was more valuable to the parents
than girl. 1t is n tradition that even
the law accepts, for if boy is killed
by an automobile or the railroad the
parents can recover larger damages
than If a girl had been killed.
1t NAV be that in the past, under
different conditions Of society, and In
q country with a hereditary aristoc-
racy, parents were entitled to strike
upon the cymbals and utter loud re-
1oicings above the cradle of a boy,
and to beat upon their breasts and
tear their garments with wailings and
lamentations over the bassinette of a
girl; but in this day and age. in dem
ocratic u. S. A. where all the average
parent has to give to his children is
q title to go out and make their own
living, why anybody should prefer a
boy baby to a girl baby is past COM
prehension.
Life Easier
For Men.
OF course. If parents were absolute
" altruistic. they might well wish the
baby to be a boy for it's own sake, be-
cause life is so much easier on men
than it is on women. and. generally
speaking. n boy has a better chance
OF being healthy and happy than a
girl has.
But so far as the parents themselves
are concerned the one best bet is that
the daughter will be a comfort, and
the son an anxiety. OF course there
are many good sons. but almost every
girl is a good daughter. There are
few parents so blessed as never to
have to shed a tear over their boys,