The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1912-12-20
SELL CHILD FOR
/. GOLD? NE YER! SAY
MOTHERS HERE
San Francisco Women Are
Unable to Comprehend
Oroville Parents Offer
to Barter Babe
COMMON IN CHINA,
BUT IN CALIFORNIA!
Only Utterly Heartless Crea-
ture Could Trade Flesh for
Money, They Declare

BY MARY AsHE MILLER

SlIl DdDN ana the Hteral tranSIa-
tion-according to the Chinese inter
preter-is "salable property"
Horrible in its suggestion and posi-
bilities, but really not so altogether
oriental as we would like to think.
From Oroville-very occidental in its
situation. citizenship and general
trend-comes the announcement that
some woman who has the grace to con-
ceal her identity under the noncom-
initial initials IL. S. t. declares her.
self to be the mother OF 10 months
old baby of which she will dispose.
provided the prospective buyer will
love it and she can get good price
for IT.
The demands are at least interesting.
because they are so illogical.
il the woman, having borne the
child and-presumabl bly-cared for it for
10 months. has succumbed so slightly
to its helpless, tender charms hat she
is willing TO sell it. why should she
expect more of mere purchaser?
BUT SHE WANTS CASH
Furthermore. why. if she is ready
to part with her baby and so cannily
stipulates a good price, should she care
whether it is beloved?
Feminine vagaries, beyond doubt,
and perhaps just a lingering shred of
those qualities every one likes to be-
lieve a woman possesses.
Tn endeavoring to account for il all
there are any number of ''perhapses'''
and .'maybes." but most. Of them are
rendered null and void by that little
clause asout the good price. Many a
woman would part with her child in a
spirit of self-sacrifice If by so doing
She believed she made stronger the
chance for happier and more pros
porous future
But when self-sacrifice come on a
cash basis 1t rather loses its SAVIOR.
The world is too full of the metae
phorical Missourians, anyway, whose
faith in underlying motives has to be
kept alive by. demonstrations of actual
up and doing nobility of character.
SAN FRANCISCO WOMEN APPALLED,
Not many people will believe that
IL. S. T." cares nearly so much about
the amount OF love her baby will get
as about the sum she is to receive.
San Francisco women yesterday were
unable to comprehend the viewpoint of
the woman who wants to sell her 10
months old baby. Had 1t been an infant
of a few days or weeks offered for
sale it would have been more possible
to understand. But after 10 months of
association with rosy. dimpled baby,
with it's manifestations of growing
comprehension and affection, or, more
compelling even, 10 months OF anxious
care Of a tiny, fragile invalid, with all
the hopes and fears for it's body or
mind, how could any woman offer it
for a good price?
Mrs. James Rolph Jr., wife of the
mayor. who has three handsome chill
dren of her own, said:
Sell her child? / can not for an in
slant imagine such a thing. For a
price! Think of 1t! Her own baby!
And what would she do with the
money after she received 1t? Gould
she care for the material things it
would bring her? One would rather
starve than eat the food it would buy,
and what sort of a woman would it
be who could care for clothes, dia-
monds or any thing of that sort more
than her child?
SALE NOT TO BE CoMPREHENDED
mo. 1T is impossible for me to mag
inc any woman selling her child.
IF she could not provide for it she
might give It away. but the idea of
parting with it for money is not con-
ceivahle.'
Mrs. Sylvanus Farnhanl, mother of a.
sturdy, handsome, year old lad, said :
Sell baby? How could one? 1
would die before would part with my
boy under any circumstances. OF
course. the mother may be poor, but
she should feel that she could get on
some way. A boy can be SO well edu-
Gated without expense that she could
feel happy about him. and / am sure
she could find some way to take care of
girl oh, how could she be sure her
baby was being well taken care of ii
she didn't have him? And then to take
money for child OF her own. tusf
can not imagine the feelings Of such a
woman
Mrs Henry Foster Dutton took a
more deliberate view of the matter and
thought the woman might feel that 1t
was for the childs good to be under
other care. She said:
If she couldn't do the right thing
for her child. ! think she would be jus
titled in giving 1t up. If it could be
better off with some one else she should
not keep 1t with her.
"Of course, ! can not imagine why
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