Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-03-07
ONLY FAMILIES Of
SIX PLUS WILL Do
Man Who Knows Says Barbarians
Are the Ones Maintaining
Human Race To-day.

New York, March 1.---Professor Frank
lin II. Giddings Of Columbia University
yesterday sounded the alarm against race
suicide before the Society for Ethical
culture lie spoke on THE Family and
Race Survival"
IF the main purpose of the family" he
said. lis to reproduce the race and care
for the child so that he may pass on to
his children the knowledge. morality,
idealism, the cultivation that mankind
has achieved in the past, then obviously
the whole purpose of the family is frus-
tratcd when the family is childless.
The facts are that the people who are
maintaining the human race to-day are
Inc harbarians. tho half civilized and the
ignorant and brutalized people, not the
people that have inherited the wealth,
the morals. the knowledge and the adj
vantares of civilization. The human race
of the future will not be the descendants
Of the people that We now regard SUI
perior.
NEED FAMILY OF SIX.
"A great many persons have idea
that II every family has two children
that will maintain the race. Ii won't.
Every family must have an average OF
four plus two. because YOU have to al
low for the children that die in infancy
those who do not marry and those who
do. but have no children Those who
have a family OF less than that number
are not maintaining the race
Here Professor Giddlngs said that he
is upheld by the report Of the health
department of New York. which shows
the birth rate of the various classes in
the city.
THE newest immigrants. the Italians,
Russian Jews, the Poles. are doing their
part The rest are not. Among the So
called well-to-do families in New York
tho average birth rate is two Among
the immigrants we still have a birth rate
OF five or six, according to this report
"A student OF mine, conducting a re-
search along these lines. sent questions
TO some SEQ people. tie received 40
replies. The leaders OF men, men of
great captalistic enterprise. political
leaders labor leaders. leaders of all kinds,
men who have had power Of organizing
and influencing their fellow mon in an
extraordinary degree, were All asked:
"'IIow many children did Your family
have? How many children have you?'
YOUNGEST CHILD REACHES TOP.
THE men that are the leaders of men
IN the United States to-day have como
from families having an average of six
plus children, and large proportion of
them happened to be the Youngest chill
dren. The child that has risen to distinc-
ton is the sixth or seventh child in the
history of the United States so far
They have two children apiece.
Of the future Is not to consist OF the
posterity OF the people that are doing
things to-day. Their days are about over
why are we all working so desperate
lv hard TO make something Of this great
country? Because of our grandchildren
Why, We won't have any as things are
soing now. We are doing It for the chill
dren OF those that We despsc, those who
arc vastly inferior to us.
FAMILY OF TO-DAY A FAILURE.
The family Of to-day, so far as the
ao-called better class Is concerned, Is
pretty nearly a failure 30 far as its prin,
cipal business is concerned. II isn't doing
It's share 1t isn't producing or bringing
ny children.
why?
Wherever you And birth rate do
clining YOU always ind that the popula
ton Is straining every nerve to improve
it's economic conditions, to have more
comforts, wealth, leisure. cnioyments. an,
especially to have a higher social stand
Ing. This social struggle is found in al
the grades OF our population, IN all tn
rest Of the way down the scale. The,
are all engaged In the struggle to get on,
step higher up.
This struggle Is in direct antagonisn
to the birth rate. Families usually max,
their choice between having children an,
getting ahead, and they sacrifice the
children In order TO get ahead We al
remember what was said of the French
when they began sacrificing their chill
dren for these reasons. We are all doin,
the same now; THEREFORE. we are all quiet.
RESTRICTION OF BIRTH RATE.
1t is because population increase.
faster than we are able to raise on
standard of living that we don't wan
children, II we had birth rate entirel,
uncontrolled there would be no sucl
thing az improving the general economi
conditions.
THE danger is that they will carry thl
restriction OF the birth rate NO far tina
the race will be perpetuated by Stock
that have never yet made good IN tn
sense Ut contributing much to civliza
ti0n.
Suppose It should turn out that tn
rnonogamist family doesn't maintain tn
race and that the Mohammedan peoples
rwho already have shown their vastly su