Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1913-02-01
Mothers Will
Be Pensioned
England, Alarmed at Decreasing
Birth Rate, Passes National
Insurance Law

With an eye singled to the future
welfare of the country, the English
parliament has passed law that has
but single object-the preservation
of the English race. 1t is known as
the British national insurance law,
and provides for birth bounty of
$3.50 for each child born, besides
medical attendance for the mother.
Obviously, its purpose is to check the
growing tendency on the part OF
parents to avoid the responsibilities
and Inconvenience of parenthood, a
tendency that is bringing England
rapidly to the condition in which
France now finds herself. The passage
OF this law comes as the result of a
thorough investigation into the vital
statistics of the nation, together with
the various influences that have
brought about the present low birth
rate. Seven and half dollars will by
no means ease the burden of the
mother in travail nor will it com
pensate her for the weeks of anxious
waiting and hours of worry. But the
action of parliament is in the right
direction and will no doubt have
some influence on the birth rate.
The passage of the law indicates
the alarm felt by Britons for the fu-
ture of the race. They evidently find
menace, as did Rome, in the falling
of in the number of soldiers availa-
bic. Slavery, malaria, lust of gold and
decay of religion have played their
part in the decay of empires, but
in Rome and Greece, at least, the
dearth of children in patrician fam
lilies was largely responsible for the
decline Of national prowess. England
Is alive to her condition, so much so
that a tendency is manifest to throw
the burden of taxation upon the man
with small family, with the idea
of placing premium upon the large
family of former generations. The
birth rate in Great Britain is scarcely
three in each family, an insufficient
number to maintain the present pop.
ulation, taking into consideration that
more than one from each family will
die or remain unmarried. And of all
classes, the lowest birth rate is among
the aristocratic class.
Probably no sterner lesson could
have been meted out to the Britons
than that of the Boer war. When the
flower of England's young officers
failed to achieve the success de-
manded of them in South Africa, 8
call was issued for volunteers. Phys
cal standards for entrance to the
army were high and the number OF
applicants who could measure up tt
the rigid requirements did not come
up to the number desired. The stand
ard was lowered and another cal
sounded, but still the lists were un
filed. Again the standards were low
cred until the former were shamed by
the material that now found place
in the ranks. Yet still the army wa
too small. And why this alarming con
dition in country supposedly over
flowing with wealth. There was bu
one explanation: The only man t.
apply for the job was the poor, un
derfed, down-andout, jobless castou
Of society. Loafing about in the pub
lie parks, sneaking from one joint t.
the next to avoid the round up bill.
Of the policeman, staggering from gut
ter to gutter, without hope, withou
friends, without food, this poor I'm
fortunate would have welcomed
chance to 60 to South Africa an
fight for the country that had no
provided him with the necessities o
life. But he was too weak. He cOul
not fulfill the requirements of tn
army. And England saw one of tn
factors that go to make up the grea
cause for national suicide. These wer
the kind of people from whom man
of her future acquisitions for defens
must be made. These were the father
of the future generations, the wive
OF whom were just as poorly fed an
clothed.
We do not presume to say that tn
alarm of England over the decreas
in the birth rate had its inception i
this incident of the Boer war. Tn
case is merely cited as affording j
part an explanation for this alarmin
condition that is common to Americ
as well as England and France.
is easy to understand why the poo
underfed mortal who failed in his al
plication for a place in the rank
would hesitate to bring an innocer
babe into the world to suffer tn
miseries he was compelled to endur
If he found it impossible to properl
feed and clothe himself and his d
pendent wife, how could he provid
for the little ones. So the condition
Of society drove him to crime il
stead of the sacred duties of paren
hood for which God intended him. 0
ten his poor wife was the breadwi
ner, for, in this age Of specialize
labor, female help is cheaper ths
male and the sweat shop is alwa,
Continued on page four)