The Washburn leader., 1914-12-04
Why Do We All
Want To Live?

Want 10 Live?
Many Have Said Mhe Race Will
Soon Die 0ut-tha World is
y. Getting No Better
Again and again some orator.
talking about race suicide or
teacher-mothers or child! labor
or socialism or full dinner pals,
Of the tariff or the new water
works, ends up with the dire
threat that if SO and so is not
accomplished "the human race
will die OUT says an exchange.
Maybe so, maybe so. But a.
good many of those things have
happened before and at the
time Of this papers going toI
press the human race has as
yet shown no signs Of fulfilling
the prediction.
But suppose il does? What
difference does it make. Why
shouhn t it die out? Ldfe's pref
ty much Of burden, yeti most
Of us hang on to it. But so
long as each one now here lives
on his allotted span, what matter
if fewer are born to 60 over
the same road, until at last no:
one is left? If everybody's dy4
ing, why live?
1t 8 such foolish, pointless
argument!
If the French birth rate does
not increase, the Fnench nation
win die out. If women Of the
old American stock will not have
more children, the old American
stock will die out.
But If any given stock has
not enough natural force to
perpetuate itself, why seek to
make it perpetuate itself by arti-
Hcal stimulation? If it's too
weak and uninterestt d to repro
duee itself joyfully it would live
only to reproduce weakness. Let
the weak stock die out if they
wiM.s.
k's just as true Of the race
40 q whcle. If it doesn L care to
perpetnate itself in growing
strength, it ism t worth conserv4
ing Let it go. What matter?
But there must be some reaj|
son for this instructive fear
voiced by the orators and writers
this fear Of having the race
die out. 1t must have its para
lell in individual life. Every in4.
dividual who amounts to anyl
thing suffers. Continued life
means bitterness, trial, difticuit-
les. Each human carries his
own cross. Often it is so heavy!
that death would appear to be
welcome release. Yet we cling
to life. The instinct to live is
the one with the deepest roots.
Next in strength is the instinct;
to reproduce.
What are we, living for?
Because we. hope.
Why do we want the race to
liMe2
Because we hope.
SomeWht re. in the depths of
our natures, whether We have
thought much about the pro-
blems of tine world or not, we
know that the world, is growing
better every day.
If we study indu trial evils,
we may boone disheartened.
We may think there is no possa4
bility Of grow tn in a world where
such things exist. 1t is the same
with! war. So many people feel
with deep agony CT spirit that
war proves the race is going
back.
But somehow, down in our
souls we know!
We are not building for today,
with makeshift charities, pifflin
legislation about hours of work.
and industrial eaccidents.., We
are struggling, struggling, how
ever weakly and ineomPet emily
to make the world better: for our
children. And we know they
will struggle on to make it bett-
er for theirs. And brick by brick
step by painful step, we know
the work w;'' reach upward and
upward Many temporary bits
Of building must be torn down
Many we thought permanent
will waste. But in the end, after
centuries, we know the great
house Of the world we are build
ing will be made q fitting home
for those, our far children.
y 4. 4 Z