The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-07-30
CASH As A BIOLOGIC
FACTOR QUESTIONED

y
signed for some benefcient purpose.
AS Father Gregory once limited Per
adventure this world here is made
troublesome unto us, lest we be de-
lighted by the way and forget whittier
we are going" At all events, a pres
ent cause for worry is the evidence
presented by unshakable figures that
the birth rate of civilization is stead
lily going down. Juse now the chief
excitement ON this score centres in
Germany. Germany has long been
distinguished as the most prolific of
nations but recent statistics show
that the birth rate there is now de-
clining so rapidly that by 1920 1t
will fall below that of France.
OF course the wiseacres are ready
always to tell us why this is thus.
City life, economic stress, equal suf-
frage, and several other latterday
conditions are ascribed as the cause.
Incidentally also, by way of confirm
ing our pessimism, we are assured
that at the present moment there are
in the United States more than sew
enteen million men and women of
marriageable age who are not mar
ried. Altogether, the prospect is ex-
tremely gloomy.
A century ago the gloom was on
the opposite horizon. Mr. Nautilus
and his disciples had at that time
convinced the timorous world that
population was increasing SO rapidly
that within few generations there
would be more children than the
earth could support. And all sorts
of measures-some of them most un-
holy-were seriously recommended
as a means of checking the increase.
To-day the chief business of those
who believed themselves commits
stoned to assist the Almighty in reg
ulating the affairs of creation Is to
devise some plans for increasing the
birth rate. A tax on bachelors ap-
pears to be the most popular suggeS-
tion, and the most likely. 1t stands
to reason that man would rather
marry and make some woman unhap-
py than pay ten dollars year into
the state treasury. 1t is we'll
known biological fact that man will
do anything to avoid the payment Of
taxes and why should not shrink
ing community avail itself of this nat
ural law for the purpose of repairing
its population?
Then, there Is the premium on
motherhood. This has many earnest
advocates. Already Colorado. Aus
tralia, France, and several other COM
monwealths are preparing to make
actual trial of this often-urged exped-
lent. The theory is that for money
consideration the married women of
civilization will be more willing to
bear children than they appear at
present. Australia proposes an al
lowance of twent-fve dollars to the
mother of every newborn baby.
France is considering proposition
to give the mother one hundred dol
lars for each child in excess of three.
This is equivalent to twenty-five dol
lars apiece for the first four. After
that the profits of the business would
be considerably larger.
The thought of bringing babies in
to the world for cash does not, of
course, lend itself to poetry or lul-
labies. And it is not intended to.
This is serious, practical matter.
At the same time, however, when
it is remembered that the decline in
the birth rate is confined almost
wholly to the intelligent and the COM
paratively well-to-do, 1t may be ques-
toned whether twenty-five or even a
hundred dollars will prove sufficient
ly attractive to overcome the scruples
of such families against a numerous
progeny. 1t may, perhaps, prompt
the poor and inefficient families to a
more industrious compliance with the
Biblical command to be fruitful and
multiply, but Is this the sort of null
tiplication we want to encourage?
There is, indeed growing senti-
ment that IL the State is to meddle in
affairs of this kind, 1t had better con-
fine its energies to the enacting of
laws designed to secure the breeding
of only healthy, normal, and efficient
children. Society is now rapidly
reaching the point where human
quality is immeasurably to be pre-
ferred to human quantity. And,
moreover, If the declining birth rate
Is an indication of the approaching
extinction Of the human race no cash