Omaha daily bee., 1915-09-29
The Diminishing Family
5 ,soEs:s cs.tsl in IN; IIS:p; ;Isn.t-,7

Profssgor OF Psychology in Columbia University
THE ADJUSTMENT OF population TO means OF sur
sistence appears first sight TO be 30 exact that
there is likely TO be assumption OF controillns
mechanism such exists In state OF nature Inc
fact Of the matter IT, however that the 1000 supply
and the other necessities OF life not fixed quanu-
tee but increase in proportion to the number OF men
who both and produce them In an era OF the ap-
pcaons OF science. there are bo diminishing returns
with increasing population but rather increasing re-
turns owing TO the production of larger numbers OF
men who make discoveries and improvements TOT Tue
benefit OF all. The average weli-being mas peeh aoo'
the same in France with stationary population, as 81
Germany with a rapidly increasing populationi put
Germany through its greater share in the advance
ment of science and it's applications has contributed
to the world than has France. The first erect
Of lowered birth rate is to increase wealth-though
n Is generally consumed in luxuries-by saving the
cost OF the rearing OF children but later Wheh tne
productive workers are lacking there Is an economic
loss France, as compared with Germany, saved eaeh
year over a billion dollars by having fewer chhdren
to support but the gain In wealth was temporary In
fact ended in 1895. whereas the increase OF wealth
In Germany the OF the last generation was
enormous.
II Is a fundamental question whether the relation
between the birth rate the death rate will be main
tained under existing conditions as TO give an in
creasing. or at all events. stationary population
VIII both continue to decrease or remain approx
ately AZ at present will tho balance Of the nine
teenth century be lost has apparently happened
in Frence7
The vital statistics Of the United entirely
Inadequate Were registrations Of deaths and births
exist they imperfect and the changing population
It's age composition and the amount OF immigration
render them difficult to interpret But some infor-
nation concerning birth rates Is given by the pro.
portion Of children determined by the census IL
the percentage of children under is years Of age In
the population should continue TO decrease as IL did
from 1880 TO 1900 there would children 300 years
hence. From special study by Mr.. Kuczynski u
appears that the birth rate Of the native population
Of Massachusetts sixty-three thousand women
Of COLLABORATING age. with eighty-five IN
France 10t in England and 143 In Russia. As The
French population IL stationary. the native New
England population, apart from any further de-
cline In the birth rate decreases to threefourhs n
generation Special statistics have been gathered
for college graduates President Eliot In his report for
l90l2 stated that 8S4 married Harvard graduates OF
the classes from ~ to u had average family OF
two surviving children. other data concerning the
families OF college graduates have been published by
Prof. Thorndlke. President Hall and others The
Harvard graduate has the three-fourths OF
a son. the Vassar graduate one-half OF daughter.
What. then. are the causes leading to the recent
decline OF the birth rate and they likely TO alter
that the rate again increase, to maintain the
existing state of affairs 10 produce further de-
crease? There is biological adaptation which limits
the average fertility OF 10 about twelve chill
dren and social conditions have led to onehalf of the
women OF collaborating being unmarried The
further decrease OF the average family TO three
fourth the case OF American scientific men college
graduates TO two-must be due infertliity or 10
voluntary limitation. Both causes have been recog-
nzed since the time of the writing OF the book of Gen.
Of the nineteenth century. 1t is generally boz
lebed that the principal of the small size of
the modern family is voluntary limitation. detl-
mite is supplied by information given to me
by iel leading scientific men.
OF these families i7e were not voluntarily Unite
while 2s limited. the of the voluntary
limitation being health in l3S expense In ninety
eight and various other reasons I'm fiftyfour
cases Childessness involuntary in two-thirds OF
the In the standardized family of two children
the condition desired in six out of
In over one-third OF the 61 families the limitation
involuntary due 10 nfertilty and other pathological
causes these had not obtained. voluntary mita-
ton would have occurred later in nearly ALL perhaps
in all cases.
Neither the prevalence OF the voluntary limitation
OF the size OF family. the fact that the size OF
family Is limited directly indirectly through in
fertility nhealth in than three-fourths OF the
eases be regarded with satisfaction. II is indeed
evident that limitation OF the number Of offspring
was an essential condition Of the evolution OF higher
race OF the civilization 20 which It has attained
There first bioogical adaptation limiting the
fertility to average of about twelve chit
dren then development OF social institutions reducing
the average number OF children for each woman 10
about six. and have psychological restric-
ton limiting number to about three. This number
appears be nearly ideal in far the most desir-
able rate Of increase OF population Is concerned II
might be undesirable and be made illegal for
man six children to have two wives But
we playing with edged tools when we substitute
raonalsm for fundamental instincts In practice the
the race but to avoid risk and ill-health-real or
fancied-expense and Inconvenience. to give the
individual child greater advantages There seem to be
existing conditions which will check the decreasing
birth rate while there powerful forces tending
decline below the danger point OF the death rate
II the struggle for existence and natural selection
are largely eliminated by enabling most OF those who
are born TO attain middle age, then the vigor and
fertility OF the only be maintained by
eugenic selection OF healthy parents IL social eOnd
tons become such that children no longer OF
economic value their parents while they have for
the state greater economic value than ever before
than the state should be prepared TO the cost of
bearing and rearing them. When laws passed 70 s.
bidding the marriage Of the feeble minded OF the DIS
eased. OF cousins and between different races Il s
evident that regard social control Of marriage
feasible II supply free schools the ground that
this OF advantage TO the Individual and the
there is why should not give medical
attendance much else. When we learn that tho
privileges property subordinate 20 the welfare
| OF children. there will be difficulty in prOvidns
that the OF children shall be shared equally all