Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1915-06-25
Correspondent Investigates war
Babies" and Finds Moral Men
Are Applauding Their Comma

Throw out the life line! The grand
old ship, British Morality. cut adrift
by the war, is shipping out to sea
amid fog, storm and breakers. and the
coast guard is by no means sure that
all hands will not be lost.
The very essence of the British sys>
tenn of ethics. its first commandment,
is that any such subject as illegiti-
mate children we must pass with stern
and averted faces, while with hand
Nplift in horror We motion sinners TO
punishment.
1t Is from this safe anchorage, hal
lowed by tradition. that the national
ship has gone adrift in way to make
silence impossible. s..s,
When the youths of the land were
enlisted for its defense they were
placed in training camps scattered
about the country. Lately the discov-
cry has been made that in the neigh
b0rAood Of every training camp a large
number of unmarried women expect
soon to become mothers.
The situation thus created is awk-
ward. BY some of the powers that he
and eminent statesmen a strong though
yelled campaign has been currleu "a.
to secure some such result as this, but
to secure it under the sacred seal Of
lawful wedlock. To have babies born
without that formalisy is very differ
ent and very embarrassing-in coun-
try priding itself on the Strictest Nor
atty.
Very Easy to Be War Bride
In u quiet but effective way the un-
married recruit has been urged to take
unto himself wife before he shall de-
part for the front. war brides" ac-
eordingly have become familiar and
somewhat jocular topic. To make army
marriages easy and common, handy
clergymen have been provided, char
ses reduced and formalities dispensed
with.
Better get married before you go,
my boy" says the sergeant. 1.-The sep
aration allowance will take care of the
wife, you know"
Sir Pandarus is new role for gov
eminent TO play. tut that has been
about the truth Of the case here.
Newlyweds are not hurried to the
front.
Observe then the nations predica-
ment. In thousands OF other cases the
ceremony has been omitted. This vio-
lates the austere law and all cherish
ed conventions. Out upon the bold
faced jadcs, and all that. Yes, but the
fathers Of these children are the ma
tional heroes that have rallied to the
call OF the king, and the rescue Of the
empire. We have Just been showering
upon them praise and glory. The law
provides stern retribution. Yes. but
you don't want to punish and disgrace
your defenders. you know. The very
Yes. but the brave, gallant soldier,
you know, and so on.
The first painful shock of discovery
being over the professional moralists
now trying to bring the nation back
to accustomed moorings by denying
the story and vindicating the charac-
ter Of the volunteers. The accounts
printed, they say, about the prospec-
tive unmarried mothers have been
enormously exaggerated. One report
said that in one street Of garrison
city there were 400 such cases. lnves-
tigation showed that there were not
400. think there were only 800. Con-
soquently the whole agitation Is "a
wash Of extravagance."
Number Of War Babies Under.
estimated
Yet I am privately assured by an
eminent publicist who has been look
ing into this matter, that real con-
ditions have been understated. not ex-
aggerated. l will not rep at here the
total of his estimates because 1t would
seem sheer fantasy. but II he is right
enough illesitimnte children will be
born in Great Britain in the next few
months to Offset all the lives the coun-
try has lost 20 far at least on the
battlefield.