Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-12-10
BIRTH AND DEATH
RATES ON DECLINE /.
Information Brought Out at
Federal Council of Churches
of Christ in America. s.s
FOR UNION OF CHURCHES

Gil Of Churches OF Christ in America
this afternoon, .-.Efs
That there is declining birth rate
in the United States, as we'll as every
where else in the civilized world can
not be doubted" said the report. TT
is interesting TO observe that with the
lowering of the birth rate in /, the
United States there is. also lowering, 7
of the death rate. The latter has fal-,
len much more rapidly than the forr.
mer, and hence the increase of popu:.
lation has not been arrested .sss
Deaths are fewer because of adj
vanced knowledge in medicine, the
better water supply, and reforms IN
milk inspection, housing and santa
ton. But the steadily falling birth
rate will ovcrtake this decrease in
mortality in due time. Already it is
apparent that il 1t were not for im-s
migration the increase in population
would be very slight in certain sees
tons of the country. ~
Should Encourage Marriages.
Since there is no method of coun-
tcracting these tendencies by govern .
mental control, and since it probably,
will continue to be fact that large
families will be among the lowly. il
would seem incumbent upon the state
to counterfeit that downward trend
by legislation to encourage marriages
and births" In this connection the
report referred to mothers and vida
ows' pensions. M
A large section Of the report was
devoted to divorce, and on this IL
says, 1T is striking fact that in the
majority of cases the dissolution Of
marriage has occurred, not hastily
after a. brief trial, but deliberately
after a considerable period of mar
riage. On the whole it must be conf
sidered that the increase in divorce
is not altogether evidence of moral
decline on the part OF the American
people, Nor is il strictly accurate to
claim that divorce is the underlyings
cause Of breaking up of the home,
since the happiness Of many house-s
hold has been ruined long before thcs
action for divorce began" +ua
Refusal Of Marriage Licenses. nns
The report emphasized regulation
of marriage. rather than need of df-g
vorce legislation, and recommended
compulsory registration OF marriages,
an obligatory interval between issu.
ance of the license and the marriage
ceremony to permit investigation 6f
the proposed union, refusal of mar
riage licenses to the feeble minded
epileptics, tuberculor pcrsons and 'tu,
sufferers from communicable social
diseases, and to the criminally degefl-u
crate
OF the social evils and its causes the.
report says: 49,
Portrayal of Righteousness on the
stage, broad exposure of indelicacy on.
bill boards, evil suggestions abound
ing in literature of the day, immodes-
ty in the dress Of women, the con
slant appeal of fashionable society To
the lower instincts, the Haunting off,
vice in attractive guises in the veryu
faces OF the young on the streets, thes
unholy familiarity of the vulgar siir.
treating the most sacred functionsssef%
motherhood. These and scores '8of
other elements which abound in cures
rent life, constantly increase the lia-9
bility to'every form Of immortality. iln
| The report urges that strong re-
ligious impulse" be back of anti-vice q
instruction Of the young and that SEX
education, as part of our socciaF
hygiene, receive earnest attention..
The latter the report said, could
take its place naturally in course Of
biological study, removed from any
association that would appeal to prt-
rient curiosity"
On Church Unihcation. @1
Important movements of church
unihcation in America have advanced.
during the last four years and win
have far-reaching effect upon the
mission field, according to the Com,
mission on Foreign Missions, whicha
reported at today's session. The re-
port is an exhaustive review of mis-
sion work abroad, laying stress upon
the great advance that has been made
in cooperation. Discussing church
union. the commission says: saS
THE proposed union of the Metho-
dist, Presbyterian and Congregational
churches in Canada will not only deep
ly affect the home mission policy and
situation in Canada, but will deepz
| ly affect foreign missions in many
fields. The movement toward the
unification of Methodism will COM
pletely change the missionary situaee
ton in Latin America, Asia and AZ,
trica, and is rightly stirring Profound.
ly the thought Of the missionary lead
ers.' nv
Five Days for Work. .s
In such times as these in which we
live, it would seem as if hve-day i'll
dustrial week ought to be adequate to
the making of good living, and that,
two days might be given definitely to
the making of good life. As our
higher life does not consist in the
abundance of the things that we pos-,.
sess, is it not reasonable for us to-
have two days of the week for rest,
recreation. self-culture, social service
and public worship? We are told,
that this general question is receiving
no little attention in the business. and.y
industrial world T.
The toll and stress of six workings
days tempt thousands of good peo-t
pie to welcome the seventh as a days
of rest and recreation, rather thanla-
time for public worship and other
Christian activities. The wonderfulf
progress of science in the realm of
physical forces and the rapid increase
in the worlds possession of material
goods and power are allowed to efr
| f..1. r q .