Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-01-14

N n ARR1AGE, in the popular opinion, is an
NI occasion of rejoicing--an occasion OF
congratulations, gift.giving, festiyines;
It is faneifuly bedecked with white wells, How,
ers and rice throwing. The idea prevails that
man who marries performs an act of value 10
society and therefore becomes noble man.
Motherhood. likewise. in the popular magma.
ton Is surrounded by halo Of veneration,
saeredness tenderness, sweetness. almost beati-
hcation. Because she performs a natural func-
tion the mother is supposed TO have done some.
Ing exceptionally praiseworthy OF value to so
ciety, and TO have assumed glowing glory not
possessed by ehldless women. We have gone
80 FAR that sort OF stigma rests upon women
who do not marry-there Is the popular sheer
regarding the husbandess spinster. Reproaeh
attaches also to the married woman who does
not bear children.
The glorifcation of marriage and motherhood.
without reservation, is one of the most serious
tallacies of society. Marriage in itself does not
make man noble. and motherhood, under con-
dltions which are alas too common, does not
make woman sacred. Marriage, instead of an
occasion for rejoicing, would often be more 1T
nngiy spent Ill lamentation. Ii is too often
tunereal occasion. Motherhood. instead of being
sacred and clarifying function, is too often
crime against society.
The man and woman who enter matrimony
and bring children into the world without being
able to assume the onereus responsibilities
share In all the social wrongs of civilization.
Too many children are born into the world
There should be fewer children, OF better
quality
There too many parents in America
There should be fewer mothers and fathers
but better mothers and fathers
There are too many large families among the
poor--and generally large families are found
among the poor Consequently we have to deal
with the evils of unemployment. low wages.
lack of food. starvation, disease. crowded tene.
ments, prostitution. crimes against society,
anarchy and all the phases of social unrest.
Too many babies-that is the fundamental
cause of the diseases of society.
We have organizations that attempt to deal
with these evils organizations for the relief OF
the poor for feeding the hungry and unem.
ployed. for housing the shelterless. for treating
detectives, fostering and rearing children whose
parents neglect, desert or cannot care for; So
cietes for the reformation of women, crusades
to raise wages and the standard of living. for
preventing child labor and enacting remedial
legislation. Organizations all of good intent,
without number. The work of all these, desir-
able a temporary relief, is. after ALL only
palliative
They deal only with the surface manifesto.
tons of a disease They are like the old.time
empiric country doctor, who, IL you had a head
ache, toothache stomach ache, attempted to
kill the pain instead of removing the cause. To
solve our social problems and do away with the
evils of society we must remove the fundamen.
tai cause That cause liz overpopulatlon. too
many people unable to take care of themselves;
too many babies born OF such people to grow
up only to become burdens upon society.
We have heard great deal from people like
Theodore Roosevelt and Kaiser Wilhelm ex-
tolling large families. Such talk has done q
great deal of harm In the world Large families
in this country to-day are fundamentally the
cause of low wages, lack OF employment and the
other evils have cited. Excessive overpopua.
ton in Germany--praised by the Emperor as
the fuliment of a duty To God but encoura eed
primarily that large numbers of men might be
had for military service-is responsible for the
war Nautilus declared that overpopulation-
the birth of too many children-is the cause Of