The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-02-28

We have long known that the
Germans, alarmed by the mortality
amongst their manhood, were con-
sidering seriously whether the nor
nal birth rate would provide for
their needs, but we have sometimes
been doubtful whether the steps
which the government had in con-
temptation to supply this need,
echoes of which have reached other
countries, have been truly reported
or merely humorously invented by
their enemies. But now we have
the genuine thing-a pamphlet by
Herr Carl Herman Torges, publish
ed by Oskar Muller of Cologne and
entitled THE Secondary Marriage
as Only Means for the Rapid Gre
alton of a New and Powerful Army
and the Publication of Morality" 1t
is a title worthy of its theme, and
the theme is worth examining, as
a revelation of the German mind.
The pamphlet, its author tells us,
is based upon the future needs of
the German army, the military
strength OF a people depending upon
the number OF men able TO bear
arms, and bachelordom is a cancer
which must be cXtirpated." But
even so there are difficulties. Many
married men cannot afford to have
children, and even if all men were
married there would still be women
left over. This is when Herr Tor
geS supplies the remedy. His scheme
/ is as follows:
Women in all classes of society
who have reached a certain age are,
in the interests of the Fatherland,
to be called upon to enter into a
secondary marriage, which is sup
ported by personal inclination. Only
a married man may be the object of
this inclination, and he must have
the consent of his married wife"
Good docile creatures we know
the German women to be, looking
obediently to their lords and mas.
ters, but it is surely going far to
ask even them to give their con-
sent to their husbands secondary
marriage with a woman who has a
personal inclination toward him.
However, "the secondary marriage
can be dissolved as soon as its OBJ
ject has been obtained If a girl
is born the secondary marriage,
one must suppose, continues. The
mother then wears a narrow we'd
ding ring as a sign of her patriot
ISM And what of the baby? An,
here we have Germany at her tru-
est The offspring bear the name
of their mother and are handed
over to the care of the state" What
for? Herr Torges has already told
us-to be fattened for the guns. The
only reason they are born is for
the rapid creation of a new and pow
erful army From babyhood they
are destined for cannon fodder. The
state will provide for them 4 un-
til she and they are ready-ready
for the next war. They are to be
regarded" says Herr Torges, "as
fully equal members of society in
every respect All, but will they 3?
with the Iron Cross stamped deep
upon their brows at birth. r
Oklahoma farmers are unpatrotic,
but in most cases they are com
PEELED to feed their wheat to hogs
rather than sell it at the price of 81
a bushel and then buy corn at an
advanced price. Naturally, the dem
agogue who is always bidding for
the farmers votes, seek the remedy
for this by raising the price OF
wheat, but if wheat went to $40 a
bushel the corn gamblers would see
that it kept pace with wheat in
price, and the result would be that
there would not be a grain more
wheat conserved while the cost OF
living would be calamitous.