The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1918-08-10
Significance of the
Declining Birth Rate

difficulty is aggravated by labor laws,
which prevent young childgen from
helping their parents by earning
money.
AS an offset to dread of such hard
ship, the speaker suggests for con-
sideration the needs of our nation,
which, if felt in times of peace as they
are in wartime, would awaken sense
Of duty in those who refrain from
marriage, postpone it until late in life,
or who, when married, designedly
limit offspring. He would also arouse
what he calls the religious instinct
He says, "Our appeal must be to the
religious impulse in our individual
lives. 1t will require all the religious
power latent in our people to set us
right. 1 do not mean the mandate of
any particular religious sect, but
rather the ethical force which arises
within us when we realize clearly our
relations to the community about us
and the obligation which this relation
ship involves" We must, he thinks,
consider the sacredness of life, the
duty of leaving the world better than
we found it, and, particularly, the
obligation of giving to the nation a
healthy, normal population.
Mr.. Dublin, following the trend of
scientific thought in our day, does not
once mention the name of God, or
even hint that there is any such Be-
ing. His religion, as indicated by his
words, is DEVOTION to humanity at
large, and to country in particular.
He speaks vaguely of duty and moral
ity, but he does not tell us whence
is the law from which duty springs,
nor why the course of conduct which
he advocates should be any better
than the one he condemns.
The gentleman forgets that obliga-
ton is to be proved, not assumed.
The duty to country that he speaks
Of may not be traced to any law
Surely, he cannot point to any legis-
lation of state or nation obliging peo-
pie either to marry or to bring up a
family. 1t is easy enough to show
that healthy population makes ma
ton strong. But how demonstrate
that any individual, or set Of individ-
uals, is obliged to bear the troubles
and expenses of many children in or
der to keep up the standard Of popu-
lation? Countries and nations are for
people, not vice versa. If there were
no people countries would not be nee
essary, and nations would not exist.
If we are to consider the possibility
Of future wars, We might find many
people unwilling to bring up children
to be food for cannon. We are all
very patriotic now; but it is not easy
to grow enthusiastic about possible
war twenty-five years hence. Surely
people who are opposed to marriage,
who shrink from the grave RESPONSE
bility and trouble of bringing up large
families, will not be converted to bet
ter views by the reflection that their
sons will be needed in worlds war
in 1910. A heavy task such as that
Of rearing numerous offspring must
have considerations other than Mr..
Dublin suggests.
Nor will his religion of humanity
transform the chronic bachelor into
loving husband and father, or make
Bryn Mawr graduate rejoice in the
probability of numerous progeny.
When the illustrious Boyle Roche asks
what has posterity done for us he does
not perpetrate so much of a bull"
II there should be no posterity there
would be no need of providing for it.
The suggestion that parents of large
families should be in some way COM
pensated is not altogether without
merit. It may be that the time when