The Washington times., 1921-08-30
Causes of Race Suicide
NR R. j. SPRAGUE, of the Department of Economics and
J Sociology of Massachusetts, Agricultural College
n OSTMASTER GENERAL HAYS is trying to improve
the Postal Savings Department.
He wants TO bring ont hidden money that is wasted

nRR. j. SPRAGUE of the Department of Economics and
Sociology of Massachusetts, Agricultural College,
- Americans against suicide He says that
twenty years Massachusetts has lost 250000 of the
native American stock by of deaths births.
During the period the foreign born gained 100000
by the of births deaths
Dr. Sprague says the of the decline in the birth
rate in New England personal ambition OF women
terasm of and the cost of rearing children
with the higher standard of living that necessary
While there is woman who avoids having children
for of personal comfort ambition there
probably hundred who exercise birth control because they
fear they cannot do justice to the children.
The history of the birth rate in France during and after
the French Revolution and of own preceding and fol
lowing the great Irish immigration before the Civil War;
classic demonstrations of the truth that birth control
economic rather than sentimental The increase popu
lation in Germany confirms the conclusion
In France the Revolution freed the peasants and gave
them the lands of the idle debauched nobility, who
dead weight the backs of the ers OF the SOIL This
tremendous increase the prosperity of the French peasant
sent the birth rate by leaps and bounds in spite OF
twenty five years of war.
Finally increasing population and wealth brought love Of
luxury and the births began to decline The great French
people, vrie than it is today is unwilling to
sacrifice its ease by increasing its progeny
Each wave of immigration to the United States with its
lower standard of living and its willingness to work for
lower wages, crowded out of the mills and factories in
America and out of all the unskled work the native born
1t may be said that immigration has pushed up the native
American population. But the higher up you rise
pushed up the social pyramid the smaller is the space you
have to occupy.
Dr. Snague declares that the birth control exercised by
native Americans threatens to destroy the race" and he
gives of the economic bases for this situation:
eve throttle the family and penalize those who at
tempt to have homes by excessive taxation dwell
ngs, by allowing public service, gas, light and water
companies to charge unfair prices for home service,
while money making enterprises downtown get off
rates.
eve allowing the DID, unjust general property
- {bo hoyoo H.
any who extends his house for the accommodation
of his children, his mother any other dependent,
while if he spent his money sefshly for his pleasures
the tax collector would not him. Under system
the family man must stay at home because of high
fares while the cebate and the childess joyridng
Much truth in that But does good unsophstcated
professor realize that the gentlemen who have controlled
Government, our banks railroads, street railways
gas and electric light companies would denounce his pro
gram Bolshevsm' By giving bad name they would
kill it.