The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-01-25
OF Birth Rates.

n MEXICAN participation i'll the world war
"A accelerated the decline Of the native birth
rate and the increase in that of the foreign ele-
ment. Statistics demonstrate this, notably those
recently given out by Health Commissioner Cope
land of New York.
The journals Of the metropolis, while admitting
serious situation, refuse to be frightened by these
declares edtorially that such phenomena of de-
cline and increase were inevitable.
A vast preponderancc OF the foreign element
are wage earners points out the Times, whose
incomes doggedly, step by step, with the cost
OF living. Natives OF native parentagc pre-
ponderantly brain workers, whose salaries remained
much what they had been. The result was sharp
lowering of their standard Of living, which could
only have checked the already low birth rate.
During the war the commissioner OF charities,
Bird S. Golfer, reported that, for the first time in
the history OF his commission, educated people who
had hitherto been self-sustanng and se-respecting
members of the middle class brought him their
children, saying that they could no longer provide
food and clothing.
"Dr. Copeland's statistics OF infant mortality
tell similar story. Among infants OF native
born mothers the rate is 90 per I,ooo-as against
20 for French mothers, Is for Bohemian, 90 for
Austro- Hungarian, 81 for Russian, So for Swedish,
and "A for Scotch. This difference DR.. Copeland
attributes the fact that American mothers arc
less inclined to make use OF the baby health sta
tons which arc conducted by his department.
Foreign-bo mothers accustomed to depend
on these and other governmental agencies. 1t is
only under the bittcrest compulson, such led
middle-class parents to bring their children to
the commissioner of charities, that Americans ap-
DIV for public aid in their family life. Meantime
these people of native birth pay largely in taxes
for the MANY governmental agencies that aid the
immigrant laborer and his family. During the war;
Henry Fairfield Osborn protested against this IN
equality on the ground that it was making lite
impossible for the educated American, whose home
is the stronghold Of our national traditions
How serious the situation has become is evil
dent in the statistics Of population. In 1910
there were in New York 92I,3IS native Americans
Of native parentage Of natives OF foreign or
mixed parentage there were I82o,I4I. and OF the
foreign born Io27,7o3-a total OF 3,747,S44, as
against the o2I3I8 natives of native parentage.
Complete figures for 1920 not yet available,
but DIR. Copeland is authority for the statement
that the proportion OF those whose traditions are
OF foreign origin is rapidly increasing. His state
ment ends with an exhortation against birth con-
troll the spirit OF which is admirable though its
logic is not clear What he has in mind, evidently, Is
OF the older immigratons That, he apparently
believes is merely moral matter, but Is own
statement shows that it has deeper basis in
modern economic conditions. These were doubt
less emphasized by the war. but had been opcrat-
ing for many decades before it and continue to
exercise their influence with increasing for:c.