The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1888-06-23 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

DRUNKENNESS OP PARENTS AND GUARDIANS. Of all the causes of (Mild murder, especial) murder by omission, called in this paper constructive infanticide, the drinking habits ef parents and guardians are the most familim., the most flagrant, and the least amenable to remedy. Drunkenness, being one of the main causes of premature birth, the fight with death begins before independent life begins. Even if the infant be carried to full term it has been starved and dragged during the whole of ,intrauterine life. Then from the birth the money that should clothe it and provide a warm home for it is spent in strong drink. If it be brought up at the breast the nourishment it receives from the birth is adulterated with strong drink: if it be brought up "by hand," what chance is there that a drunken mother will provide wholesome food? It is early tatiglit the taste of alcohol to drown the cry of pain. Many cone the mother overlies in her dranken sleep. Many, while yet in arms, are taken out to beg, and, as soon as they can walk, sent Out to beg or steal:  Till the stones of every sir eet mow titalr little naked feet. And when death olaims his victims from among his forlorn band the death is not certified as it might be: Printery cow..: Drunkenness of parent. cows,: Exposure, and want of p r ce°rliont. The eases certified and entered in the iter ia bronchitis, or pneumonia, or tuberculosis, or debility, *to., which is not untrue., but only a part of the truth. The result m that public opinion is never aroused to a sense of the waste of infant life Which is going on and year by year there is the same sacrifice) of little ones—before their birth appointed unto death. Will anyone venture to say that such a wrong admits of no remedy; that is leaving helpless infants to the mercy of merciless drunkards is inavoidsble f It is thought perfectly fair and reasonable when a man abuses the privilege of enfranchisement, 10 disenfranchise him, or when a man misuses his liberty to deprive him of it. It is obviously not less fair and reasonable, when Penn" prove by their &Induct that they are unfit tO exercise parental control, that they should be prevented from exercising it. A ready way of attaining the desired end, as it appears to me would be to empower magistrates, on • third conviction for drunkenness of a mother, or on a rust conviction for drunkenness with neglect or cruelty to her infant, in addition to may Permit/ be may inflict, to order that the prisoner's children be taken out of her custodl. and for a longer or ahorter tiros placed under the protection of the guardians of the poor, or (at the father's request) of some female relative of good character. This may IPPVitt like cutting a Gordian knot, instead of untying it, but it will scarcely be said that it is contrary to the spirit of English law. I have, for the sake of explicitness, treated of the five causes of infanticide separately, but it is obvious that any child-murder may be due to two or more of these causes. Owing to the causes being so often combined, it is difficult to estimate their relative fatality. However, so far as i have had opportunity of judging, I believe the fit, causes I have named are fatal in an order inverae to that given, the drunkenness of parents and guardians being the most frequent cause of infanticide and early improvident marriages the least frequent.