The Dominion. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1919. AN APPEAL TO WOMEN

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 20, 18 October 1919, Page 8

The Dominion. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1919. AN APPEAL TO WOMEN

Whek he gave evidence the other day before the -British Birth-rate Commission, Sir Rider Haggard said that within, the next two centuries ' the Western' races . would cease, to hold the dominion of the world. In his- view, if he was ade-quately-reported, the continued supremacy of the white racesls made impossible by the restriction of the birth-rate in some European coun-tnes-and their dependencies and in America. 'Such an expression ■ of opinion obviously is boldly specu]<Lfcive.'. The'question;; upon ''which Stb, £ider ' Haggard touched are in fact far too complex to warrant any.sweeping generalisation in regard to thy future ti:end of events. Itjis, of course, undeniable that he jioiilted to a real' danger, but it docs not: follow of necessity that no way will; be found of averting the danger. While he'was too dogmatic in; his gloomj; prfiphccy of the , dediiic .Qf the, white-raccs,' Sir Rider Haggard was too narrow in his suggestion that' arr appeal should be inade"/through the' newspapers' 'to' women |to stive the Einnire. The suggestion implies that the supreme necessity of the time is to awaken a sense of responsibility in women, when in actual fact\the problem of the. birth-rate as it Bears upon the strength and oermancnce of our own race and others is much broader basgd. .What is needed in order that %s/evil of the falling'birth-rate may, be corrected and that • the dangers it connotes may .be averted is nothing less, than a fully comprehensive 'national effort to re-es-tablish' family life on an assured foundation. The tital need of our nation is that children should be born in adequate numbers and under healthy conditions, but this implies niucli more, than an appeal to the. sense of responsibility and spirit of sacrifice* in woiiien. It implies pueh'/a ; rcg'eneratibri of the "'national life" as-will give free v pla£" textile maternal instincts of which,'no normal woman is devoid. It is a libel on the women of the British Empire, to look no further afield, to suggest that a corrective for a.declining' birth-iate may 'be! found in a dn;cct.appearto their.'sense'.bl duty and responsibility.'~..The. real position to be faced is that; women to fn increasing : extent'and withieveryjustification are_ refusing to accept tho life of unrelieved drudgery (.hat under existing _ conditions is" commonly entailed in rearing fairly big families.' It is for the whole nation to amend these conditions; or to accept'(hem in, the knowledge that they spell .decline and the-likelihood of eventual servitude, if. not of national extinction. ~ .-I • .

;;;The utmost appeal-men are ''entitled; to kddress - to' wonien is fpr !eooperation. in effectfri.icc. luicfi'/pn ad-, jiisjmiyit, bl. national outlook and-, disposal' of n.itionpl vesfaurces-'• as will tend to give, family life the nlace it miist take in any 'really! healthy . nation. It is' plainly enough written that chaise on these lines is the condition nf -our snr\ival as a race, aiid nothing is fwiii-' ed by minimising f th'e effort such a' change .involves. On the olher.hand, it .is much too' soon to say that the British race, which of 'late has so magnificently given the lie to prewar, assertions, that it was decadent, is, unequal to\the task of establishing; family life on a better bas's than has e;, r er yet been known. It is difficult to believe that a -nation which was aroused to magnificent exertion in the rude and .seflvhin'i? ttet .of a war .of existence will fail to work out the intern?! conditions which are essential to healthv and continued _ growth., , The. falling birth-rate is a-danger signal no one can ignore, but there is a world- of hope in the growing recognition-that the mothers of the race are entitled to far more consideration than' they have ever yet been acccvded. At least it is perceived and,-admitted to-day that there is rank injustice in the drudgery, imposed j on too many of those, women wh!o. are most faithful to the instinct of motherhood, and that this injustice goes a long way : towarcls t explaining why" so many women .'shrink from the lot of tlip:'.wife atid,mother or accept it." oiily 'in .form." 'Hope for, the .future defends ytainly iipon the extent to whifeh a; determination to give the, wife and. mother-;the pre-eminent place which is her due becomes the keynote of national policy, and al.reidy there is tentative progress in this direction. What is being done in this and other countries, for instance, to promote Slate housing sbliSraes is a definite acceptance of national', responsibility in a matter which supremely concerns the wel-. fare of women'' and children. This, oEj course,; is only : a single step towards the right 'eoriditions, but. il is worihily in keeping with other cfforts r sonic' of ■ them necessarily of a tentative and experimental char-1 acter, that ai;e -'being ■ .made, to lighten arid improve the-lot of the, wife and' mother.Tliere is clear scope for progress in giving organised help in one form or,.another to burdened mothers, whether in sickness or in health, and in the development of munieinal and other services tending to lighten the labours of the'home.' Much is to be hoped from sustained efl'o'rt on these lines, ■'uid if what is best, and most enlightened in the spirit of the day. ovevaijs the national resources and in vent i ve gen in s. W.i 11 be d rawn. ii pon wi,thqiit stint'in regenerating family life , and in creatina conditions

in which women will not be appealed to in vain to save the Empire. So long as there is open scope for such genuinely _ progressive and hopeful cfiorjs, it is at least premature to indulge in gloomy predictions about the future of our race.