A NATION’S STRENGTH

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 453, 22 June 1937, Page 3

A NATION’S STRENGTH

CASE FOR PARENTHOOD New Zealander’s Views London, May 19. Fears tor what he describes as the "decay of parenthood” and the alarming decline of Britain’s birth-rate aiexpressed by Father N. H. Gascoigne, a New Zealander, in a letter published by the “Catholic Herald.’’

“it is my firm conviction —a conviction that grows stronger the long'd’ I remain in this country—that the real menace ito England and therein to the Empire has its origin not upon the banks of tile Rhine in German re-armament, nor even in the poison of Communist propaganda, but lies in it he country itself,’* he writes. ‘‘One cannot allow birth-control to .go on Unchecked and hope to escape the consequences. Man has never yet, however advanced he has become, successfully contended against the dictates of the Almighty and the natural law. There will.be no exception in the twentieth century, “History has an alarming fashion of repeating itself. ... I have lived the last two years in Italy, and I have seen placards in the streets of Rome with a map of Italy, and upon it the average number of children to a family, and beside it the map of England and the corresponding number of children in an English household. There is surely no need Cor me to say which country has the greater .average—innuendo is Afifen more powerful than affirmation.

Italy and Germany. “Further, I have just completed my second, visit to Nazi Germany, and one cannot view’ those thousands upon thousand's 6" physically fit Hitler Youth as I have seen them in their camps, and regard with equanimity on return tt> England the fact that. in .her re-armament programme England has to far brought forward no effective reply to the Hitler Youth of Germany or Mussolini’s Ballila and Young Fascist!! “There is some talk of an imperial Youth Rally at the Coronation, but there seems no appreciation in this country of the vital importance of looking to the nation’s, youth as the dictators are, for the carrying on of the inheritance that is now. ours but may not be ours in the future. Is it illuminating to know that in my country up .till 1931, in which year the effects of the depression caused strict economy even in defence, that New Zealand's youth were compelled by law to attend their weekly parades- and their annual camps? And I feel I am voicing only the truth when I say that. with But rare exceptions we did not regard that as an imposition, but part and parcel of our duties as citizens. Nor can one who has seen conditions. in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany fail to note ithe contrast on visiting the Plncio Gardens in Rome on any .afternoon and see .them literally swarming with happy children, or read of Herr Hitler’s legislation for increasing the size of families, or Stalin’s, recently receiving and honouring the parents of targe Camilies, or finally read qf Japan’s enormous natural- increase.

Insurance for Peace. ‘One may say against ail this—what encouragement is it for an Engl Uth mother to rear children to be slaughtered? I rep ly t h.at it is better, to take measures to increase that b-rth-rate, and thu t . ensure that England in the future will not only be able to enforce a peace on the world by the Strength of her air squadrons and Other services-, but will have the youth to man those squadrons’ and therein hope to avert a world calamUy ’ By those means, an English mother is far more likely tQ ayer( . the horrors of 1914-18 from overtak■ng what now seems the rule—the bh y child. England is not going to help stave off another world calam i> by armaments alone— she needs man power as- well. Ule G ° VeTnmEnt take Wes to render illegal the distnbu ton of birth-control propaganda, and the ease with which COJltraceptives lh e in rr Ured - FUrther ' i£ We "‘fist see o n 16t the tjovernment ■ t chat the absence of a fammg, ot n °t < he/ il fl QUa n ° n ° f the rentoi tiiete flatq Again, in thp r all :r: the weekiy onot allow of a larger fami] X ernm X h a,lot , a subsidy to th na n n’ et Us have S tem”T: d ° n th 6