The Birth-Rate.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 178, 1 August 1904, Page 4

The Birth-Rate.

A BACHELOR'S BITTER WAIL. A correspondent in the Donnevirke Press,desci i. ing himself as a bachelor land i e i to cri in r«r ri- , •- f•' ' - -.•? ■■ i-. ■- 5..:.v-._ „i L 1„. u . v . Would it riot be well, lie asks, for the future of New Zealand if the present day youmg "lady" were to be more at home ? Mow many of our girls can knit, a sock ? How many of them can cook a decent dinner "Man's respect is found thrpugh his stomach."—Goethe. Let lis have more kitchen, less parlour ; more Jiome, less bicycle; more home, less parading the streets, etc. Let hpr make home ivhat it should be, and the birth-rate wonft decline. There ts too much of the "going out" alrout our young lady of toIday. She wants too many luxuries, such as balls, parties, tennis, golf, theatres, etc., for the average man to cope with. His exchequer will not stand the strain. She must have a "piano" to start home with ; nothing else will suit. What, then, are we "eligible" men to do ? Many of us are prepared to take awrt "love, honour and cherish" « woman ; but the risks are too great. Her oxpeetat ions of what a man can do on, say, £3 a week, are too great, and we naturally shrink from the responsibility. Let her look back 80 years and see how gifted her mother was. No piano, banjo, organ, etc., was in evidence when she married. But, ah, that is different now ; so are the times and customs now, I fancy X hear our modern girl say, Is the home any different to-day from what it was 30 years ago, when your mother made it a paradise to the man of her choice ? Nothing of the sort ; what was good enough for mother should bo good enough for you, girls. But our present day girl is "so independentshe can type, clerk, do shorthand, etc., but wash and dress a baby ! Oh ! Horrors ! How Could you sir ? No, they would sooner bo charwoman. And how many of them can look after a home ? Answer those two last questions, the modern "bloomer" girl, and good old Hick will have no occasion to "growl" at the decreasing birth-rate.