THOSE INFANTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3174, 27 August 1917, Page 7

THOSE INFANTS

Sir, —Perhaps you would allow one from the. backblocks tp say 'how : pleased he was to see in The Dominion of August 13 tlie letter ou "The Care of infant Life," in which it is suggested that the Plunket Society should be Of course, it is the first duty of the State to look after its infants. It is also its duty to regulate tho ■ marriage laws so as at least advise those suffering from hereditary disease not to bring; poor unfortunate little ones into world to suffer. One reads, that ''it is still more dangerous to be a baby in England than a soldier in 'Prance." It is to be hoped this is an, exaggeration. But considering that it lias been customary for the British to encourage-all *to reproduce, 110 matter what tho constitution of tlie parents, it is quite possible it may be true. I should liko to point out to "Two Thinking Mothers" that we have got the wrong bull by the horns when wo only liegin to think of caring for the infants after they are born. This is'much like shutting the stable door after the horse .has got away. So long as the State encourages tho breeding by people afflicted by insanity and other hereditary diseases, so long shall we have mothers and fathers with impossible children, and all the rare of any society, be it a Plunko-t Society or a State concern will be of no avail to help these little ones. There are now mors than 4000 in pur asylums. These martyrs to our social system have relations outside marrying and intermarrying, so it is quite time a beginning was made by warning them of ttio dangers they incur by marriage. Doctors are now well uwave that if two people having a. strain of insanity reproduce it does not giv-e their children the gliost o7 a chance. What we think of a captain who put to sPa with a defective compass? Now the brain is the compass necessary to battle through a very rough world, and we should seo to it, if we are sincere, that each little one brought into this world is as mentally as well as physically strong as possible. Our National Government are well aware of all this, and it is! because we arc at war and many of our best a.nd bravest slain that we should seize the .opportunity to initiate some schenio to improve tho race. Later, when we retnrn to party government, it may possibly be put off, becauso those in power would lose votes. Would it be too much to'ask that people

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shouTJ bo medically examined before marrtfige, and. that certain diseases bo declared. That would hurt 110 ono and might savo much misery—l am, etc., JOSHUA JOHNSON. Eedheugh, Picton. August 17, 11117.