The Dominion. THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1918. THE POPULATION PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 103, 24 January 1918, Page 4

The Dominion. THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1918. THE POPULATION PROBLEM

A speech recently delivered by Dr. Dernburg in the Prussian Upper House gives some idea of Germany's internal troubles, and indicates tho prevalence of pessimistic views regarding her future. Dr. Deksbukg declares that the conditions of life in the cities are- shocking. There has been a great decline in the birth-rate and alarming mortality among children under one year of age. The economic pressure is evidently becoming more and more acute, but there has been a puzzling conflict of testimony as to the extent of the food shortage and its effect upon the fighting spirit of the people. Some observers declare that the blockade will never bring Germany to her knees. Others tell a different story. An American who lived in Germany throughout the war, and mingled with all classes of people, arrived in Switzerland recently. He says Germany is suffering acutely, the economic situation being far worse than the outside world realises. It is, he asserts, so critical that he looks for "a break, a collapse," at an early date. There can be no doubt that the mass of the people, especially the women and children, are suffering serious hardships and privations, and Dii. Dernrorg's speech confirms other reports that lack of proper nourishment has caused a big rise in the infant deathrate. This heavy increase of child mortality, combined with a great drop in the birth-rate, lias created a problem to which German writers are giyng a good deal of attention. Germany s enormous loss of men on the battlefields will probably cripple her for years to come. Various schemes have been propounded for making up for this drain on her population. From time to time reports have gained currency that the authorities were being urged to take steps to encourage bigamy or | polygamy. Such suggestions do no j violence to the materialistic moral j standards which have become very prevalent in Germany. 'The new German idea seems to be that morality, or immorality, is simp'y a matter of expediency. One writer, Carl Hermann Torges, bluntly declares that "the conception of immorality is relative," and that "good morals are only what the upper classes of society approve." He contends that the "facts" give. Germany "the justification, in case of necessity, to put tho stamp of morality upon what to-day seems immoral."

Having thus got rid of the Christian moral law by a stroke of the pen, Carf, Hermann Toroes proceeds to explain how the future needs of the German Army can be met; how Germany's heavy losses in the war can be made good; how the decline in the birth-rate may bo checked. Ho holds that '''the secondary marriage" is the "only means for the rapid creation of a new and powerful army and tho purification of morality." This is what ho proposes:

Women in nil classes of society who luivo reached ii certain ase nrp, in Hie interests of Hie Fatherland, not only authorised but called upon lo enter into a secondary marriage, which is supporter] bv personal inclination.. Only a married man may be the object of this inclination, and lie must have the consent

of his married wife. This condition is necessary in order to prevent tlio mischief wiiicli otherwise might surely bo expected. The offspring of theso luwful secondary marriages hear the name of their mother, unci are handed over to the care; of the Slate, unless the mother assumes responsibility ior Iliem. They arc lo be regarded in every respect as fully equal members of society. The motiiers wear n narrow wedding-ring as ft sign of (heir .patriotism. The secondary "man , iajto can be dissolved as taou as its object has been attained.

Hehk Toughs asserts that only by the adoption of some such measures as he proposes can Germany maintain herself on her "present pinnaclo of morality." The difficulties in the way, ho says, consist solely in ethical scruples which will continue to operate "until conscience has disposed of them." He declares that the question is a religious one, which can be solved only with the help of the clergy. Does ho expect the German clergy to assent to his axiom that "good morals are osly what the upper classes of society approve" 1 In Germany somo of the clergy havesaid and done extraordinary things since tho outbreak of war, and it would not be so very surprising if the suggestions put forward by Herr Torges for securing in the future an adequate supply of men able to bear arms have the support of a considerable number of ministers of religion. The Germ an theory that the State is superior to tho moral law, and that it has the power and the right to turn Christian ethical standards upside down, must have far-reaching consequences.

In Britain the population problem is being grappled with in a very different spirit. Slit .Lames OiuCHTON-BitpwNE, the distinguished physician, recently remarked that the Germans with characteristic bestiality proposed to compensate themselves for their losses by secondary marriages—that was, by polygamy and wholesale prostituI tion. Britain, he added, should make good her losses by worthier means. We must, he said, mako "mothcrcraffc the pre-eminent industry" of the country. "In order to maintain our new position in the world it is of paramount importance that wo should look to tho motherhood of the child—that is to say, the welfare of infants.' . Another eminent authority states that if the conditions were as *hey ought to be, instead of Britain having lost a quarter of a million children since the war began, the nation would annually be provided with, not an army corps, but an army. Statistics quoted by Sir Arthur Newsholme, medical officer of the British Local Government Board, show that among one-fourth of the infants born in 1911 the sacrifice of life in the first month was nearly 5 per cent., whereas in other groups of the population it did not exceed 2 per cent. More than half of the total deaths in the first five years after birth were duo to infections, and the larger part of theso deaths, and of tho associated sickness, was preventable. It is stated that for every man Britain has lost in this war she- has lost twelve babies. A treat deal might be done to counterbalance tho fa>lll in the birth-rate by taking effective measures to give every child that is brought into the world a good start in life—to ensure that every child is well born and well bred. There can.bo no doubt that tho present rate of infant mortality might bo largely reduced by the adoption of a bold national health policy. The comparatively small amount of infant welfare work on scientific principles which has already been attempted has achieved most encouraging results both in Britain and New Zealand. When the Infant Welfare Centre was established in Islington the infant mortality in that district was 135 per 1000; in fifteen months the rate has been reduced to 85 per 1000. This gives an indication of what can be done. The death-rate of. infants in Now Zealand is probably the lowest in the world, but it miglit bo brought still lower }f all that could and should be done in the way of infant welfare work was done. The State's responsibility as regards tho health of its children at present begins at school age. That responsibility will have to be extended. The child's fate 'is largely decided during tho first few years of its life, and it is imperative that the State shou'd see that mother and child have the benefit oE the best medical skill, nursing, and everything else that is really neccssa.ry for their health and general wellbeing.