THE DIFFERENTIAL BIRTH RATE
■ la The Lilitorl Sir.—British. European and American population experts declare that the problem of the differential birth rate is one of the world's most pressing—but unappreciated—question. Present birth rate trends do not of course mean that mankind will run short in the near future of its supply of doctors, teachers, solicitors and other members of the professional classes. As the birth rate diminishes among the brain workers of the world, their ranks are fed by new blood from the families of the hand workers. This is all to the good, and testifies to the sound principles underlying a free and democratic government. At the same time, it takes many generations of slow, selective breeding to evolve even one outstanding intelligence. much less a sufficient number of gifted individuals to raise the intellectual standard of a community or a nation. It would therefore be waste of the most deplorable kind lo encourage the present falling tendency of the birth rate among the brain workers of the world. The “workers” of the nations are producing most of the population necessary to keep their own grades in existence as well as to provide our professional classes. There may be some superficial justification for the attitude at times taken up by them that, so long as their own birth rates are sustained, there can be no real population problem to be solved. However, look at it this v. •/. Mr and Mrs Worker get married. The State gives them a start in life, and afterwards sees to it that the mother’s health and domestic arrangements are safeguarded both before and after,, the , birth of each of her children. The Worker’s have (say) four bonny babes, radiant in beauty and bursting with health and intelligence. Very well. They grow up. Now every normal father and mother wish to see their children “rise in the world”; and so the Worker’s foster their children’s ambition to make careers for themselves. Little Prunella Worker probably becomes a teacher; little Marina Worker startles the family by becoming a doctor; little Benito Worker becomes a po- \ pular composer of croon songs; and little Adolph Worker “rises” to be a solicitor. The question now arises: do the original Mr and Mrs Worker really desire to see the extinction of their beloved descendants. merely because they have used their brains and so have moved into the professional classes? If thi brain working grades of the community are to be saved from a quick and painless death, it is “up lo” the hand workers to see that the professional classes shall at least be afforded reasonable facilities for sustaining their own birth rates. A constructive programme with this end in view would include reform of a social system which forbids marriage among the more intelligent mem-1 hers of the community at the natural pairing ages, as well as drastic and overdue reforms in the food habits of the entire population. —We are. etc., I HYSICAL AND MENTAL WELFARE SOCIETY. Onchunga. 27th November.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NEM19381130.2.25
Bibliographic details
Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 30 November 1938, Page 3
Word Count
502THE DIFFERENTIAL BIRTH RATE Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 30 November 1938, Page 3
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Nelson Evening Mail. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.