THE BIRTH-RATE QUESTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12524, 17 March 1904, Page 3

THE BIRTH-RATE QUESTION.

INTERVIEW WITH THE REV. S. ' ; LAWRY. A REPRESENTATIVE of the \ Herald f had a short interview.yesterday with the Rev. S. Lawry, president of the New Zealand Methodist Conference, on the. subject of the declining birth-rate, which lias been' creating such a great deal of public attention of late. Mr.. Lawry stated that whatever his opinions on the question might be, it must be understood that they were his personal views, and must not be regarded as in any way committing the body of which he is at present the head. •" ' "The prominence given to the economic side of the question in recent discussions,'' said Mr. Lawry, ■" appears to me to be rather wide of the mark. I have very little faith in these Malthusian contentions as to the increased struggle for existence. While it is true that in some respects the- struggle for existence is keener, the conditions of life on the whole were never before so easy. We are suffering largelynot from the poverty of the age, but from the luxury of .the age. The necessities of to-day were the luxuries of a few years ago, and this has been brought about simply by our enjoyment of greater prosperity. We have become so accustomed to these ways that we have come to think that we cannot do without them. In my judgment the tendency to limit the size of families by artificial means is therefore not mainly the result of the keenness of competition. We find, it operating in prosperous countries and prosperous times just as much as in times and placer of adversity. I take it that the principal cause at work is the love of freedom and luxury, and a desire to be free from family cares. This desire operates a great deal more than the dread of not being able to bring up children in comfortable circumstances. I am confirmed in this belief by the fact that so far as my observation goes the limitation of families obtains more among well-to-do people than among poor people. If this restriction were the outcome of a determination to improve the quality of the race rather than to increase its numbers I should be largely in sympathy with it, because I believe that the welfare of a country depends more upon the quality than upon the numbers of its people. But I am afraid that these artificial means of limiting families will mean a deterioration—both physical and moral—in quality as well as a diminution in numbers. The danger of this deterioration gives more reason for fear than the mere falling off in numbers. The strength of a country does not lie merely in the number of its population. 1 would rather see a country inhabited by a million of happy, well-conditioned and moral people than by two millions of people of poor physique, of low morality, and in undesirable social conditions." ,' " Have you any suggestions to make in regard to a remedy ?" queried the reporter. " As to that I do not think I can say much. The question is a very difficult one, and one really does not know what to suggest." "Are you in favour of legislative measures?" "Yes, to a certain extent; but the Government must not attempt to do too much. I think some restriction might be applied to the sale of mechanical appliances, and also perhaps .to the sale of a certain class of literature. But these are only negative things. The remedy, to be effective, must be of a more positive nature, such as the strengthening, in some way, of the sense of parental and national responsibility." "What is the religious aspect of the question ?" : ■.-...• " I should not recommend the Churches to tackle it indiscriminately. It requires special study, and a man is not necessarily in a position to understand any more about the j matter from the fact that he has had a theological training. Of course, in so far as the Church is under an obligation to cultivate the moral sense, this must help in the development of the sense of responsibility to which I have previously referred. The idea of giving lectures in schools, as has been suggested, is shocking. It would simply tend to make the children too precocious. As to lectures generally, my opinion is that a great deal of the mischief arises from the misdirected efforts of a certain class of lecturers." "'."" . "There is no doubt,'.',. said Mr. Lawry in conclusion, that amongst cultivated women there is a shrinkage from the experiences and responsibilities of motherhood. This is evidently the, outcome of , conditions inseparable from our modern conditions. The nervous system is being .developed at the expense of physical endurance. The average woman of to-day cannot endure the same strain upon her constitution as the average woman of a century ago. It is a very complex matter altogether, and where there are a number of causes at work it is not to be expected that any one remedy will meet the case."