DECLINING BIRTHS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23649, 5 November 1938, Page 10

DECLINING BIRTHS

MODERN FAMILY LIFE SELFISHNESS THE CAUSE NEW ATTITUDE WANTED The firm conviction that the primary cause of the declining birth rate in New Zealand to-day was utter selfishness and that such selfishness was already bringing its own reward was expressed by the Rev. J. Thomson Macky, convener of the Public Questions Committee, during last night's session of the Presbyterian General Assembly. Suggestions for improving the position were advanced by Dr J. D. Salmond, who said that the whole attitude of society towards family life required to be changed. The assembly adopted the following resolution: That the assembly express its deep concern at the falling birth rate and the increasing number of childless marriages, and urges our people to recognise the significance and importance of the Christian home and the duty and privilege of responsible Christian parenthood.

"A Tragedy"

"We feel that neither the church nor the community is aware of the tragedy of our falling birth rate," said Mr Macky. "From time to time it is brought home to us in a slightly more vivid form, but we just shrug our shoulders and go on our way hoping for the best. I believe that nothing we can say can exaggerate the seriousness of the position, and we must realise the danger if we are going to reach a satisfactory solution." Mr Macky said he had no desire to under-estimate the economic causes of such a state of affairs, but while the church welcomed legislation that would encourage larger families by improving economic conditions, it believed the problem was moral and spirtual, and that utter selfishness was at the root of it. There were your. 3 people approaching marriage with the fixed intention of having no children and of having a good time, but they did not know that such selfishness was bound to bring its own reward. And it was bringing that reward. It would bring the reward personally because if there was anything decent in those people they, would regret that position and they would pay for it as doctors who dealt in mental diseases stated that they were paying for it. The reward would be brought nationally m the decline of the Empire. "The only way of escape," Mr Mackv said. " is to eradicate the spirit of selfishness and restore the ideals of the Christian home and stress the duty and privilege of Christian parenthood You cannot have a home in the fullest sense of the word without children. I am not going to preach a sermon on the subject, but I could wish that there were more preached on that theme.

Subsconscious Causes

Dr Salmond said he thought the root of the problem was in the subsconscious minds of the women of New Zealand. Factors which contributed to this were the lack of security that had existed during the depression years, and the fear of war. Some women did not wish to bring children into the world for cannon fodder, for when the human race began to destroy itself, as it did during the Great War. nature rebelled and closed up the life stream He refused, however, to believe that modern war was a biological necessity. It was recognised that the higher the standard of living the lower the birth rate, and that also was having some effect "I think also," Dr Salmond said, "that it has been pointed out that one great problem is human selfishness. As a married ministry we ■ know that parenthood demands great sacrifices. Of our married couples, 62 per cent, have an average of less . than one child, and in 1936 there were 16,000 fewer children under 10 In New Zealand than there were in 1926. How far is this going to go The State can do a great deal, as has been tried in Germany and Italy, but even there it is not succeeding, because bribes cannot solve the problem. Suggestioas for Help " It seems that the whole attitude of soc _-ty towards the child and the mother is unhealthy," Dr Salmond continued. "We must welcome the children and do everything possible for them. I am all for giving our mothers the best maternity treatment, for better housing, and for some national form of domestic help, but what can the church do As a church we have a duty to our nation. The root spiritual factor seeems to centre round man's responsibility to God and to his fellow-man. I think some of our middle-aged women could do a great deal in a friendly way for women with large families. We have to trust in the effectiveness of our own message and in our belief in the Gospel and I think, these things can go a long way towards rectifying the attitude of society towards the question of family life. A s Christians we can work for a better social order and a world that is worth bringing children into. There is a real call to demonstrate what the responsibility of Christian parenthood means." Approach tc Youth Mr D. R. F. Campbell (Waikato) said this was a national problem, and the crux of the matter seemed to him to be getting at the young people while they were still young in the schools. Only in that way could the Dominion be peopled with its own people, the sort of citizens who would be worthy of New Zealand. He suggested that the church should co-operate with those who had consecrated their lives to the development of the child and seek means whereby the religious and educational organisations might work towards a solution of the problem.