THE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS REFLECTED IN BIRTH RATE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19033, 31 March 1930, Page 8

THE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS REFLECTED IN BIRTH RATE .

To-day's Signed Article

Specially written for the “Star By Professor Sellheim, M.D.

The problem created by the decreasing birth-rate is essentially dominated by the which it is envisaged. The prejudice it causes is undoubted. Anyone can reckon on the fingers of the hand that the race will diminish if enough seeds are not sown. Yet, fundamentally, the decreasing birth-rate problem is purely theoretical, in spite of the fact that its consequences are so far-reaching, in several directions. Let us look into some of the aspects of the question involved.

The decreasing birth-rate, in itself, is an interesting starting point for a discussion, but it seems to me that the first thing to consider would be to ascertain how niany children women are intended to" bear by nature. Experts claim that in order to keep up the population at its present level, every married couple should have at least three or four children. But that is only a minimum, admittedly dictated more or less by economic considerations. Animals and Their Young. We do not possess a true standard of what number of children nature intended women to bear. We have no clear indication in that respect and it is always best, considering the complicated circumstances in which human life is involved, never to stress the , point by comparing with examples taken from the animal world. There are, for instance, animal species that are busy all the year round in the task of reproduction from the moment male and female have recognised each other’s sex. No comparison in this respect can be made with men and women. However, there are such species of animals as the stag and the deer that can reproduce all the year round, but which only bear young up till the time they are fifteen years old. Deers bear their young only until seven or eight years old. This is clearly shown by the gradual growth of the male’s antlers until they reach their highest development. Then, their reproductive capacity has a set-back and the antlers gradually diminish. There is from the purely biological aspect of the question, a culminating point in the reproduction capacity at which the offspring reaches its highest quality, and a period during which, after the highest point has been reached, the fruit is not so good. Nature’s Standard.

spite of his willingness to have children, man decides against them, to the prejudice of the race.

We could draw from this a useful parallel, inasmuch as the quality of the human product can be developed, and that we should take care of obtaining quality instead of quantity. That is precisely what statistics seem to show. The children are generally better conformed from the first to the ninth, and there is a regress thereafter in their physical constitution. We can assume therefore that nature’s intention is that the bearing of offspring should cease the moment the highest point of quality is attained. Here we have at least an unquestionable standard, which is provided by nature itself.

Further inquiries into the intents of nature reveal another important law. The production of offspring is limited to a certain extent by self-preservation or by the competition it creates. The growth and the maintenance of organisms, in general, suffer a keen competition from the reproduction instinct, and the growth of organisms may in some cases, although they originate from the same source, prevent the development of offspring. In the limitless realm of nature, this rule is practically automatic. Process. In this particular respect, humanity is not an exception; it undergoes a process of rationing, by the regulation of births, which is dictated to a certain extent by reflexes the consciousness of the distribution of forces. Thinking human beings do not allow, a competition to start against them and endeavour to nip it in the bud, so to speak- Therein lies the danger of exaggeration, when the offspring gives rise to further cares, and when, in

This practical side of the problem does not, of course, take into consideration the reproductive capacity of the people. It is useless to stress the point. The set-back in the birth-rate is not due to a weakening of the race, but to a decreased reproduction willed and desired by men, who want to prevent their offspring from eventually competing with them. Of course, the matter of sexual pleasure cannot be overlooked, especially in the matter of birth-control. Men have but a very dim idea on the matter. Many seem to consider the struggle for life as more worthy of their consideration. Yet all religions, all cultures, have from time immemorial stressed the point. Nature also is a religion, most earnest and real; it creates in human beings a sound feeling, which is, rightly, the desire for reproduction. Birth-Control. But the true and last motive of birthcontrol lies fundamentally in economic conditions. Just as with the lower animals, a year of prosperity will cause among human beings an increase in the birth rate, whereas a bad year will act the other way about. That is the general rule, because it will be admitted that the wealthier classes have not always the most children. It would be more correct to state that the fundamental principle is the economic certainty of living conditions, and that this consideration is of more moment than the desire for offspring. It acts frequently as a brake in this respect. The desire for reproduction may easily become a desire for non-repro-duction, when economic considerations enter into play. Effect of Economic Conditions. Therefore, when the question of the receding birth-rate is considered and a wish is expressed to see it return to a better level, the means to that end are clearly evident. The main point is to allay the economic distress and its influence and the reproduction instinct will have greater play. It is doubtful whether human beings can be persuaded to increase the number of their offspring if economic conditions are not favourable. They will always want the lion’s share in all matters of self-preservation, the same as ever. Man must progress a little more before he can be made to understand that a greater number of children would mean a lightening of economic burdens. For the statesman, on the other hand, the indications point that the laws need amendment in such a manner as to. lighten the economic burden so that the large number of citizens can increase the number of their descendants, and further, that the laws should favour the quality of descendants rather than their quantity, which is the only manner in which the economic situation can be permanently improved. Furthermore, in the matter of marriage, it seems that a reforming if not a revolutionary movement has started. Russia seems to be anxious to destroy the old family basis of life, and to give free play to sexual relations, without heed of consequences. This experiment will not be followed in other countries, no doubt, but we nevertheless need a better organisation of family life, or of marriage, in order to enable the creation of offspring to be in closer relation with economic development. (Anglo-American N.S. Copyright.) e s ® is ® ® ® ® ® is ® is ® ® si is a ® si is ® i*

“I think it takes an American to see how utterly absurd the great Republic really is." —George Jean Nathan. “In any estimate of the power of a country we find the chief asset in spiritual values.—Calvin Coolidge.