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REPORT  OF  THE 

FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL 

NEO-MALTHUSIAN 

AND  BIRTH  CONTROL 

CONFERENCE 


KINGSWAY    HALL,  LONDON 

July  11th  to  14th,  1922 


EDITED   BY 

Raymond  Pierpoint 


LONDON 

WILLIAM    HEINEMANN 

(MEDICAL    BOOKS)   LTD. 

1922 


ON' 


5  5  4  6 


This  Conference  was  called,  and  organised  by,  the  NEW 
GENERATION  LEAGUE,  124,  Victoria  Street,  London,  S.W.  1, 
to  whom  all  communications  relative  to  this  Report  should  be 
addressed. 

The  Honorary  Secretary  of  the  League  would  be  glad  to  hear  from 
any  persons  who  are  interested  in  the  carrying  out  of  reforms,  along 
the  lines  suggested  in  so  many  of  the  contributions  to  the  present 
volume. 


■ 


Printed  and  manufactured  in  Great  Britain. 


LIST  OF  PRESIDENTS  AND 
VICE-PRESIDENTS 

President  of  the  Conference : 

C.   V.   DRYSDALE,   O.B.E., 

D.Sc.  (Lond.),  F.Inst.P.,  M.I.E.E.,  F.R.S.E. 


Presidents  of  Sections : 

Individual : 

Mrs.   MARGARET  SANGER 

(President  American  Birth  Control  League). 

Economic  : 

J.   M.   KEYNES,   Esq.,   C.B.,   M.A. 

Eugenic  : 

Prof.  E.   W.   MacBRIDE,   D.Sc.,   M.A.,   LL.D.,   F.R.S. 

(Representing  the  Eugenics  Education  Society). 

Moral  and  Religious  : 

The  Rev.  GORDON  LANG. 

National  and  International  : 

HAROLD   COX,   Esq. 

Medical : 
C.   KILLICK   MILLARD,  Esq.,  M.D.,  D.Sc,  M.O.H. 

Contraceptive  : 
NORMAN   HAIRE,   Esq.,   M.B.,   Ch.M. 

Propaganda  and  General : 
Prof.  KNUT  WICKSELL,  University  of  Lund,  Sweden. 

Vice-Presidents   of  the  Conference : 

Sir  James  Barr,  C.B.E.,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  F.R.C.P.,  F.R.S.E. 

Arnold  Bennett,  Esq. 

J.  D.  Beresford,  Esq. 

The  Rev.  F.  W.  Betts,  D.D.,  Syracuse,  U.S.A. 

J.  0.  P.  Bland,  Esq. 

Edward  Cecil,  Esq. 

Edward  Clodd,  Esq.,  J.P. 


LIST  OF  PRESIDENTS  AND  VICE-PRESIDENTS 

Sir  H.  Bryan  Donkin,  M.D.,  F.R.C.P. 

Mrs.  Edwin  Drew. 

Prof.  Knight  Dunlap,  Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore. 

Binnie  Dunlop,  Esq.,  M.B.,  Ch.B. 

Havelock  Ellis,  Esq.,  L.S.A. 

Gibbon  Fitzgibbon,  Esq.,  M.D.,  F.R.C.S. 

M.  G.  Giroud,  Paris. 

Prof.  Gopalji  Ahluwalia,  M.Sc,  Delhi. 

Dr.  (med.)  F.  Goldstein,  Berlin. 

Miss  Cicely  Hamilton. 

Dr.  Hornell  Hart,  University  of  Iowa. 

E.  S.  P.  Haynes,  Esq. 

Dr.  Donald  Hooker,  Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore. 

Dr.  H.  van  Houten  (late  Minister  of  the  Interior,  Netherlands). 

Bernard  Hollander,  Esq.,  M.D. 

Baron  Keikichi  Ishimoto. 

Baroness  Ishimoto  (President,  Japanese  Birth  Control  League). 

Dr.  (med.)  Aletta  Jacobs,  Amsterdam. 

Capt.  Kelso,  R.N. 

Sir  W.  Arbuthnot  Lane,  Bart.,  C.B.,  M.B.,  M.S.  (Lond.),  F.R.C.S. 

Sir    Edwin    Ray    Lankester,    K.C.B.,    M.A.,    LL.D.,    F.R.S., 

D.Sc.  (Lond.). 
Miss  Norah  March. 

Madame  De  Beer  Meijers,  Amsterdam. 
Prof.  Roberto  Michels,  Universities  of  Turin  and  Basle. 
A.  B.  Moss,  Esq. 
Joseph  McCabe,  Esq. 

Prof.  W.  McDougall,  Harvard  University. 
Dr.  (med.)  Anton  Nystrom,  Stockholm. 
Eden  Phillpotts,  Esq. 
H.  M.  Pollock,  Esq.  (Statistician,  State  Hospital  Commission, 

Baltimore,  U.S.A.). 
Prof.  Edward  Punke,  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
Sir  G.  Archdall  Reid,  K.B.E.,  M.B.,  F.R.S.E. 
Rt.  Hon.  J.  M.  Robertson,  P.C. 
Dr.  W.  J.  Robinson  (President  of  American  Society  of  Medical 

Sociology ). 
Dr.  J.  Rutgers,  Holland. 
Dr.  (med.)  Rohleder,  Leipzig. 

Prof.  P.  D.  Shastri,  M.A.,  Ph.D.,  B.Sc.  (Oxon.),  Lahore,  India. 
Dr.  Helene  Stoceer,  Berlin. 
Dr.  Alice  Drysdale  Vickery. 
Lieut. -Col.  A.  W.  Warden. 
H.  G.  Wells,  Esq. 
Prof.  Edward  Westermarck. 
Prof.  P.  W.  Whiting,  University  of  Iowa,  U.S.A. 
Prof.  W.  F.  Willcox,  Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  U.S.A. 

Organiser  and  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Conference  : 

Mrs.   B.   I.   DRYSDALE. 

Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Medical  Section : 

B.  DUNLOP,  Esq.,  M.B. 


PREFACE 

Among  the  subjects  which  are  agitating  the  public 
mind  at  the  present  time  none  approaches  in  importance 
the  question  of  what  is  now  generally  known  as  Birth 
Control.  It  concerns  every  department  of  human  life, 
from  the  individual  welfare  of  each  man,  woman,  and 
child,  to  the  general  questions  of  poverty  and  morality  ; 
the  political  problems  of  the  maintenance  of  the  present 
social  order  or  its  overthrow  by  Socialism  or  Communism  ; 
the  eugenic  problems  of  race  improvement  or  degeneracy, 
and  the  international  problems  underlying  peace  or  war. 
None  of  these  problems  can  be  intelligently  grasped 
without  consideration  of  the  numbers  to  be  provided  for, 
and  of  the  types  from  which  the  bulk  of  the  race  is 
recruited  ;  and  no  unprejudiced  person  can  doubt  for 
one  moment  that  if  we  could  take  the  same  care  in  breeding 
our  human  beings  as  we  do  in  breeding  our  racehorses 
and  prize  dogs  it  would  effect  enormous  improvement 
in  a  generation  or  two.  It  is  simply  extraordinary  that 
in  this  age  of  supposed  enlightenment  persons  of  authority' 
should  solemnly  assure  us  that  the  breeding  of  the  highest 
type  of  creation  should  be  left  to  blind  irresponsibility, 
and  that  all  attempts  to  control  it  are  contrary  to  the 
Divine  Law. 

The  principles  underlying  Birth  Control  have  been 
developed  by  the  greatest  British  philosophers,  from 
Malthus  to  Mill,  Darwin  and  Huxley,  but  the  organised 
movement  dates  from  the  Bradlaugh  and  Besant  trial  of 
1876,  which  blazoned  the  knowledge  of  contraceptive 
methods  to  the  whole  civilised  world.  From  that  time 
until  quite  recently  the  movement  has  struggled  on  against 
every  obstacle  which  conventionality  and  sacerdotalism 
could  devise,  but  the  war  and  the  severe  economic  distress 
which  has  followed  it  has  at  last  forced  thoughtful  people 
to  recognise  that  the  question  must  be  faced,  and  many 
eminent  authorities  in  all  departments  are  now  flocking 
to  the  Birth  Control  banner.     The  great  pronouncement 


vi  PREFACE 

of  Lord  Dawson,  the  king's  physician,  at  the  Church 
Congress  last  year,  has  finally  broken  down  all  barriers, 
and  the  Press  and  publishers  are  now  rapidly  opening  their 
portals  to  the  new  message. 

And  the  progress  which  has  been  made  in  other  countries 
lately  has  been  such  as  to  leave  no  doubt  in  the  minds  of 
those  who  are  watching  the  progress  of  the  movement, 
that  it  is  destined  rapidly  to  spread  over  the  whole  world, 
in  spite  of  all  differences  of  race  and  religion.  Thanks  to 
that  ardent  pioneer  of  Birth  Control  in  the  United  States, 
Mrs.  Margaret  Sanger,  the  message  has  now  been  carried 
to  the  Far  East,  and  the  enthusiasm  with  which  it  has 
been  greeted  puts  it  beyond  question  that  its  adoption 
is  certain. 

In  view  of  this  progress  it  was  felt  that  the  time  had 
come  for  another  International  Conference  on  the  ques- 
tion, and  this  was  most  successfully  carried  out  in  London 
in  July  last,  with  the  co-operation  of  many  eminent 
authorities.  The  present  volume  contains  the  papers 
which  were  contributed  at  the  various  sections,  but  it  is 
greatly  regretted  that  it  has  not  been  possible  to  include 
the  discussion,  as  it  would  have  increased  the  cost  of  the 
volume  too  greatly.  It  has  also  been  impossible  to 
reproduce  in  full  the  greetings  received  from  all  over  the 
world  from  authoritative  people,  such  as  Baron  and 
Baroness  Ishimoto  {Japan),  Dr.  H.  van  Houten  {late 
Minister  of  the  Interior,  Netherlands),  Frau  Marie  Stritt 
{Dresden),  Dr.  Max  Hausmeister  {Germany),  Dr.  L.  Katscher 
{Switzerland),  and  M.  G.  Giroud  {France),  who  were  unable 
to  attend  the  Conference  in  person.  Delegates  attended 
and  reports  were  submitted,  as  will  be  seen  on  reference  to 
the  papers  printed  here,  representing  practically  every 
corner  of  the  world.  Unfortunately,  it  has  also  been 
inexpedient  to  reproduce,  even  in  a  summarised  form,  the 
speeches  delivered  at  the  dinner  held  to  celebrate  the 
Conference  on  the  evening  of  Thursday,  July  13th. 
Nevertheless  it  is  felt  that  the  names  of  some  of  the 
persons  who  proposed  or  responded  to  the  various  toasts, 
on  account  of  their  representative  significance,  should 
certainly  be  given  prominence  ;  amongst  these  were  such 
distinguished  people  as  Mrs.  Sanger  (New  York),  Professor 
Knut  Wicksell  (Sweden),  Professor  R.  Michels  (Basle), 
Mr.  H.  G.  Wells,  Mrs.  Rublee  (New  York),  Professor  E.  W. 
MacBride  (Eugenic   Education  Society),   Herr  J.   Ferch 


PREFACE  vii 

(Austria),  Dr  Anton  Nystrom  (Stockholm),  Sir  Arbuthnot 
Lane,  Professor  Edward  Westermarck,  Mr.  Harold  Cox, 
Miss  Mary  Winsor  (Philadelphia),  Professor  W.  F.  Willcox 
(Cornell  University,  U.S.A.),  and  Dr.  Bernard  Hollander. 

But  the  papers  themselves  will  suffice  to  show  how  wide 
has  become  the  appeal  and  what  a  sound  philosophic 
doctrine  underlies  the  movement,  and  the  resolutions 
which  were  adopted  will  demonstrate  its  bearing  on 
various  social  and  international  problems. 

Special  interest  attaches  to  the  medical  sessions,  as 
until  quite  recently  the  consensus  of  medical  opinion  was 
supposed  to  be  against  contraceptive  measures.  The 
resolution  proposed  at  the  Contraceptive  Section,  which 
was  attended  by  164  members  of  the  medical  profession 
(few  of  whom  had  any  previous  connection  with  the 
movement),  and  passed  with  only  three  dissentients,  is 
therefore  of  vast  importance,  as  showing  the  change  which 
is  coming  over  medical  opinion  in  this  respect,  and  it  will 
do  much  to  allay  the  groundless  fears  which  many  people 
have  suffered. 

Those  who  study  the  following  pages  carefully  will 
realise  that  the  case  for  carefully  exercised  Birth  Control 
is  irresistible,  and  if  they  have  any  regard  for  the  sufferings 
of  their  unfortunate  fellow  creatures,  and  the  welfare  of 
our  race,  they  will  hasten  to  join  in  spreading  the  only 
scientific  doctrine  which  has  been  devised  for  the  uplift 
of  humanity. 

C.  V.  DRYSDALE, 

President  of  the  Conference. 


EDITOR'S  NOTE 

I  feel  that,  maybe,  an  apology  is  due  to  readers  of  this 
Report,  in  that  certain  of  the  papers  contributed  by 
foreign  delegates  are  not,  perhaps,  phrased  in  the  very 
best  English.  Owing  to  the  short  space  of  time  available 
in  which  to  handle  the  material,  it  has  not  been  possible  to 
polish  these  papers  as  I  would  have  desired.  In  each 
case,  however,  where  the  sense  was  obscure  I  have  endea- 
voured (as  far  as  was  possible  without  personal  reference 
to  the  authors)  to  make  it  plain.  Further  than  this,  the 
indulgence  of  readers  must  be  craved.  It  was  felt,  after 
all,  that  the  immediate  publication  of  the  substance  of  the 
Report  was  of  pre-eminent,  and  phraseology  of  secondary, 
importance. 

Further,  I  have  been  asked  to  say,  that  the  paper  on 
the  "  Sterilisation  of  the  Unfit,"  by  Dr.  Norman  Haire 
(see  p.  234),  is  not  the  paper  which  was  given  at  the  Con- 
ference. Unfortunately,  owing  to  Dr.  Haire  not  having 
had  sufficient  time  to  look  over  the  material  in  the  Medical 
Section,  as  it  was  understood  he  would,  the  paper  printed 
herein,  which  is  very  elementary  and  sketchy,  and  had 
previously  been  printed  in  the  New  Generation,  was  sub- 
stituted in  error.  This  error  was  unhappily  disclosed  to 
me  too  late  to  take  practical  steps  to  have  the  matter 
remedied. 

The  substance  of  Dr.  Haire's  Conference  paper  will  be 
found  in  a  book  by  him  on  Birth  Control,  shortly  to  be 
published  by  the  Oxford  University  Press,  Medical  Pub- 
lications. 

Raymond  Pierpoint. 
November,  1922. 


CONTENTS 


Preface 
Editor' 8  Note 


Dr.  C.  V.  Drysdale,  O.B.E.,  F.R.S.E.,  etc. 


PAGE 
V 

viii 


Tuesday,  July  11th. 

MORNING  SESSION. 

Opening  of  the  Conference. 


President's  Address 

Dr.  C 
Reports  : 

Great  Britain 

Holland  . 

Sweden   . 

Germany 

Austria  . 

India 

United  States 

France 

Switzerland 

Japan 
Resolution  . 


of  America 


V.  Drysdale,  O.B.E.,  F.R.S.E.,  etc. 


Mrs.  B.  I.  Drysdale  7 

Mons.  H.  de  Vries  9 

Prof.  Knut  Wicksell  11 

Herr  Max  Hausmeister  12 

Prof.  J.  Fereh  15 

Prof.  Gopalji  Ahluwalia  18 

Mrs.  Anne  Kennedy  19 

.   Mons.  G.  Hardy  23 

Mons.  Leopold  Katscher  26 

.      H.  Kano  27 

.  29 


AFTERNOON   SESSION. 

Individual  and  Family  Aspects 
of  Birth  Control. 

President's  Address    .         .          .    Mrs.  Margaret  Sanger  30 

C3  Motherhood    ....         Edward  Cecil,  Esq.  32 

The  Individual  and  the  State      .       Mrs.  B.  I.  Drysdale  35 
The  Feminine  Aspect  of  Birth  Control 

Miss  F.  W.  Stella  Browne  40 
Neo-Malthusianism  as  a  Necessity  of  Civilisation 

Prof.  J.  Ferch  43 
The  Personal  and  Family  Aspect  of  Birth  Control 

Dr.  C.  V.  Drysdale,  O.B.E.,  F.R.S.E.,  etc.  54 

Resolution  ...  59 


x  CONTENTS 

Wednesday,  July  12th. 

MORNING   SESSION. 

Economic  and  Statistical  Section. 

PAGE 

President's  Speech       .      Prof.  J.  M.  Keynes,  C.B.,  M.A.  60 
The  Criterion  of  Over-population 

Dr.  C.  V.  Drysdale,  O.B.E.,  F.B.S.E.,  etc.  60 

The  Crux  of  Malthusianism  .       Prof.  Knut  Wicksell  64 

Emigration  and  the  Birth  Rate 

Prof.  Roberto  Michels  ( Univ.  of  Turin)  69 

The  Population  Problem  in  Japan 

Baron  Keikichi  Ishimoto  (Tokyo)       75 

Birth  Control  and  Organised  Labour 

Edward  G.  PunM,  A.M.  (Univ.  of  Penn.)       78 

The  Logic  of  the  Situation 

Herbert  M.  Magoun  (U.S.A.)       82 

Indian  Population  Problem 

Gopalji  Ahtuwalia  (Prof.  Biology,  Bamjas  Coll.,  Delhi)       86 
Resolution  ........       95 

AFTERNOON  SESSION. 
Moral  and  Religious  Section. 
President's   Address    (Moral   and    Religious   Aspect 

of  Birth  Control)  .  .  Bev.  Gordon  Lang      96 

Neo-Malthusian  Morality  and  Religion 

Dr.  C.  V.  Drysdale,  O.B.E.,  F.B.S.E.,  etc.     100 
Birth  Control  as  an  Essential  Background  to  Mono- 
gamous Marriage  .  .  Edith  Houghton  Hooker     107 

Contraception  is  Necessary  for  the  Elimination  of 
Poverty,  and  is  therefore  Moral 

B.  Dunlop,  M.B.     Ill 

Control  of  Parenthood  as  a  Moral  Problem  :    the 
Case  for  and  against  Birth  Control 

Dr.  Sidney  E.  Goldstein  (New  York)     115 
The  Legitimacy  of  Early  Marriage  and  Berth  Control 

M.  R.  Samey,  M.A.,  M.D.,  D.P.H.     120 
Resolution  ........     123 

Thursday,  July  13th. 
MORNING   SESSION. 
Eugenic  Section. 
President's  Address  (Birth  Control  and  Biological 

Law)       .  .  Prof.  E.  W.  MacBride,  D.Sc,  etc.     125 

The  Problem  of  the  Unfit 

Horatio  M.  Pollock,  Ph.D.  (  U.S.A.)     135 
Birth  Rate  and  Natural   Increase   of    Whites  and 

Negroes  in  the  United  States  .  Prof.  W.  F.  Willcox     138 


CONTENTS  xi 

PAGB 

The  Cost  to  the  State  of  the  Socially  Handicapped 

and  Socially  Unfit  M in  Mary  Winsor  (Penn., U.S.A.)    148 

The  Relation  of  Recent  Advances  in   Genetics  to 

Birth  Contbol       .         Prof.  P.  W.  Whiting  (U.S.A.)     154 

Differential  Fecundity  in  Iowa 

Eornell  Hart,  Ph.D.  (U.S.A.)     158 

Psychological  Factors  in  Birth  Control 

Prof.  Knight  Dunlap  (Johns  Hopkins  Univ.,  U.S.A.)     164 
Resolution 171 

AFTERNOON  SESSION 
National  and  International  Section 
President's  Speech      .         .         .  Harold  Cox,  Esq.     172 

Over-population  of  the  Earth  and  its  Dangers 

Dr.  Anton  Nystrbm  (Stockholm)     172 
Birth  Control  the  Saving  of  Civilisation 

Ferdinand  Goldstein,  M.D.  (Berlin)  179 
The  Cannon  Fodder  Argument  Miss  Cicely  Hamilton  184 
War  and  Malthusianism  Dr.  H6lene  Stdcker  (Berlin)     186 

The  Birth  Control  Movement  in  Japan 

Prof.  Isoo  Abe  (Tokyo)     192 
Resolution .         .         .     195 

EVENING  SESSION 

Public  Meeting — Large  Kingsway  Hall 

Chairman's  Speech        .         .         .           H.  G.  Wells,  Esq.  197 

Mrs.  Margaret  Sanger's  Speech          ....  198 

Mr.  Harold  Cox's  Speech   .          .....  206 

Mrs.  B.  I.  Drysdale's  Speech      .....  210 

Dr.  C.  Killick  Millard's  Speech  .         .         .         .216 

Mrs.  Swanwick's  Speech      ......  220 

The  Rev.  Gordon  Lang's  Speech          ....  222 

Friday,  July  14th 
MORNING  SESSION 
Medical  Section. 
President's  Address  (Birth  Control  and  the  Medical 

Profession)  C.  Killick  Millard,  M.D.,  D.Sc,  M.O.H.  226 
Sterilisation  of  the  Unfit  .  Norman  Haire,  Ch.M.,  M.B.  234 
The  Effect  of  the  X-ray  upon  Reproduction  in  the 

Rat         .  .        Donald  R.  Hooker,  M.D.  (Baltimore)     236 

The  Necessity  of  Abolishing  Laws  against  Preventive 

Measures        .  .       Dr.  Anton  Nystr'dm  (Stockholm)     240 

Birth  Control  and  Medical  Practice 

Dr.  Hermann  Rohleder  (Leipzig)    243 


xii  CONTENTS 


FAOE 


Bikth  Control  from  the  Point  op  View  of  a  Woman 

Gynecologist         .  Frances  Mabel  Huxley,  M.D.     245 

Some  Psychological  Causes  of  Nervous  Disorder 
Associated  with  the  Use  of  Contraceptive  Methods 
and  Suggestions  for  Treatment 

D.  N.  Hardcastle,  M.R.C.S.,  L.R.C.P.     247 

The  Fertility  Question       .  .  .  .    C.  E.  Pell    255 

A   Malthusian   View    of    Death   Rates    and    of  the 

Average  Duration  of  Lefe   .  B.  Dunlop,  M.B.    258 

Resolution  .........     267 

Friday,  July  14th. 

PRIVATE  AFTERNOON   SESSION  * 

Contraceptive  Section. 

President's  Address  (Contraceptive  Technique) 

Norman  Haire,  Ch.M.,  M.B.     268 

Discussion  : 

The  President 281,  282 

Sir  Arbuthnot  Lane 280 

Dr.  Finucane 281,  282 

Dr.  W.  H.  B.  Stoddart 282,  289 

Dr.  0.  Killick  Millard 286 

Dr.  Abraham  Wallace 288 

Dr.  Frances  M.  Huxley 289 

Lord  Dawson  ........     290 

Dr.  F.  Goldstein 291 

Dr.  Anton  Nystrom  ......     293 

Resolution  .........     295 

EVENING  SESSION. 

Supplementary  Contraceptive  Section. 

Editor's  Note      ........     296 

Methods  of  Brora  Control  Known  and  Used  in  Japan 

Dr.  Tokijiro  Kaji     296 
Extract  from  Discussion     .  Dr.  Somerville  (Oxford)    299 

AFTERNOON   SESSION. 
Propaganda  and  General  Section. 
President    .  .  .      Prof.   Knut  Wicksell   (Sweden)    301 

Publicity  in  the  Birth  Control  Movement 

(Man.  Ed.  "  Birth  Control  Review}'  N.Y.)     301 
Resolution  .........     307 

*  Attended  by  members  of  medical  profession  only. 


Tuesday,  July  llih. — Morning  Session. 

OPENING  OF   THE   CONFERENCE 
President     .     Dr.  C.  V.  Drysdale,  O.B.E.,  F.R.S.E.,  etc. 

The  President  opened  the  Conference  and  addressed 
those  present  as  follows  : 

In  opening  this  Conference,  it  is  first  my  pleasing  duty 
to  express  a  cordial  welcome  on  behalf  of  the  Malthusian 
League  to  those  visitors  from  other  countries  who  have 
come  so  far  to  take  part  in  its  deliberations,  and  to  assist 
us  by  their  experience  and  counsel.  Great  events  have 
taken  place  since  the  International  Neo-Malthusian 
Federation  was  formed  in  1900,  through  the  energy  of  the 
late  Paul  Rubin,  and  the  International  Conference  he 
organised  in  Paris  of  that  year.  From  that  small  begin- 
ning sprang  the  second  International  Conference  at  Liege, 
in  1905,  the  third  at  The  Hague,  in  1910,  and  the  fourth, 
at  Dresden  in  1911,  by  the  invitation  of  the  executive  of 
the  International  Hygiene  Exhibition ;  each  of  these 
gatherings  increased  in  numbers  and  influential  support. 
To-day  we  are  assembled  again  after  an  interval  of  eleven 
years,  due  to  the  devastating  war,  with  our  ranks  broken 
in  some  countries  by  death  or  repressive  legislation,  but 
stronger  than  ever  before  in  numbers,  enthusiasm,  and 
the  prospect  of  rapid  advance  throughout  the  world. 

Thanks  to  the  indomitable  energy  of  that  wonderful 
pioneer  of  Birth  Control,  Mrs.  Margaret  Sanger,  who  has 
just  returned  from  a  triumphant  missionary  tour  of  the 
East,  we  meet  for  the  first  time  in  the  certain  knowledge 
that  the  whole  world  is  ready  for  the  doctrine  of  Birth 
Control,  and  that  although  East  is  East,  and  West  is  West, 
the  twain  are  ready  to  meet  on  this  fundamental  human 
need.  No  event  in  the  whole  history  of  the  movement  is 
of  such  good  augury  for  the  future  peace  of  the  world, 
and  for  the  progress  of  the  cause  ;  as  the  greatest  obstacle 
to  its  acceptance  is  the  fear  of  the  superior  fertility  of 
the  high  birth-rate  nations.     It  is  therefore  with  a  special 


B.O. 


2       FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

pleasure  that  we  welcome  the  presence  of  representatives 
from  Japan,  India  and  China,  in  the  two  former  of  which 
Birth  Control  Leagues  have  been  formed  through  the 
initiative  of  Baron  and  Baroness  Ishimoto,  Professor 
Gopalji  Ahluwalia  and  Professor  Shastri.  The  enthusiasm 
with  which  Mrs.  Sanger's  campaign  has  been  welcomed  in 
Japan,  Korea  and  China,  leaves  no  room  for  doubt  that 
the  new  leaven  will  rapidly  spread  over  the  East,  and  her 
success  will  become  recognised  as  one  of  the  most  epoch- 
marking  events  in  history. 

And  the  war,  although  it  has  brought  about  reaction 
in  a  few  countries,  has  enormously  increased  the  interest 
in,  and  recognition  of,  the  population  question.  The 
terrible  economic  distress  and  unemployment  which  have 
followed  from  the  destruction  of  capital  by  the  war  have 
forced  statesmen  to  recognise  the  fundamental  truth  of 
the  Malthusian  doctrine,  and  reference  has  constantly 
been  made  to  it  in  the  press  ;  while  the  great  pronounce- 
ment by  Lord  Dawson,  the  King's  physician,  in  favour  of 
a  rational  and  humane  sexual  philosophy  and  of  Birth 
Control,  has  had  an  effect  over  the  whole  world. 

To-day,  all  organised  opposition  to  Birth  Control  is 
dead,  except  that  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  which 
is  of  the  greatest  value  to  the  movement  through  its  naked 
display  of  bigotry  and  intolerance.  Whatever  may  be 
thought  by  the  majority  of  people  concerning  the  justifi- 
cation for  rejection  of  Birth  Control  by  any  section  of 
people  for  themselves,  the  whole  sense  of  fair  play  of 
society  is  revolted  by  such  manifestations  of  despotic 
intolerance  as  the  breaking  up  of  Mrs.  Sanger's  meeting 
by  the  New  York  police,  acting  under  Roman  Catholic 
orders,  and  the  attempt  to  suppress  all  discussion  of  the 
question.  To  us  all  such  efforts  are  merely  feeble  attempts 
at  damming  an  irresistible  stream  which  will  inevitably 
engulf  and  sweep  away  every  obstacle  in  its  path. 

Two  of  the  greatest  signs  of  the  rapid  progress  of  our 
cause  are  the  growing  support  of  the  medical  profession 
and  the  flood  of  literature  on  Birth  Control  and  allied 
subjects.  The  first  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  as 
practical  Birth  Control  instruction  is  most  certainly  a 
medical  subject,  and  it  is  to  the  medical  profession  we 
must  look  for  the  best  application  of  the  means  already 
used,  and  for  the  improvement  in  contraceptive  technique. 
It  affords  us,  therefore,  special  pleasure  to  welcome  the 


GREETINGS  AND  REPORTS  3 

participation  of  a  substantial  body  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession in  this  Conference,  and  we  earnestly  hope  for  most 
valuable  results  from  the  meeting  of  the  Medical  Section. 
As  has  already  become  recognised,  the  neo-Malthusian, 
or  Birth  Control,  movement  is  as  greatly  concerned  with 
the  quality  of  our  race  as  with  its  quantity,  and  indeed 
the  quality  question  is  fast  becoming  of  supreme  import- 
ance in  countries  such  as  Great  Britain,  America,  and 
France,  where  the  birth  rate  has  now  fallen  to  fairly 
manageable  figures,  but  where  family  limitation  has  been 
principally  adopted  by  the  educated  and  successful 
sections,  leaving  the  poor,  improvident  stocks  to  multiply 
without  restraint  in  their  ignorance,  and  impose  the 
burden  of  high  taxation  on  the  latter  stocks,  to  the  great 
injury  of  our  race. 

On  this  account  the  possibilities  of  Birth  Control  as  a 
eugenic  factor  require  special  recognition,  and  we  are 
honoured  to  be  able  to  hold  a  Eugenic  Section  under  the 
presidency  of  Professor  MacBride,  vice-president  of  the 
Eugenics  Education  Society,  who  has  been  deputed  to 
represent  that  Society  at  the  Conference,  and  at  which  a 
number  of  papers  will  be  given,  chiefly  by  prominent 
American  eugenists. 

Economics  has  always  been  in  the  forefront  of  neo- 
Malthusian  propaganda,  as  it  was  the  original  basis  of 
the  movement  from  the  time  of  Malthus,  and  the  stimulus 
which  led  the  early  pioneers  from  Francis  Place  to 
initiate  that  practical  propaganda  of  which  we  celebrate 
the  centenary  at  this  Conference.  Unfortunately  this, 
although  the  best-known,  part  of  the  doctrine  is  the 
one  which  is  most  generally  misunderstood  and  disliked. 
Those  of  us  who  have  earnestly  studied  the  doctrine  of 
Malthus  are  convinced  that  no  rational  conclusion  can 
be  reached  on  any  sociological  subject  without  keeping 
this  doctrine  in  view,  and  that  the  great  principles  of 
Malthus  and  Darwin  stand  in  the  same  fundamental 
relation  to  sociology  as  the  law  of  gravitation  does  to 
astronomy.  We  are,  therefore,  delighted  to  find  that  the 
new  school  of  Cambridge  economists  is  reviving  interest 
in  the  Malthusian  doctrine,  and  that  its  head,  Mr.  Keynes, 
has  been  willing  to  preside  over  our  Economic  Section. 

It  is,  however,  on  the  moral  and  religious  side  that  the 
greatest  battle  is  still  to  be  fought,  although,  as  has 
already    been    said,    organised    opposition    by    religious 

B2 


4       FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

bodies  has  ceased,  with  the  exception  of  the  Roman 
Catholics,  thanks  largely  to  the  inquiry  of  the  National 
Birth  Rate  Commission  and  the  powerful  utterances  of 
Dean  Inge,  seconded  by  the  Bishop  of  Birmingham. 
To-day  the  clergy  of  all  denominations  vie  with  the  doctors 
and  lawyers  in  having  the  smallest  families,  but  there  is 
still  a  sincere  and  pardonable  feeling  on  the  part  of  many 
earnest  people  that  the  promiscuous  spreading  of  con- 
traceptive information  among  young  people  may  lead 
to  the  increase  of  sexual  laxity,  and  they  hold  aloof 
from  the  movement.  It  is,  therefore,  of  the  greatest 
importance  that  we  should  make  it  known  that  the  neo- 
Malthusian  movement  has  always  been  deeply  concerned 
with  moral  ideals,  and  that  while  it  rejects  many  of  the 
orthodox  admonitions  as  futile,  it  has  always  had  as  one 
of  its  chief  aims  the  promotion  of  sexual  purity,  through 
the  advocacy  of  general  early  marriage,  rendered  possible 
by  the  removal  of  the  fear  of  large  families.  This,  we 
contend,  is  the  only  practicable  method  of  securing  social 
purity,  and  it  goes  far  to  outweigh  any  greater  tendency 
to  laxity  which  might  be  encouraged  by  knowledge  of 
contraceptive  devices.  Furthermore,  so  far  as  the  orga- 
nised movement  in  this  country  is  concerned,  contraceptive 
information  has  only  been  given  on  a  solemn  undertaking 
being  furnished  by  the  applicant  that  he  or  she  is  over 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  married  or  about  to  be  married, 
and  will  hold  himself  responsible  for  keeping  the  leaflet 
out  of  the  hands  of  young  unmarried  people.  While  we 
believe  in  principle  that  all  adult  people  have  a  right  to 
obtain  knowledge  on  any  subject,  and  that  it  is  for  educa- 
tion to  safeguard  them  against  abusing  it,  we  recognise 
that  education  in  sex  matters  has  been  so  neglected  that 
contraceptive  information  among  the  young  may  have 
undesirable  effects,  and  we  therefore  think  it  well  to 
maintain  these  precautions  until  better  education  is 
provided,  and  thereby  to  show  that  earnest  advocates  of 
Birth  Control  are  anxious  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  main- 
tain and  enhance  sexual  purity  though  they  discard 
ascetism  as  unnatural  and  impracticable  for  the  majority. 
We  earnestly  hope,  therefore,  that  the  Moral  and  Religious 
Section  of  the  Conference,  under  the  presidency  of  the 
Rev.  Gordon  Lang,  will  succeed  in  impressing  this  attitude 
on  the  public  consciousness,  and  that  moralists  of  every 
school  will  come  to  see  that  Birth  Control  instruction  can 


GREETINGS  AND  REPORTS  5 

be  disseminated  with  full  regard  to  decency  and  morality, 
and  join  in  the  effort  to  maintain  the  propaganda  on  this 
high  plane. 

The  importance  of  the  population  question  as  regards 
the  maintenance  of  peaceful  international  relationships 
has  now  become  generally  recognised,  and  we  are  indebted 
to  Mr.  Harold  Cox  for  the  efforts  he  has  made  for  securing 
this  recognition  in  the  past,  and  for  his  willingness  to 
preside  over  the  National  and  International  Section  of 
the  Conference,  in  which  I  hope  it  will  be  made  clear  that 
selective  Birth  Control  strengthens  every  nation  for  main- 
taining its  own  existence,  while  removing  the  great 
impetus  to  aggression. 

If  I  may  venture  to  indicate  what  appears  to  me  to  be 
the  greatest  object  for  this  Conference,  it  is  that  we 
should  urge  as  strongly  as  possible  that  the  public  health 
authorities  of  all  nations  which  possess  them  should  take 
steps  to  secure  the  provision  of  hygienic  Birth  Control 
instruction  at  all  hospitals  and  medical  centres  where  the 
poor  and  diseased  congregate.  At  present  the  work  of 
such  institutions,  though  highly  humanitarian  in  intention, 
is  most  seriously  dysgenic  in  effect  ;  but  the  humanitarian 
object  can  be  the  better  attained  and  the  dysgenic  effect 
turned  into  a  most  effective  eugenic  one  by  the  simple 
process  of  providing  such  instruction  and  recommending 
its  adoption  to  all  whose  circumstances  or  bodily  or  mental 
characteristics  render  them  unfit  for  satisfactory  parent- 
hood. Malthusians  have  rightly  set  their  face  against 
charitable  and  socialistic  measures  for  relief  which  en- 
courage reckless  propagation,  but  if  such  measures  are 
coupled  with  Birth  Control  instruction,  society  can  give 
free  rein  to  its  humane  impulses,  secure  in  the  knowledge 
that  it  is  taking  the  true  path  towards  that  ideal  state 
when  every  one  can  be  secure  of  the  help  of  society,  but 
become  strong  and  independent  enough  not  to  need  or 
desire  it. 

In  conclusion,  let  me  just  draw  your  attention  to  what 
Birth  Control  has  already  achieved,  as  it  will  come  as  a 
surprise  even  to  most  of  those  who  support  the  move- 
ment, and  especially  to  those  who  imagine  that,  because 
its  votaries  have  been  few  and  their  efforts  have  been  little 
heard  of,  the  movement  is  an  insignificant  weakling.  In 
truth,  we  stand  to-day  as  representatives  of  the  greatest 
reform  the  world  has  ever  seen,  and  which  has  had  far 


6       FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

greater  beneficent  effect  than  any  other  in  the  history  of 
the  world.  In  France,  where  the  birth  rate  has  fallen 
from  39  per  1,000  before  the  Revolution  to  19  in  1913, 
the  death  rate  has  fallen  from  37  to  17-6,  so  that  the 
average  duration  of  life  has  been  more  than  doubled, 
while  the  original  rate  of  increase  of  population  has  been 
practically  unaffected.  In  most  other  countries  the  fall 
of  the  birth  rate  has  taken  place  from  the  Bradlaugh- 
Besant  trial  of  1876,  and  the  commencement  of  the 
organised  neo-Malthusian  movement.  In  England  and 
Wales  the  birth  rate  has  fallen  from  36-3  in  1876  to  22  in 
1920,  and  the  death  rate  from  about  22  to  12.  For  the 
whole  of  Europe  the  birth  rate  fell  from  40  in  1876  to 
36-5  in  1901,  and  assuming  that  this  rate  of  fall  has  been 
maintained  to  the  present  day  it  has  probably  fallen  to 
about  33-5,  which,  on  a  population  of  something  like  450 
millions,  means  that  there  are  now  three  million  fewer 
births  annually  in  Europe  alone  than  there  would  have 
been  had  the  1876  birth  rate  been  maintained,  while 
America  and  Australasia  probably  swell  this  reduction 
to  about  five  million  fewer  births  annually.  On  a 
moderate  computation  this  must  mean  that  at  least 
twenty  million  people  have  adopted  family  limitation  in 
some  form  or  other  in  the  forty-five  years  since  the 
commencement  of  the  movement,  and  this  may  fairly 
be  compared  with  the  advance  of  any  other  cause  in 
history. 

When  we  come  to  consider  the  effects  of  this  immense 
change  we  find  it  was  predicted  by  Malthusians,  that  it  has 
been  accompanied  with  a  wonderful  diminution  of  the 
death  rate  and  prolongation  of  life.  Examination  of  the 
records  of  vital  statistics,  such  as  you  will  see  represented 
in  the  diagrams  round  this  hall,  show  the  truth  of  the 
Malthusian  doctrine  that  since  survival  must  depend  on 
the  wherewithal  to  support  life,  high  birth  rates  must 
almost  inevitably  mean  high  death  rates,  and  that  prac- 
tically the  only  way  of  reducing  the  death  rate  of  a  country 
is  to  reduce  its  birth  rate.  Medical  science,  surgery  and 
sanitation  may  preserve  the  lives  of  a  large  number  of 
individuals,  but  they  do  not  increase  the  amount  of  food, 
which  finally  decides  how  many  cannot  survive.  Where 
this  is  realised  we  see  that  the  great  reduction  in  the  death 
rate,  which  has  taken  place  in  most  civilised  countries  in 
the  last  few  decades,  is  primarily  to  be  attributed  to  the  fall 


GREETINGS  AND  REPORTS  7 

in  the  birth  rate  which  has  taken  place  in  most  cases  from 
1876. 

If  we  accept  this  conclusion,  as  I  am  sure  all  who  study 
the  essentials  must  do,  we  come  to  the  result  that  the  reduc- 
tion of  the  number  of  births  has  caused  the  saving  of  at 
least  the  same  number  of  lives,  and  that  we,  therefore, 
have  quite  five  million  fewer  deaths  in  the  world  annually 
than  if  the  birth  rate  of  1876  had  been  maintained.  This 
is  a  record  which  no  other  movement  ever  conceived  can 
even  compare  with,  and  if  the  process  is  continued  until 
the  average  birth  rate  for  the  entire  world  is  reduced  to 
17  or  18  per  1,000,  we  shall  save  lives  at  the  rate  of  at  least 
25  millions  a  year,  remove  untold  suffering  from  millions 
of  hapless  men,  women  and  children,  make  early  marriage 
and  social  purity  possible,  eliminate  the  struggle  for  bare 
existence,  improve  the  quality  of  the  race,  and  delay  the 
economic  rivalry  which  is  the  most  potent  cause  of 
international  friction  and  war. 

These  are  the  aims  which  we  always  have  before  us,  and 
we  meet  to-day  rejoicing  in  the  knowledge  that  our  past 
efforts  have  conferred  enormous  benefits  on  the  people  of 
the  countries  in  which  the  propaganda  has  been  carried  on, 
and  in  the  most  welcome  results  of  Mrs.  Sanger's  tour, 
which  has  assured  us  that  our  message  of  light  and  hope 
is  destined  to  spread  over  the  whole  world  and  bring  joy 
and  relief  to  the  entire  human  race. 

REPORTS. 

Great  Britain. 

After  the  fourth  International  Neo-Malthusian  Congress 
in  Dresden,  in  September,  1911,  the  Malthusian  League 
made  its  next  advance  in  the  movement  by  publishing  and 
distributing  a  practical  leaflet,  for  which  their  working- 
class  audiences  begged  most  earnestly.  At  that  time,  as 
now,  very  little  information  or  help  was  given  on  this 
subject  by  the  medical  profession.  So,  with  an  introduc- 
tory remark  that  the  League  considered  this  work  properly 
belonged  to  this  body,  they  published  and  distributed  a 
leaflet  of  their  own — compiled  with  the  best  medical 
advice  they  could  get.  This  was  only  issued  to  those  who 
signed  a  declaration — at  first  in  duplicate — that  the 
applicants  were  over  twenty-one  years  of  age,  married,  or 
about  to  be  married,  and  that  they  would  hold  themselves 


8       FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

responsible  for  keeping  it  out  of  the  hands  of  young 
persons.  Some  42,000  of  these  leaflets  have  now  been 
distributed,  and  a  new  one,  revised  by  Dr.  Norman  Haire, 
has  just  been  issued  under  the  same  conditions. 

In  October,  1913,  the  National  Birth  Rate  Commission, 
organised  by  the  Council  for  Promoting  Public  Morals, 
commenced  its  sittings,  and  Dr.  Drysdale  was  called  as  the 
first  witness,  representing  the  Malthusian  League.  He  was 
under  examination  during  three  sessions.  The  report  of 
this  Commission,  which  did  not  appear  till  1915,  was  highly 
satisfactory,  in  so  far  as  it  conceded  many  of  the  claims  of 
the  neo-Malthusians,  and  refrained  from  any  strictures  on 
the  propaganda,  although  the  League's  newly-issued 
practical  leaflet  had  been  laid  before  it ;  and  also  despite 
the  fact  that  the  Commission  was  largely  composed  of 
distinguished  members  of  the  various  religious  denomina- 
tions, many  of  whom  were  evidently  in  opposition. 

The  Great  War  caused  a  diminution  of  the  League's 
activities,  but  our  journal  never  failed,  and  membership 
slowly  grew  during  that  period.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Drysdale 
were  not  in  London  for  the  greater  part  of  the  war — 
Dr.  Binnie  Dunlop  holding  the  fort  till  he  was  also  called 
for  medical  war  service. 

In  May,  1921,  Mrs.  Drysdale  became  Hon.  Secretary, 
and  Dr.  Drysdale — though  still  engaged  in  his  professional 
work — edited  the  Malthusian  in  his  spare  time. 

During  the  past  twelve  months  the  Malthusian  League 
has  succeeded,  since  January,  1922,  in  getting  their 
magazine — formerly  the  Malthusian,  now  the  New  Gene- 
ration— on  to  the  bookstalls,  and  taken  by  the  general 
trade.  This  was  a  great  advance,  and  was  due  in  largest 
measure  to  the  outspoken  declaration  by  Lord  Dawson  of 
the  necessity  for  contraceptive  Birth  Control.  A  three- 
weeks'  special  campaign  in  South  London  during  June  and 
July  of  last  year,  when  meetings  were  held  both  indoors 
and  out  each  afternoon  and  evening,  resulted  in  the  estab- 
lishment in  November,  1921,  of  the  first  welfare  centre 
where  Birth  Control  instruction  was  given  in  addition  to 
ordinary  medical  advice  and  treatment.  At  first  the 
response  was  small,  but  for  some  time  past  the  attendance 
has  been  entirely  satisfactory,  and  it  is  now  necessary  to 
have  our  doctors  and  nurses  in  attendance  on  three  after- 
noons per  week.  A  sewing  class  has  been  started  by  the 
Secretary,  and  little  homely  Birth  Control  talks  by  various 


GREETINGS  AND  REPORTS 


9 


speakers  to  the  mothers  are  much  appreciated.  Dr.  Haire 
gave  a  well-attended  and  much  appreciated  lecture  to  the 
men  one  evening.  The  centre  is  now  thoroughly  estab- 
lished, and  grows  in  interest  and  usefulness. 

The  aim  of  this  centre,  beyond  the  local  help  it  gives,  is 
to  form  a  sort  of  object  lesson  for  the  other  welfare  centres 
where  Birth  Control  is  not  included  among  other  prophy- 
lactic measures.  It  may  possibly  also  become  a  centre  of 
instruction,  as  already  several  doctors  and  nurses  have 
attended  to  see  what  is  being  done. 

The  third  task  of  this  past  year  has  been  the  organisation 
of  this  Conference,  and  beyond  a  handsome  personal  gift 
from  Mrs.  Margaret  Sanger  no  other  funds  have  been  raised 
for  the  purpose,  and  the  work  has  been  carried  out  by  three 
people  in  the  office,  and  occasional  help  from  volunteers 
and  part-time  workers.  If  it  fails  in  magnificence  or  high 
finish,  will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  consider  with  what  a  small 
amount  of  straw  this  brick  has  been  made  ? 

The  Malthusian  League  gives  its  warmest  thanks  to  all 
those  who  have  made  this  Conference  possible  ;  to  the 
workers  who  have  prepared  it,  the  delegates  who  are  giving 
papers  (especially  those  representatives  from  other 
countries  who  have  come  so  far),  and  the  members  who 
are  showing  their  interest  and  appreciation  by  coming 
to  listen  to  the  various  arguments  in  favour  of  Birth 

Control. 


B.  I.  Drysdale. 


Holland. 


I  have  the  honour  to  send  you  the  situation  of  our 
League  on  January  1st,  1922. 


Members  in  1920  and  1921. 

AFDEELING.  1920. 

Algemeene  Leden*  .  .    1,862 

Alkmaar   .  .  .  .176 

Amsterdam        .  .  .       577 
Delft          .... 

Dordrecht  .  .  .436 

Enschede  .  .  .  .182 

Gouda       .  .  .  .113 

Carried  forward         3,346 


1921. 
1,731 
176 
729 
30 
436 
250 
113 

3,465 


*  Algemeene  Leden  =  members  who  belong,  not  to  a  local  organisation, 
but  to  the  Chief  direction. 


10     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 


1920. 

1921. 

Brought  forward    .    3,346 

3,465 

's  Gravenhage    . 

579 

525 

Groningen 

90 

90 

Haarlem    . 

558 

650 

Heerlen     . 

57 

60 

Helder 

582 

530 

Hellevoetsluis    . 

207 

— 

Hengelo    . 

85       . 

100 

Hilversum 

56 

56 

Leiden 

155 

110 

Leidschendam 

39       . 

80 

Middelburg 

76 

80 

Purmerend 

14 

20 

Rotterdam 

185 

702 

Schiedam 

56 

50 

Utrecht     . 

136       . 

170 

Vlaardingen 

— 

25 

Vlissingen 

240 

240 

Zaandam  . 

,         —       , 

100 

Zwolle 

55       . 

25 

Total 


6,516 


7,078 


Publications  given  out,  1921-1922. 


"  Public  Morality 

340 

"  The  Great  Value  of  Neo-Malthusianism 

for  the  Health  "    . 

2,243 

"  The  Danger  of  Abortion  " 

3,257 

"  In  Hard  Times  "     . 

225 

"  Prosperity  and  Growth  " 

1,621 

"  To  all  Fathers  and  Mothers  " 

600 

"  Which  is  Better  ?  " 

2,340 

"  Why  Small  Families  ?  "  . 

.      26,720 

"  The  Happy  Family  "       . 

.      26,200 

Total     . 

.      63,546 

The  General  Secretary  received  1,381  letters  asking  for 
information,  but  how  many  the  local  organisations  and 
nurses  received  is  unknown. 

H.  S.  de  Vries. 


GREETINGS  AND  REPORTS  11 

[Note. — A  printed  list  of  four  doctors  and  fifty-three 
trained  women  willing  to  give  practical  contraceptive 
advice  accompanied  this  report. — Editor.] 


Sweden. 

There  is  hardly  any  neo-Malthusian  organisation  in 
Sweden  ;  there  have  been  one  or  two  small  societies 
without  great  influence,  but  I  think  even  they  are  now 
become  extinct.  That,  however,  does  not  mean  that 
we  have  had  no  neo-Malthusian  propaganda  at  all  in 
Sweden ;  on  the  contrary,  we  have  had  most  effective 
propaganda ;  one  of  its  earliest  champions  was  Dr. 
Nystrom.  Still  more  effective,  however,  was  the  pro- 
paganda of  about  1910  carried  among  the  labouring 
population  by  Mr.  H.  Bergegren,  the  then  Anarchist, 
which,  indeed,  has  made  a  very  marked  impression  upon 
the  figures  of  our  present  natality.  In  fact,  Sweden 
comes,  in  that  respect,  I  believe,  next  to  France,  and 
the  present  number  of  children  born  in  Sweden  is  so 
small  that  when  they  come  to  the  age  of  twenty  they 
will  not  be  able  even  to  supplant  the  present  number  of 
men  and  women  in  the  twenties,  so  that  our  population 
in  that  respect  may  already  be  regarded  as  virtually 
stationary. 

However,  there  is  still  much  to  be  done.  The  propa- 
ganda of  Mr.  Bergegren  has,  in  fact,  had  the  consequence 
of  the  carrying  of  a  very  silly  law  against  contraceptives, 
which,  according  to  its  wording,  would  even  punish  some 
measures  taken  to  prevent  venereal  disease.  This  law, 
of  course,  must  be  abolished.  In  the  present  year  an 
attempt  in  that  direction  actually  was  made,  and  got  a 
very  large  majority  in  the  Second  Chamber.  In  the 
First  Chamber,  however,  the  attempt  was  frustrated  by  a 
majority  of  five  votes. 

At  the  same  time  I  think  that  we  in  Sweden,  as  in 
other  countries,  will  have  to  face  in  a  rational  way  the 
gloomy  and  difficult,  but  important,  question  of  abortion. 
I  think,  therefore,  that  in  a  coming  congress,  the  represen- 
tative of  Sweden  may  have  more  to  say  on  the  movement 
going  on  in  our  small  country. 

Knut  Wicksell. 


12     FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL   CONFERENCE 

Germany. 

Germany  was,  until  the  middle  of  the  last  century, 
principally  an  agricultural  country  with  sufficient  food 
production  for  her  35  million  inhabitants.  But  even  then 
her  prosperity  was  very  moderate,  because  industry  was 
at  that  time  only  little  developed,  and  so  our  Governments 
— we  were  at  that  time  still  not  unified — endeavoured  to 
raise  her  to  a  higher  economic  level.  This  was  also  very 
necessary,  because  we  had  a  surplus  of  hands  and,  there- 
fore a  considerable  emigration,  mainly  to  North  America. 

But  these  exertions  became  only  a  sufficient  success  by 
the  construction  of  our  railroads,  because  thereby  there 
was  not  only  much  work  provided,  but  also  our  iron  and 
machinery  production  became  much  more  active.  To 
that  also  must  be  added  a  very  important  development 
in  the  trade,  both  internal  and  with  foreign  countries,  and 
the  ever-increasing  capacity  of  the  population  in  all  these 
directions.  A  considerable  advance  was  also  attained  by 
the  establishment  of  the  German  Empire,  giving  us  not 
only  the  necessary  union,  but  in  the  eyes  of  our  population 
also  an  augmented  political  security. 

The  population  increased  in  1885  to  47  millions,  and 
since  that  time  the  food  production  became  more  and  more 
insufficient,  because  the  population  increased  to  52  millions 
in  1895,  and  to  56  millions  in  1900.  These  increasing 
numbers  had  to  find  their  existence  mostly  in  industry, 
because  the  agricultural  estates  were  very,  very  small. 
Of  the  4,300,000  estates  :— 

1,400,000  were  smaller  than  1        hectare. 

740,000  „  „         1-2       „ 

970,000  „  „         2-5       „ 

540,000  „  „         5-10     „ 

and  only      650,000  =  15  %  more  than     10     „ 

so  that  in  most  cases  a  further  subdivision  became  impos- 
sible, the  land  then  not  being  sufficient  for  a  family 
existence.  So  came  the  necessity,  that  of  the  four,  five, 
or  more  children,  only  two  could  exist  in  the  country, 
while  the  others  were  forced  to  look  for  an  industrial 
occupation.  This  was  very  forcibly  demonstrated  by  the 
large  increase  of  our  great  cities,  their  population  rising 
from  2|  millions  in  1861  to  about  6  millions  in  1890,  and 
then  still  more  and  more,  so  that  the  German  population, 


GREETINGS  AND  REPORTS  13 

increasing  every  five  years  nearly  4  millions,  reached 
68  millions  in  1914,  and  that  we  had  at  this  time  twenty-six 
large  cities  of  over  200,000  inhabitants,  totalling  nearly 
12  millions. 

We  had  more  hands  than  could  be  employed  at  sufficient 
wages  ;  these  could  not  attain  the  amounts  which  other- 
wise would  have  to  be  paid.  This  also,  by  the  reason  that 
our  industry,  then  highly  developed,  had  to  stand  the 
competition  with  other  countries  likewise  over-populated. 

The  consequences  were  very  bad.  The  income  of  most 
working  families  amounted  only  to  about  1,600  marks — 
very  small  indeed,  even  for  one  or  two  children,  and  quite 
insufficient  for  a  larger  number.  The  lodgings  in  the  cities 
were  not  only  small  and  much  more  costly  than  in  the 
villages,  but  also  nearly  without  the  necessary  accessory 
spaces,  so  that  we  had  many,  many  miserable  dwellings  for 
the  large  families.  All  enactments  against  this  were 
practically  vain,  because  the  want  of  room  was  still  not  so 
disastrous  as  the  want  of  food. 

The  danger  of  over-population  was  perceived  even  fifty 
years  ago  in  Germany.  Hirschman  and  Rumelin  pub- 
lished their  warnings.  Lassalle  explained  that  in  good 
times  workmen  are  producing  so  many  children  that  in 
bad  years  they  can  find  no  work,  or  only  at  very  low  wages, 
so  that  their  own  increasing  number  makes  competition 
for  them  so  harmful. 

It  must  be  very  clear  to  all  reasonable  people  that  by 
marrying  early  a  couple  can  produce  ten,  twelve,  or  even 
fifteen  children ;  that  at  least,  all  deductions  considered,  in 
thirty-three  years  three  couples  will  arise  from  it ;  that 
these  in  the  next  thirty-three  years  in  the  same  proportion 
will  be  nine,  and  at  the  end  of  a  century  27  ;  100  years 
later,  more  than  700 ;  and  that  no  country  in  the  world 
could  stand  this,  as  millions  long  before  would  perish  of 
starvation. 

So,  considering  the  population  question,  neo-Malthu- 
sianism,  notwithstanding  the  opposition  of  the  Govern- 
ment and  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  gained,  even 
thirty  years  ago,  many  friends  in1  Germany.  The  birth  rate 
declined,  from  1900  to  1909,  from  365  to  32,  but  in  conse- 
quence of  the  greater  and  greater  extension  of  hygiene 
measures  the  death  rate  also  declined  from  23  to  18*1,  so 
that  the  yearly  increase  still  amounted  to  about  700,000, 
with  the  further  result  that  nearly  70  per  cent,  reached 


14     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

the  age  of  twenty  years  against  about  60  per  cent,  one 
hundred  years  before. 

Neo-Malthusianism  had  its  great  success  principally 
in  the  large  cities.  In  Berlin  births  decreased,  from 
1875  to  1900,  from  45  to  29  per  1,000,  and  in  sixteen 
other  large  cities  of  Prussia  an  average  of  from  43 
to  35. 

The  large  increase  of  most  workmen  without  means 
induced  also  a  heavy  Socialistic  agitation  with  bad  conse- 
quences. This  agitation  was  directed  in  the  sense  of 
Marx  against  capital,  pretending  that  the  profits  of  the 
industrial  owners  were  only  made  by  the  under-paying  of 
the  labouring  classes.  Neither  the  workmen  themselves 
nor  their  secretaries  considered  that  without  Capital  and 
his  justified  rent,  the  occupation  and  payment  of  hands 
would  be  impossible.  They  did  not  recognise  that  the 
real  cause  of  their  unsatisfactory  existence  was  the  heavy 
augmentation  of  the  population,  resulting  in  too  much 
competition  in  their  own  ranks.  The  bulk  of  them  did  not 
realise  that  the  betterment  of  family  existence  must  come 
by  a  wise  limitation  of  procreation  with  the  application 
of  innocent  preventive  measures.  The  majority  of  them 
did  not  comprehend  till  now  that  further  progress  could 
not  be  reached  by  a  struggle  against  Capital,  but  could  be 
reached  only  by  a  benevolent  association  between  Capital 
and  Labour,  particularly  by  a  reasonably  provident 
participation  in  the  profit  and,  finally,  even  in  the  capital 
by  the  savings  of  the  workmen.  That  work  should  not 
be  constrained  to  certain,  and  in  many  cases  to  limited, 
hours,  but  be  done  chiefly,  when  it  pays  the  best  and  when 
the  demand  for  the  respective  merchandise  is  prevalent, 
hoping  that  by  such  an  organisation  they  could  come 
themselves  to  capital,  prosperity  and  much  more  independ- 
ence. And  that  all  this  would  be  tenfold  better  than  the 
interference  of  the  State,  which  produces,  as  we  see,  such 
bad  consequences. 

It  is  sad  for  me  to  say  that  the  great  mass  of  our  people 
until  now  has  not  favoured  such  ideas,  and  that  particu- 
larly their  leaders  are  strong  opponents,  because  they  fear 
that  Socialism  would  then  decline  ;  and  that  there  are 
some  going  so  far  as  to  pretend  and  declare  that  the  work- 
men have  no  paternal  country  ;  all  the  more  reason  they 
should  cleave  to  it. 

But,  notwithstanding  all  these  sad  observations,  I  hope 


GREETINGS  AND  REPORTS  15 

that  our  endeavour  for  the  better  understanding  of  all 
these  questions  will  largely  progress. 

The  war  has  caused  very  bad  times  in  Germany.  The 
devaluation  of  our  money  makes  it  very,  very  difficult  to 
import  and  pay  for  the  necessary  food  supplies.  Our 
exports,  through  which  this  should  be  done,  find  every 
impediment  by  increased  duties  and  restraining  enactments 
of  the  States  to  which  the  goods  are  sent.  We  have 
nearly  unsupportable  taxes,  not  only  on  the  income,  but 
also  extremely  high  indirect  taxes  even  on  the  absolute 
necessities  of  life. 

That  these  circumstances  will  have  also  an  influence  on 
the  population  question  is  nearly  indubitable,  but  our 
position  is  so  extraordinary  that  it  is  nearly  impossible  for 
me  to  come  to  a  clear  opinion  of  the  direction  in  which 
the  further  march  will  go.  Marriages  in  1919  and  1920 
increased,  but  mostly  because  many  of  them,  postponed 
while  the  war  lasted,  were  now  performed. 

Concerning  an  international  unification  and  propagation 
of  neo-Malthusianism  for  the  East,  I  fear  that  the  separa- 
tion from  Austria  and  Russia,  together  with  the  establish- 
ment of  new  States,  will  be  unfavourable,  because  there  is 
much  jealousy  between  them  and  a  prevailing  feeling 
amongst  the  minorities  that  they  are  oppressed  by  the 
majorities  of  the  respective  nationalities. 

Max  Hausmeister. 
Austria. 

"Der  Bund  gegen  den  Mutterschaf tszwang "  (League 
against  Compulsory  Motherhood)  of  XV.  Gablenzgasse  31, 
Vienna,  has  for  its  object  to  increase  the  sense  of  responsi- 
bility towards  the  unborn  and  to  give  the  parents  the  right 
to  create  a  child  they  really  desire.  Not  childlessness,  but 
fewer  and  mentally  as  well  as  bodily  sound  children  born  at 
the  time  chosen  by  the  parents  is  the  aim  to  be  attained. 
The  unlimited  creation  of  children  leads  to  contrariety 
with  respect  to  the  conditions  of  existence  ;  it  limits  the 
prosperity,  the  feeding  and  bringing  up  ;  further  produces 
a  gradually  increasing  grief,  and  by  a  wasted  childhood  a 
later  ailing  life.  The  great  infantile  mortality  after  a 
useless  motherhood  will  depress  the  wife,  the  family  and 
the  community,  and  children  created  in  an  intoxicated 
condition  uselessly  burden  the  State  and  the  person  ;  it 
is  immoral  and  not  social. 


16     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

Intellectual  and  wealthy  people,  and  also  a  number  of 
working  class  people,  use  already  for  a  long  time  contra- 
ceptive devices,  but  the  majority  of  people  are  incapable 
of  understanding  the  idea  on  which  our  great  cause  is 
based,  and,  further,  legislative  as  well  as  religious  and 
social  laws  are  in  existence  which  condemn  the  limitation 
of  birth.  The  object  of  the  League  is  to  work  against  this 
antiquated  opinion,  which  is  not  any  more  in  accord  with 
the  actual  conditions  of  life,  and  is  based  on  privileges, 
hypocrisy  and  selfishness.  Further,  the  League  aims  at 
the  abolition  of  the  antiquated  law,  and  to  prepare  the 
ground  for  laws  which  are  more  humane,  and  therefore  in 
accordance  with  the  new  mode  and  conditions  of  life.  The 
aims  of  the  League  are  propagated  in  books,  pamphlets, 
and  at  public  meetings. 

Owing  to  the  appalling  conditions  in  existence  at  present 
in  Austria,  the  propagation  is  very  necessary,  and  has  been 
very  successful.  The  public  meetings  held  by  the  League, 
pamphlets  distributed  free  of  charge,  and  the  penetration 
of  the  newspapers  with  the  ideas  aimed  at  by  the  League, 
has  advanced  the  reform  movement  against  the  present 
laws  concerning  motherhood,  a  Bill  has  been  introduced 
and  is  under  consideration  in  the  Austrian  Parliament,  as 
well  as  in  the  House  of  Commons  in  Germany,  and  a  similar 
law  is  in  force  in  Russia. 

However,  the  aim  of  the  League  is  not  only  to  obtain 
legislative  permission  for  using  contraceptive  devices.  It 
frequently  happens  that  the  contraceptive  devices  are 
failing,  although  the  conditions  of  life  do  not  permit  the 
birth  of  a  child.  In  that  case  the  only  way  out  is 
artificial  abortion.  However,  this  is  prohibited  by  law, 
and  the  medical  man  is  prevented  by  law  from  assisting 
thereby,  though  the  doctor  will  assist  if  he  is  paid  high  fees 
in  secret.  Thus  the  poor  women,  amongst  whom  are, 
unfortunately,  also  the  educated  women,  cannot  secure 
medical  assistance,  and  they  are  forced  to  go  to  a  quack  or 
to  take  the  law  into  their  own  hands.  The  deplorable  result 
is  that  legions  of  women  die  before  their  time  or  are  ailing 
for  the  rest  of  their  lives,  or  have  to  go  to  prison.  Prac- 
tically every  woman  without  means  has  passed  through 
this  cross-road  of  motherhood.  This  is  an  enormous 
wrong  to  people  whose  children  have  been  saved  from 
starvation  only  by  the  help  of  foreign  countries.  In 
Austria  25  out  of  100  children  born  die  within  the  first  year 


GREETINGS  AND  REPORTS  17 

of  life  ;  178,000  out  of  184,000  Viennese  school  boys  and 
girls  are  malnutrited,  e.g.,  only  6,000  are  normally 
nourished.  We  have  tens  of  thousands  of  families  which 
are  without  homes  and  lodgings,  and  cases  in  which  twenty 
and  more  persons  are  living  in  two  rooms. 

Therefore  the  limitation  of  the  birth  rate  is  our  first  and 
main  duty.  We  are  continuously  propagating  the  same, 
and  find  a  gradually  increasing  understanding  among  the 
people.  However,  we  have  very  strong  opponents,  who 
work  hard  against  us,  and  are  supported  by  large  sums  of 
money.  For  the  most  part  they  are  the  war  profiteers 
and  shouters,  who  by  the  help  of  a  surplus  birth  rate  are 
dreaming  of  a  war  of  revenge  against  the  world  and  simply 
call  for  more  soldiers.  They  work  with  the  catchword  of 
the  future  leadership  of  the  German  race,  and  have  the 
support  of  the  other  imperialists  and  of  the  enemies  to 
humanity  who  wish  to  build  up  their  privilege  and 
supremacy  upon  the  harassed  bodies  of  mothers  and  chil- 
dren. The  more  quantity,  the  more  satisfaction  to  their 
class-egoism.  They  are  the  opponents  of  civilisation  and 
the  ideals  of  humanity. 

The  League  had  the  satisfaction  to  obtain  in  most  cases 
a  reduction  of  the  term  of  imprisonment,  or  an  acquittal. 
Many  women  are  instructed  in  the  use  of  contraceptive 
devices  by  means  of  advice,  and  by  the  recommendation 
to  a  doctor,  thereby  saving  many  from  taking  the  last 
step,  e.g.,  procuring  abortion.  The  broad  mass  of 
people  is  enlightened  by  untiring  propaganda  work. 
Since  the  foundation  of  the  League  our  movement  has 
considerably  grown  and  has  become  an  important  element 
in  the  public  life  of  Austria,  as  the  greatest  part  of  the 
Liberal  population,  the  newspapers  and  the  whole  working 
class  people  are  supporting  our  cause.  We  bless  the 
child  as  it  is  the  greatest  happiness  of  one's  life,  but  we 
add  that  the  logical,  moral  and  human  demand  is  a  child 
really  desired  by  the  parents ;  the  child  ought  not  to  be 
created  as  a  matter  of  accident  in  a  weak  moment.  By 
this  demand  we  shall  force  the  laws  embodied  in  neo- 
Malthusianism  to  become  the  moral  and  social  demand  of 
the  near  future.  Our  motto  is  "Not  Quantity,  but 
Quality." 

J.  Feech. 


B.C. 


18      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 


India. 

The  Society  *  was  started  at  Delhi  on  Tuesday, 
January  31st,  1922,  through  the  single-handed  efforts  of 
Professor  Gopalji  Ahluwalia,  M.Sc.  The  aims  and  objects 
of  the  Society  are  "to  further  the  principle  and  practice 
of  Birth  Control  with  a  view  to  rationally  controlling 
population,  effectively  checking  race-degeneration,  and 
materially  advancing  race-regeneration." 

Ever  since  its  origin  great  stress  has  been  laid  on 
educational  propaganda.  Interviews  are  frequently 
arranged  with  a  view  to  encouraging  personal  discussions 
on  population  problems.  Poor  quarters  are  visited  to 
enlighten  the  needy  people.  Informal  talks  and  lectures 
are  arranged  from  time  to  time.  Numerous  queries  from 
all  parts  of  India  regarding  literature  and  practical 
information  and  objections  and  criticisms  are  being 
successfully  met  with. 

Birth  Control  reference  and  circulating  libraries  have 
been  started  at  Delhi,  though  on  a  modest  scale  at  present. 
There  is  a  keen  demand  among  the  people  for  Birth 
Control  literature.  Leaflets,  pamphlets  and  books  of  the 
circulating  library  reach  the  farthest  corners  of  this  vast 
country. 

A  number  of  articles  and  letters  have  been  contributed 
to  vernacular  and  English  papers  and  periodicals.  Trans- 
lations and  adaptations  of  the  standard  literature  in 
Indian  vernaculars  are  under  preparation,  and  leaflets 
are  being  written  to  facilitate  the  percolation  of  ideas  to 
the  literate  minority  of  315  million  people.  It  is  intended 
to  arrange  mass  meetings  and  popular  demonstrations  as 
soon  as  the  ideas  are  spread  sufficiently  wide. 

Membership  is  proceeding  apace.  Efforts  are  being 
made  to  secure  an  adherence  to  the  principles  of  Birth 
Control  and  association  with  the  Society  of  popular 
leaders  and  authorities. 

It  is  confidently  hoped  that  Birth  Control  Mali  in  the 
near  future  be  welcome  to  the  vast  majority  of  thought- 
ful people  in  this  ancient  land  of  richest  traditions  and 
noblest  ideals. 

Gopalji. 

*  Indian  Birth  Control  Society, 


GREETINGS  AND  REPORTS  19 

United  States  of  America. 

The  first  development  of  the  Birth  Control  idea  in 
America  was  entirely  sporadic.  Among  the  early 
champions  of  the  thought  were  Dr.  Knowlton  and  Robert 
Dale  Owen.  These  men  were  responsible  for  pamphlets 
dealing  directly  with  methods  of  family  limitation. 
Moses  Harman  was  also  a  member  of  this  group  of  pioneers, 
but  the  idea  of  family  limitation  was  not  crystallised  or 
organised  into  a  movement  until  1912,  when  Margaret 
Sanger  came  into  the  field  as  a  crusader  for  Birth  Control. 

She  began  a  practical  study  of  the  subject  in  France 
as  well  as  in  the  United  States,  and  found  at  this  time  no 
books  available  in  America  dealing  with  this  subject — 
even  in  a  theoretical  way.  However,  this  investigation 
led  her  to  the  Federal  statutes,  where  she  discovered  that 
in  1873  Congress  enacted  a  law  prohibiting  contraceptive 
information  from  passing  through  the  United  States  mails. 
Many  State  laws  followed  the  Federal  precedent  with  some 
variation  as  to  application  and  penalty.  At  this  time 
there  were  also  isolated  members  of  the  medical  profession, 
such  as  Dr.  Abraham  Jacobi  and  Dr.  William  J.  Robinson, 
who  came  out  in  unqualified  terms  for  the  voluntary 
control  of  procreation. 

In  February,  1914,  Margaret  Sanger  began  her  agitation 
for  Birth  Control  with  the  publication  of  the  Woman 
Rebel,  and  organised  the  First  Birth  Control  League  in 
America.  In  the  columns  of  this  remarkable  paper  she 
stated  her  aim  to  be  "  to  advocate  the  prevention  of  con- 
ception." The  directness  of  her  attack  led  men  of  science 
to  come  out  and  emphasise  the  importance  of  the  idea  of 
family  limitation.  "  Birth  Control  "  was  used  as  a  slogan 
to  express  the  aim  of  the  campaign.  It  immediately 
found  its  way  into  print  and  public  discussion. 

The  year  1915  was  notable  for  several  arrests  in  connec- 
tion with  Birth  Control  agitation.  Margaret  Sanger  was 
arraigned  in  the  Federal  courts  to  stand  trial  for  obscenity. 
This  case,  however,  was  dropped  in  1916,  after  an  appeal 
had  been  made  by  prominent  men  and  women  of  England 
and  America  to  the  President  of  the  United  States.  The 
support  of  this  group  of  well-known  English  people  did 
much  toward  stabilising  the  idea  in  America.  William 
Sanger  was  also  arrested  for  giving  a  pamphlet,  outlining 
the  practical  methods  of  family  limitation,  written  by 

c  2 


20      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

Margaret  Sanger,  to  a  Comstock  agent.  In  Boston,  Mass., 
Van  Kleeck  Allison  was  sentenced  to  three  years'  imprison- 
ment for  circulating  a  pamphlet  dealing  with  the  practical 
discussion  of  the  subject. 

Great  indignation  was  aroused  by  this  prosecution  in 
Boston,  and  the  first  State  group  was  formed  in  Massachu- 
setts. 

Nineteen  hundred  and  sixteen  was  indeed  an  eventful 
year  in  the  agitation  for  Birth  Control.  Margaret  Sanger 
aroused  attention  by  challenging  the  New  York  State 
law.  She  chose  Brownsville,  one  of  the  poor  districts  of 
Brooklyn,  and  opened  a  clinic  or  mothers'  health  centre. 
She  was  assisted  by  her  sister,  Mrs.  Byrne,  and  Fania 
Mindell.  Newspaper  publicity,  combined  with  spectacular 
crowds  of  mothers  with  babes  in  arms  waiting  for  admit- 
tance, brought  about  her  arrest  and  those  of  her  assistants 
by  the  New  York  State  authorities.  Mrs.  Byrne  was 
sentenced  to  thirty  days  in  the  workhouse.  She  imme- 
diately went  on  hunger  strike  which  lasted  eleven  days. 
Governor  Whitman  of  New  York  granted  her  a  pardon. 
Fania  Mindell  appealed  her  case  to  the  higher  court  and 
the  decision  was  reversed.  Margaret  Sanger  served  thirty 
days  in  the  Queen's  County  Penitentiary  rather  than 
accept  the  immunity  offered  by  the  presiding  judge  of 
the  Court  of  Special  Sessions,  who  said  he  would  not  impose 
the  sentence  on  condition  that  she  would  agree  not  to 
violate  the  law  again.  "  I  cannot  obey  a  law  I  do  not 
respect,"  was  the  phrase  used  by  her,  and  this  phrase 
embodies  the  spirit  of  the  pioneer  workers  for  the  cause. 

In  the  same  year  of  1916,  the  National  Birth  Control 
League  was  formed  around  the  members  of  the  Birth 
Control  League  founded  by  Margaret  Sanger  in  1914. 
Leagues  were  also  organised  in  various  cities  throughout 
the  United  States.  The  arrest  of  many  people  for  their 
activities  in  connection  with  the  work  served  as  an 
educational  medium  for  the  idea. 

The  following  year  in  New  York  City  a  Committee  of 
One  Hundred  was  formed,  and  a  group  of  influential  men 
and  women  signed  a  statement  of  their  belief  in  voluntary 
motherhood  as  essential  to  individual  and  national 
welfare.  The  Committee  aroused  among  the  intellectuals 
much  local  enthusiasm  for  the  cause  of  Birth  Control. 

February,  1917,  saw  the  first  issue  of  the  Birth  Control 
Review.     From  a  circulation  of  2,000  it  reached  10,000  in 


GREETINGS  AND  REPORTS  21 

a  few  months.  Although  the  World  War  claimed  the 
services  of  many  of  the  workers  for  Birth  Control,  the 
magazine  still  steadily  advanced  into  a  wider  field.  It 
was  truly  a  crusading  spirit  that  carried  the  workers  in 
this  cause  into  a  street-selling  campaign.  Day  after  day 
the  magazine  is  held  aloft  along  the  crowded  thorough- 
fares of  New  York  City.  Kitty  Marion  is  entirely 
responsible  for  the  unflagging  zeal  of  this  work. 

Step  by  step  the  prejudice,  both  individual  and  autho- 
ritative, has  been  fought  with  great  success.  Until  now, 
this  phase  of  the  educational  work  is  respected  by  the 
police  authorities  throughout  the  city  of  New  York. 
The  selling  of  this  magazine  on  the  street,  with  its  caption 
"  Birth  Control,"  has  attracted  and  interested  thousands 
in  the  cause.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  Japan  received 
her  first  constructive  thought  on  Birth  Control,  as  a 
means  of  limiting  the  population,  through  the  Birth 
Control  Review.  The  circulation  of  this  periodical  has 
become  international.  South  America,  Mexico,  China, 
Japan,  Australia,  India,  New  Zealand  and  European 
countries  are  all  on  the  mailing  list.  College  libraries 
and  social  agencies  place  it  in  their  reading  rooms.  The 
review  has  been  published  every  month  since  its  first' 
issue,  and  is  a  tremendous  lever  against  constructive 
opinion. 

The  publication  of  books,  pamphlets  and  leaflets — both 
practical  and  theoretical — have  run  into  hundreds  of 
thousands.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  practical  pamphlet 
written  by  Margaret  Sanger  has  been  read  by  two  million 
people,  and  has  even  been  copied  by  hand  by  those  inte- 
rested in  spreading  this  priceless  information,  and  the  old 
copies  have  been  so  worn  out  by  passage  from  one  to  the 
other  that  they  have  been  returned  for  duplication. 
This  pamphlet  has  been  translated  into  Spanish,  Italian, 
Lithuanian,  Polish,  Russian,  Yiddish,  Japanese  and 
Chinese,  and  has  been  reprinted  by  others  than  the 
Margaret  Sanger  group.  The  reading  public  of  this 
practical  advice  must  be  well  over  three  millions. 

Margaret  Sanger's  own  books,  "  What  Every  Girl  Should 
Know  "  and  "  What  Every  Mother  Should  Know,"  were 
of  special  interest,  in  that  they  offered  the  first  direct 
appeal  for  simple  sex  education.  To-day  there  are  many 
books  published  on  economics  that  have  some  reference 
to  this  movement.     Fiotion  has  also  embodied  chapters 


22      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

to  the  Birth  Control  idea.  Plays  and  scenarios  are  being 
produced  in  New  York  dealing  with  every  angle  of  the 
question. 

In  1919,  the  National  Birth  Control  League  went  out  of 
existence,  and  its  director,  Mrs.  Mary  Ware  Dennett, 
formed  the  Voluntary  Parenthood  League,  with  the 
definite  aim  of  securing  the  repeal  of  the  Federal  law  which 
closes  the  mails  to  contraceptive  information  and  devices. 
Up  to  this  time  there  has  been  no  success  in  securing  this 
amendment.  Margaret  Sanger,  during  her  years  of  work, 
has  outlined  a  definite  and  constructive  programme  for 
the  movement.  It  is  embodied  in  these  four  words  : 
"  Agitation,  education,  organisation  and  legislation." 

The  third  step  in  this  progress  was  reached  in  1921, 
when  a  three  days'  National  Conference,  the  first  in 
America,  was  called.  It  brought  together  biologists, 
economists,  sociologists,  and  medical  men  and  women 
from  all  parts  of  the  country  ;  aroused  the  widest  interest, 
and  attracted  attention  from  the  labour  and  social  groups. 
This  Conference  proved  a  tremendous  success.  The 
sessions  were  crowded,  especially  the  medical  session, 
where  600  doctors  were  present,  and  many  failed  to  gain 
admittance.  Great  eagerness  was  displayed  by  some  of 
our  most  eminent  physicians  for  definite  contraceptive 
data. 

The  last  evening  of  the  session  was  a  notable  one  in  the 
history  of  the  Birth  Control  movement,  for  through  the 
dictation  of  an  archbishop  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  a 
police  captain  closed  the  doors  of  the  hall  where  the  ses- 
sion was  to  be  held,  and  caused  the  arrest  of  Mrs.  Sanger 
and  Miss  Mary  Winsor.  More  than  national  publicity 
was  given  to  this  incident.  As  Mr.  Harold  Cox  was 
also  scheduled  to  speak  at  this  meeting,  it  aroused  great 
indignation,  not  only  among  the  thousands  awaiting 
entrance  to  the  hall,  but  also  among  the  advocates  of  free 
speech  and  fair  play  throughout  the  country.  It  proved 
of  great  educational  advantage,  and  won  thousands  of 
supporters  to  the  cause. 

A  public  investigation  of  this  outrage  was  demanded  by 
some  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  America.  The 
sessions  held  before  a  police  commissioner  were  of  great 
publicity  value,  and  his  report  to  the  Mayor  of  New  York 
is  still  awaiting  publication. 

At  the  time  of  this  Conference,  the  American  Birth 


GREETINGS  AND  REPORTS  23 

Control  League  was  formed  with  the  support  and  active 
interest  of  some  of  our  ablest  men  of  science.  A  charter 
has  been  granted  to  this  League  by  the  State  of  New  York, 
and  in  so  doing  the  League  is  recognised  as  an  educational 
institution  under  the  law  of  New  York  State. 

In  the  few  months  since  its  inception,  the  League  has 
grown  enormously.  The  Birth  Control  Review  is  its 
official  organ.  Mrs.  Sanger  is  editor  in  charge,  with  a 
managing  editor,  and  a  staff  of  two  secretaries  and  a  cir- 
culation manager.  There  are  several  other  departments 
connected  with  the  work  of  the  League.  That  of  the 
organisation  department  must  be  especially  mentioned 
for  its  excellent  work  during  the  last  eight  months.  The 
States  of  Michigan,  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  Ohio  and 
Massachusetts  have  State  groups,  where  definite  leader- 
ship has  been  organised  to  meet  the  individual  needs  of 
the  separate  States.  Hundreds  have  been  enrolled  in  the 
national  organisation  as  life  members.  Organisers  and 
speakers  have  been  sent  out  to  different  cities  to  develop 
interest  and  support  for  the  national  as  well  as  the  State 
groups.  Colleges,  clubs  and  welfare  organisations — both 
civic  and  private — are  asking  for  speakers  on  the  subject. 
A  book  shop  is  also  part  of  the  educational  work  of  this 
organisation. 

The  interest  of  the  American  Birth  Control  League  in 
America  is  not  confined  to  any  group  or  class,  and  has 
now  reached  an  international  affiliation  through  Leagues 
in  Mexico,  Hawaii,  Japan  and  China,  and  the  opportunity  to 
take  part  in  this  most  interesting  Congress.  The  American 
Birth  Control  League  feels  it  is  in  touch  with  the  world 
on  this  most  important  work,  and  looks  forward  to  a 
tremendous  campaign  for  the  next  few  years,  through  the 
co-operation  of  prominent  medical  and  scientific  men,  and 
the  stimulation  of  our  President's  undiminished  zeal  and 
inspiration. 

(Mrs.)  Anne  Kennedy. 

France. 

All  open  Birth  Control  propaganda  is  now  impossible 
in  France.  The  regime  which  has  been  established  in  this 
country  since  the  war  has  evolved  a  law  which,  as  every 
one  knows,  is  extremely  severe,  and  which  has  already 
been  applied  without  mercy.     This  law,  passed  almost 


24      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

unanimously  by  both  Chambers,  prohibits  not  only 
practical  contraceptive  propaganda,  but  also  all  literature, 
all  lectures,  and  every  manifestation  against  reproduc- 
tion. 

Further  laws  are  proposed  against  the  sale  of  contra- 
ceptives, and  against  abortion.  No  doubt  they  will  be 
passed  by  the  legislators,  the  Academy  of  Medicine  having 
taken  part  against  us  with  all  the  most  powerful  organisa- 
tions of  the  State. 

In  addition  to  these  penal  measures  enacted  or  proposed, 
reforms  of  very  various  types  are  proposed  or  are  in  opera- 
tion, and  consist  either  in  giving  favours  to  large  families, 
or  in  taking  measures  against  restricted  families,  or  in 
modifications  of  the  laws  of  succession. 

Among  the  favours  granted  to  large  families  we  may 
cite  : — 

(a)  Allocations  to  poor  families  burdened  with  children. 

(b)  Rewards  for  births  in  the  form  of  sums  given  at 

each  birth,  or  of  annual  premiums. 

(c)  Creation  of  a  system  of  national  insurance  for  the 

alleviation  of  the  expense  of  a  family. 

(d)  Supplementary  bonus  to  officials  who  are  fathers  of 

families. 

(e)  Reduction  of  taxation  for  large  families. 

(/)  Alleviation  of  military  burdens  for  large  families. 

(g)  Preferential  appointment  of  fathers  of  large  families 
to  the  tobacconists'  bureaux,  and  to  employ- 
ments not  requiring  special  capacity,  and  their 
children  to  scholarships. 

(h)  Development  of  cheap  dwellings  for  large  families. 

(i)  Plural  voting  in  elections,  according  to  the  number 
of  children,  for  the  fathers  of  large  families. 

(j)  Presentation  of  medals  and  crosses  to  the  mothers 
of  large  families. 

Few  of  these  proposals  have  materialised.  The  last 
has  been  carried  into  execution  ;  we  now  have  the  Medal 
of  the  French  Family. 

As  to  measures  against  restricted  families,  these  have 
been  taken.     They  comprise  : — 

(1)  Special  taxes  (or  increase  of  existing  taxes)  against 
bachelors,  households  without  children,  or  with 
few  children. 


GREETINGS  AND   REPORTS  25 

(2)  In  particular,  very  heavy  taxes,  rising  to  a  real 
partial  confiscation,  on  their  heirs. 

The  modifications  to  the  laws  of  succession  have  not 
been  made.    They  have  for  their  object : — 

s 

(1)  Either  to  increase  the  liberty  of  bequest. 

(2)  Or  to  make  the  share  of  each  child,  in  inheriting 

from  his  parents,  variable  according  to  the  number 
of  his  own  children. 

Besides  this  legislative  action,  there  is  also  voluntary 
propaganda.  Powerful  endowed  organisations,  encouraged 
by  the  State,  aided  by  the  great  chiefs  of  industry,  com- 
merce, agriculture,  and  politics,  by  the  members  of  great 
scientific  and  literary  institutions,  are  making  enormous 
efforts  to  induce  the  French  population  to  abandon  its 
habits  of  foresight  and  parental  prudence. 

Among  others,  M.  Cagnacq,  a  great  business  man  of 
Paris,  has  given  fifty  million  francs  for  distributing  prizes 
of  25,000  francs  to  large  families.  M.  Michelin,  manufac- 
turer, has  given  prizes  for  competitions,  destined  for  the 
best  pamphlets,  which  refute,  "  in  the  minds  of  the 
peasants,  workers,  and  employes"  the  arguments  of  the 
neo  -Malthusians . 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  takes  a  very  active  part 
in  these  manifestations. 

But  all  this  legislative  and  propagandist  activity  has 
failed  apparently  to  produce  the  expected  result. 

There  was  certainly  in  France  in  1920  an  increase  of 
marriages — which  is  explainable  by  the  demobilisation  of 
the  army — and  a  notable  increase  of  the  birth  rate.  But 
a  decided  fall  is  noticeable  for  1921.  And  everything 
leads  to  the  belief  that,  in  spite  of  the  enormous  diffusion 
of  patriotic  and  militaristic  incitations  to  unlimited 
procreation,  in  spite  of  the  draconian  measures  taken 
against  the  neo-Malthusian  propaganda,  voluntary  contra- 
ceptive restriction  will  persist  in  France. 

It  only  remains  for  a  wise  Government,  solicitous  for  the 
well-being  of  the  people — desirous  also  of  the  establish- 
ment of  universal  peace — to  direct,  control,  and  encourage 
the  people  towards  the  aim  of  perfecting  public  hygiene,  to 
improve  the  race,  and  to  develop  it  on  eugenic  lines. 

Here  are  the  figures  concerning  the  population.     The 


26     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL   CONFERENCE 

figures  for  1920  and  1921  are  for  the  whole  of  France, 
including  Alsace-Lorraine. 


Population. 

Births. 

Deaths. 

Excess  of 

Births 

over 

Deaths. 

Marriages. 

Proportion 
per  1,000. 

0?  oj 

Year. 

8 

bo 

b 

a 

a 

3 

S 

1 

9 
A 

si 

1912 
1913 
1914 
1920 
1921 

39,671,000 
39,771,000 

39,194,000 
39,250,000 

750,379 
746,014 

834.411 
813,396 

692,371 
702,213 

674,821 
696,379 

58,008 
43,801 

151,590 
117,023 

312,139 
298,666 

623,869 
456,221 

7-4 
7-55 

15-9 
11-6 

18-9 

18-8 

21-3 
20-7 

17-5 

17-7 

17-2 
17-7 

2-40 
2-49 

1-33 
1-52 

G.  Hardy. 


Switzerland. 

Before  the  world  war  there  was,  in  this  country,  only 
one  neo-Malthusian  group  worth  mentioning — that  of 
Geneva.  Headed  by  Monsieur  Crandjean,  it  issued  a 
small  monthly,  La  Vie  Intime.  Soon  after  the  outbreak 
of  that  "  great  "  event,  the  group  dispersed  and  the  paper 
had  to  be  discontinued.  Early  in  1915,  Herr  H.  Gaechter, 
a  Labour  resident  of  Lucerne,  was  bold  enough  to  under- 
take a  considerable  amount  of  Birth  Control  propaganda 
in  that  Roman  Catholic  canton,  beginning  with  the 
publication  of  his  first  book,  "  Check  to  Poverty  !  "  ("  Das 
Ende  der  Armut,"  reviewed  in  the  Malthusian  for  August, 
1915),  in  which  he  declared,  and  proved,  our  doctrines  to 
be  the  only  salvation  possible.  The  Liberal  and  Radical 
press  kept  silent,  while  the  Conservative  papers  denounced 
the  volume  more  or  less  fiercely — with  the  result  that 
the  local  police  prohibited  neo-Malthusian  propaganda. 
Herr  Gaechter  went  to  law  and  was  victorious  before  all 
the  three  courts,  because  there  was  no  legal  basis  for  the 
action  of  the  Lucerne  police.  Promptly  the  cantonal 
Government  submitted  to  the  local  parliament  a  bill 
forbidding  all  Birth  Control  propaganda  and  the  sale 
of  contraceptives.  The  bill  having  become  law,  our 
friend  avoided  the  consequences  by  removing  to  Geneva, 
where  he  staunchly  continued  his  efforts  on  behalf  of  the 
good  cause.     In  a  second  book  he  proved  his  greatest 


GREETINGS  AND  REPORTS  27 

public  opponents  to  be  his  warmest  secret  followers — 
mostly  police  organs  and  law  court  officials  !  His  proofs 
being  irrefutable  (he  published  names  and  statistics),  he 
could  not  be  attacked  publicly  ;  but  he  was,  and  is, 
persecuted  clandestinely,  one  of  the  most  effective  ways 
of  injuring  the  movement  being  the  semi-official  pressure 
brought  to  bear  in  many  cantons  upon  the  Press  to  induce 
numerous  publishers  not  to  insert  advertisements  of  Herr 
Gaechter's  books  or  of  contraceptives.  Only  very  few 
journals  accept  such  advertisements.  Even  the  medical 
press  rejects  them. 

Our  country  has  no  federal  penal  laws  as  yet.  The 
twenty-two  cantons  have  got  as  many  penal  law  codes. 
Eighteen  of  these  are  forbidding  any  and  every  propaganda 
for,  and  sale  of,  contraceptives.  Several  cantons,  in 
whose  press  Herr  Gaechter  had  tried  to  advertise,  have 
fined  him.  The  latest  news — and  very  sad  it  is — is 
the  intention  of  the  Genevan  authorities  to  altogether 
prohibit  Birth  Control  theory  and  practice  in  their  canton, 
which  up  to  now  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  the  one 
most  free  from  prejudice,  i.e.,  least  unfavourable  to  neo- 
Malthusianism.  A  cantonal  bill  concerning  the  regula- 
tion of  things  hygienic  and  medical,  drafted  about  half  a 
year  ago,  contains  an  article  threatening  Birth  Control 
propagandists  and  sellers  of  preventives  with  imprison- 
ment up  to  sixty  days  and  fines  of  2,000  francs !  !  ! 
Naturally  this  article  is  being  strongly  fought  by  some  of 
our  social  reformers,  believers  in  Birth  Control ;  and 
I  am  glad  to  say  that  there  is  every  probability  of 
the  referendum  (people's  plebiscite)  rejecting  this  non- 
sense, despite  the  inglorious  example  set  by  the  French 
legislature  a  short  time  ago.  Poverty  being  widespread 
in  Switzerland  no  less  than  in  many  other  countries,  the 
persecution  of  the  Birth  Control  movement  is  just  as 
thoughtless  and  regrettable  here  as  it  is  elsewhere — the 
more  so  as  England  and  America,  where  that  movement 
was  persecuted  formerly,  are  now  taking  a  favourable 
attitude  towards  it. 

Leopold  Katscher. 

Japan. 

Birth  Control  has  already  passed  from  the  stage  of  dis- 
cussion to  that  of  adoption  and  practice  as  a  guiding  rule 
in  daily  life. 


28      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

It  is  too  evident  that,  from  the  standpoint  of  individual 
welfare  as  well  as  that  of  the  nation,  humanity  has  to 
adopt  some  rational  and  practical  scheme  to  control  the 
number  of  births. 

Conditions  in  Japan  point  steadily  in  the  same  direction. 

It  was  less  than  three  years  ago  that  the  first  article  on 
the  subject  appeared  in  a  women's  magazine.  It  was  in 
the  November  number  of  1919  of  Shufunotomo — literally 
to  be  translated  Housekeeper's  Companion — that  I  empha- 
sised the  urgent  need  of  Birth  Control  in  Japan.  The 
magazine  has  half  a  million  circulation  a  month,  and  the 
article  on  Birth  Control  roused  much  public  attention. 

Several  months  afterwards,  another  magazine  sent  out 
inquiries  to  seventy  prominent  persons  in  the  country  as 
to  whether  they  were  for  or  against  Birth  Control. 

Since  then  Birth  Control  became  the  common  topic  of 
discussion. 

Mrs.  Sanger's  visit  to  Japan  accelerated  the  discussion 
this  year. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ishimoto  started  the  first  monthly  magazine, 
called  Small  Family,  last  May,  as  an  organ  of  the  Birth 
Control  Union  in  Japan. 

Notwithstanding  the  idea  of  Birth  Control  is  of  such 
recent  growth  in  Japan,  she  has  quickly  passed  through 
her  stage  of  discussion  and  entered  upon  a  great  movement 
of  propaganda. 

The  prospect  of  the  movement  is  very  promising  for  four 
reasons  : — 

(1)  There  is  a  great  increase  in  the  death  rate  to  26-8  per 
cent.,  simultaneously  with  the  increase  of  the  birth  rate  to 
32-1  per  cent. 

The  increase  in  the  death  rate  is  mainly  due  to  lack  of 
care  and  lack  of  nourishment,  owing  to  the  high  cost  of 
living  and  industrialisation  of  the  country. 

(2)  Territorial  expansion  is  impossible  at  present,  not- 
withstanding the  great  increase  of  population. 

(3)  The  compulsory  popular  education  for  six  years  has 
been  so  efficiently  carried  out  since  1889  that  illiterate 
persons  in  that  country  now  number  1  per  cent,  of  the  whole 
population  (in  1912,  educated  98-2  per  cent.  ;  1920, 
98*8  per  cent. — boys,  99  per  cent.,  and  girls,  98-8  per  cent.). 
Naturally  any  rational  movement  such  as  this  is  quite 
easily  understood  by  the  mass  of  the  people. 

(4)  The  bourgeois  class  have  found  that  their  descendants 


GREETINGS  AND  REPORTS  29 

are  deteriorating  in  quality,  the  middle  class  and  working 
people  being  under  great  pressure  of  the  high  cost  of  living. 

The  Government  of  Japan  is  entirely  that  of  capitalists, 
who  are  always  trying  to  keep  the  price  of  goods  up  to  the 
highest  possible  level. 

The  conditions  are  such  that  the  need  of  Birth  Control 
will  be  acknowledged  by  all  Japanese  people  more  readily 
than  in  other  countries. 

Japan  is  also  passing  from  the  stage  of  nationalism  into 
that  of  international  brotherhood. 

She  begun  to  realise  that  the  raison-d' etre  of  her  nation- 
hood is  to  contribute  her  share  towards  the  welfare  of  her 
neighbours,  and  in  order  to  succeed  in  doing  good  to  others 
she  must  improve  the  quality  of  her  people  in  every  way. 

Birth  Control  is  the  only  way  to  this  treasure-house  of 
international  beneficence. 

H.  Kano. 

Resolution. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  session  the  following  resolution 
was  put  to  the  meeting  : 

"  The  Fifth  International  Neo-Malthusian  and 
Birth  Control  Conference  records  the  great  pleasure 
with  which  it  has  received  evidence  of  the  rapidly 
growing  appreciation  of  the  immense  benefits  of 
Birth  Control  for  human  welfare  and  race  improve- 
ment, and  above  all  in  the  extension  of  the  propa- 
ganda to  the  East,  and  the  readiness  of  its  teeming 
populations  to  adopt  it.  It  registers  an  emphatic 
condemnation  of  the  short-sighted  and  reactionary 
policy  of  repression  still  exercised  in  a  few  countries, 
and  calls  upon  the  Governments  of  all  nations  to 
facilitate  the  extension  of  Birth  Control  knowledge 
among  the  poor  and  hereditarily  unfit,  in  the  interests 
of  human  welfare,  race  improvement,  and  lasting 
peace." 

Passed  unanimously. 

(Signed)  Charles  V.  Drysdale, 

President. 


Tuesday,  July  llth. — Afternoon  Session. 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS   OF 
BIRTH  CONTROL 

President    .        .    Mrs.  Margaret  Sanger. 

The  President  formally  addressed  the  Conference, 
saying  :— 

We  will  now  begin  the  process  of  work  for  this  after- 
noon. I  believe  that  the  power  of  this  Conference  and 
part  of  the  interest  of  it  is  in  discussion  of  the  various 
papers  at  the  end  of  the  session,  and  so  I  believe  it  would 
be  of  advantage  to  make  my  address  as  brief  as  possible, 
and  to  put  aside  some  of  our  time  this  afternoon  for  open 
and  free  discussion  from  the  floor. 

Therefore,  I  am  going  to  be  a  model  chairman.  Accord- 
ing to  the  rules  of  chairmen  in  America,  a  good  chair- 
man must  get  up,  sit  down,  and  shut  up.  My  rules 
for  chairmanship  are  going  to  be  based  on  that  rule  this 
afternoon. 

It  seems  to  me  very  fitting  indeed  that  this  Conference 
should  open  with  a  session  on  the  subject  of  the  individual, 
for  I  believe  that  in  the  rapid  evolution  which  has  been 
in  progress  during  the  past  fifty  years  we  have  spent 
most  of  our  energies,  time,  and  thought  upon  the  creation 
and  construction  of  material  things,  such  as  roads,  rail- 
roads, bridges,  and  steamships,  to  say  nothing  of  prisons, 
insane  asylums,  and  various  other  institutions.  We 
realise  that  consideration  for  the  individual  and  for  the 
quality  of  human  life  itself  has  almost  been  neglected 
and  overlooked.  The  old  saying  that  "  a  chain  is  only 
as  strong  as  its  weakest  link  "  has  become  quite  evident 
to-day,  for  the  civilisation  of  the  future  depends,  and  will 
depend,  upon  the  quality  of  the  individual  to-day. 

In  our  programme  for  the  welfare  and  happiness  of 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS        31 

humanity  we  must  modify  our  ideals.  To-day  the  average 
reliance  of  civilisation  is  based  upon  iron  and  steel,  bricks 
and  mortar,  and  we  must  change  this  to  the  construction 
and  evolution  of  humanity  itself. 

From  the  dawn  of  humanity,  and  even  the  dawn  of 
civilisation,  we  have  recognised  that  there  are  two  fun- 
damental urges  which  have  prodded  mankind  forward. 
These  have  been  hunger  and  sex.  While  they  have  both 
been  neglected  factors  to  a  great  extent  in  our  recognition 
of  them,  the  French  Revolution  aroused  the  whole 
civilised  world  to  realisation  of  the  fact  that  the  urge  of 
hunger  cannot  be  ignored  without  dire  consequences  to 
all. 

The  other  urge,  of  sex,  however,  has  been  almost  entirely 
ignored,  and  it  is  now  time  for  us  to  awaken  the  con- 
science of  the  present  generation  to  a  realisation  of  the 
consequences  to  civilisation  unless  we  accept  this  instinct, 
and  recognise  it  as  fully  fundamental  and  equally  dynamic 
and  fateful  in  its  consequences  as  hunger.  In  the  building 
of  a  new  world,  we  cannot  ignore  either  of  these  primary 
instincts.  They  must  go  hand  in  hand  in  solving  the 
problems  of  the  present  and  immediate  future. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  subject  of  Birth  Control  is 
particularly  an  individual  issue.  In  my  own  work  in 
America  and  other  countries,  I  have  found  that  it  is  the 
most  extraordinary  movement  because  of  that  factor. 
It  interests  every  adult,  matured  individual.  It  makes 
no  difference,  whatever  may  be  the  race,  colour  of  the 
skin,  economic  principles,  theories  or  religious  creeds, 
Birth  Control  is  of  interest  to  every  individual,  and  it 
seems  to  me  that  is  the  thing  we  must  work  upon.  Recog- 
nising that,  we  have  in  a  way  an  easier  avenue  of  approach 
than  other  movements,  which  are  divided  by  class,  creeds, 
and  dogmas. 

Again,  I  have  found  that  while  in  some  countries  there 
is  special  antagonism  by  the  official  Church,  and  even  by 
official  Labour,  it  has  been  my  experience  that  the  various 
members  of  the  Church  are  desirous  of  having  the  infor- 
mation by  which  they  may  limit  their  numbers.  I  have 
found  the  same  with  Labour.  While  official  Labour  may 
object  to  the  theories  of  the  advocates  of  Birth  Control, 
and  particularly  their  economic  theories,  as  far  as  the 
individual  is  concerned,  they  agree  to  the  right  of  the 
individual  to  have  this  particular  knowledge. 


32      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

So  it  is  my  hope  that  out  of  this  Conference  will 
come  a  great  awakening  of  all  people,  of  all  creeds  and 
all  nations,  and  that  after  that  we  will  recognise  that  we 
must  get  to  work  on  the  two  fundamental  urges  of 
humanity — sex  and  hunger.  They  must  go  hand  in  hand 
if  we  are  to  bring  about  the  great  international  goal  of 
peace. 

Now,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  thing  to  do  to-day  is  to 
leave  our  discussion  and  expression  of  the  various  opinions 
that  we  all  have  until  after  the  papers  have  been  read, 
and  inasmuch  as  some  of  the  writers  of  the  addresses  on 
this  afternoon's  programme  have  indicated  their  desire 
to  read  their  papers  at  another  section — I  think  at  the 
medical  section — that  leaves  us  more  time  for  discussion, 
and  also,  perhaps,  for  an  extra  paper. 


C3    MOTHERHOOD. 
By  Edwakd  Cecil. 

No  one  has  more  influence  for  evil  in  the  world  than  a 
C3  mother,  and  yet  when  one  is  considering  the  immense 
amount  of  C3  motherhood  which  exists  in  this  country,  it 
is  amazing  to  find  that  whereas  the  minor  causes  of  this 
distressing  social  phenomenon  receive  a  great  deal  of 
attention,  the  major  cause  is  hardly  ever  spoken  about. 
It  always  requires  a  certain  amount  of  courage  to  go  to 
the  root  of  any  problem,  and  I  suppose  this  is  the  real 
reason  why  so  many  well-intentioned  people  hesitate  about 
going  to  the  root  cause  of  C3  motherhood. 

It  is,  of  course,  chiefly  amongst  the  poor,  and  especially 
amongst  the  very  poor,  that  we  find  C3  mothers.  It  is 
not,  I  think,  sufficiently  realised,  that  just  because  the 
poor  are  so  very  numerous,  the  harm  done  to  the  community 
by  the  evils  associated  with  and  caused  by  poverty  is 
immensely  greater  than  the  harm  done  by  the  evils  which 
spring  up  in  the  middle  classes  and  amongst  the  really 
well-to-do.  Frivolity  in  mothers,  extravagance  in  mothers, 
over-indulgence  in  pleasure  in  mothers,  irresponsibility 
in  mothers,  all  these  lamentable  symptoms  of  the  failure 
of  mothers  to  realise  the  immense  privilege  of  being  a 
mother,  which  are  more  or  less  observable  amongst  the 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS        33 

rich  and  the  fairly  well-to-do,  are  no  doubt  deplorable, 
but  the  vast  majority  of  the  mothers  of  the  nation  live 
under  conditions  of  life  in  which  frivolity  and  over-indul- 
gence in  pleasure  are  impossibilities.  One  cannot  over- 
indulge in  recreations  and  amusements  when  in  one's  life 
recreation  and  amusement  hardly  exist  at  alL  When 
we,  therefore,  consider  the  health,  the  happiness,  and 
the  social  well-being  of  the  nation  as  a  whole,  we  ought  to 
give  our  first  attention  to  C3  motherhood  as  it  exists  in 
the  most  numerous  class  of  the  mothers  of  the  nation, 
rather  than  as  it  exists  in  the  small  and  favoured  classes. 
And  yet  we  find  the  very  opposite  being  done.  We  hear 
sermons  about  the  mothers  of  Mayfair  who  forget  the 
joys  of  motherhood  in  the  delights  of  Monte  Carlo.  We 
read  diatribes  against  the  mothers  of  the  middle  classes 
who  leave  their  children  to  the  care  of  nursemaids,  and 
we  open  our  daily  papers  and  peruse  highly-coloured 
descriptions  of  some  tragedy  or  other  of  unmarried  mother- 
hood. In  short,  all  our  attention  is  given  to  the  sensa- 
tional problems  of  the  comparatively  few,  whereas,  if  we 
wish  to  be  useful,  we  should  be  considering  the  life  con- 
ditions of  the  immense  majority. 

Considering,  therefore,  motherhood  below  the  level  even 
of  that  now  much-advertised  social  complaint  middle  class 
misery,  considering  frankly  and  simply  motherhood  in  the 
working  classes,  in  skilled  and  unskilled  labour,  let  us 
examine  what  it  is  which  causes  C3  motherhood  in  the 
mean  streets  and  the  slums. 

In  considering  the  lot  of  mothers  amongst  the  poor,  and 
especially  amongst  the  very  poor,  philanthropic  people 
concern  themselves  chiefly  with  palliatives.  There  are 
people  who  want  to  give  bounties  for  babies,  free  milk, 
and  free  education,  and  even  extra  nourishment  and 
holidays  for  mothers.  All  sorts  of  schemes  are  propounded, 
all  of  them  more  or  less  in  the  nature  of  doles,  and  all  of 
them  more  or  less  tainted  with  charity  and  patronage, 
and  tending  to  make  the  mother  dependent  rather  than 
independent.  But  I  am  not  concerned  with  palliatives. 
I  care  little  for  sops  and  schemes  to  soften  bad  conditions. 
I  care  more  for  probing  to  the  root  cause,  and  to  any 
other  causes  which  I  can  discover.  Eradicate  or  modify 
the  root  cause  and  get  rid  of  any  minor  cause,  however 
insignificant,  and  not  only  will  good  be  done,  but  per- 
manent  good   will     accrue.     Palliatives    leave   the    evil 

B.C.  » 


34      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

conditions  to  go  on  for  ever.  Eradication  of  causes 
means  that  the  evil  conditions  cease  and  are  removed, 
not  only  from  our  generation,  but  from  the  generations 
to  come. 

Well,  the  great  root  cause  of  C3  motherhood  amongst 
the  poor  is  too  much  motherhood.  By  this  I  do  not  mean 
that  there  are  too  many  mothers.  Unfortunately  there 
are  not  as  many  as  there  should  be.  For  owing  to  the 
appalling  conditions  which  the  mothers  of  the  poor  have 
to  enjoy,  there  is  now  a  shrinking  in  the  girls  of  the  working 
classes  from  ever  getting  married  at  all.  What  I  do  mean 
is  that  the  mothers  of  the  poor  have  far  too  many  children. 
What  chance  can  there  be  under  modern  conditions  of 
life,  especially  under  modern  conditions  of  life  in  towns, 
for  the  mother  herself,  or  for  her  children,  when 
children  are  brought  into  the  world  at  the  rate  of  one 
per  year  ? 

Rules  of  life  which  were  all  very  well  for  people  who 
lived  a  nomadic  life,  wandering  about  in  tribes  over 
deserts,  and  stretches  of  pastoral  land,  become  farcical, 
and  finally  grotesquely  horrible  and  tragic,  when  they  are 
applied  to  people  who  live  in  mean  and  narrow  streets, 
and  who  eat  and  sleep  and  live  and  die  in  small  and 
ill-ventilated  rooms  in  towns  and  cities,  where  such  food 
as  the  poor  can  obtain,  with  their  limited  means,  is  of 
almost  incredibly  inferior  quality. 

Now  I  say  that,  at  the  very  least,  a  child  is  entitled  to 
its  mother's  love,  and  its  mother's  care,  and  its  mother's 
attention  for  the  first  two  and  a  half  years  of  its  life,  and 
that  a  mother,  if  she  has  to  have  time  to  get  the  benefits 
of  motherhood,  must  give  at  least  this  period  of  constant 
intercourse  with  her  child.  If  this  minimum  is  infringed 
upon  we  get  a  C3  mother  and  a  C3  child.  What  may  we 
then  expect,  and  what  do  we,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  get,  under 
the  practice  of  unlimited  motherhood  in  our  mean  streets  ? 
We  get  that  which  we  deserve  for  refusing  to  give  know- 
ledge to  the  poor  and  ignorant,  we  get  thousands  and 
thousands  of  C3  mothers,  and  tens  of  thousands  of  C3 
children.  Almost  half  the  women  out-patients  of  our 
voluntary  hospitals  are  women  who  are  suffering  from  the 
effects  of  unlimited  motherhood. 

It  is  not  my  business  here  and  now  to  enter  upon 
the  domain  of  medicine,  suffice  it  to  say  that  there  are 
methods,  perfectly  clean,  healthy  and  harmless  methods, 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS        35 

which  can  safeguard  a  woman,  however  poor,  from  being 
broken  by  motherhood. 

I  am  not  now  concerned  either  with  these  methods  or 
with  the  methods  by  which  the  ignorance  of  the  women 
of  the  poor  should  be  enlightened.  Neither  am  I  con- 
cerned with  the  mass  of  prejudice  which  always  stands  in 
the  way  of  lifting  the  curtain  of  ignorance  from  the  vision 
of  the  poor  and  needy.  Throughout  the  whole  of  the 
history  of  the  world,  and  particularly  throughout  the 
now  happily  discredited  Victorian  period,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  history  of  the  Churches,  it  has  always  been  the 
policy  of  some  people  to  keep  the  poor  without  knowledge. 
It  is  therefore  in  no  way  surprising  that  there  are  people 
to-day  who  want  to  keep  the  women  of  the  poor  in  the 
darkness  of  ignorance.  But  the  purpose  I  have  at  heart 
is  to  impress  upon  the  community  as  a  whole  the  sheer 
folly  of  keeping  in  the  body  of  the  nation  this  great 
national  sore  of  C3  motherhood.  And  I  wish  to  emphasise 
as  much  as  I  possibly  can,  that  treating  the  sore  with 
poultices  and  palliatives  is  not  removing  the  sore.  Doles 
to  motherhood  are  useless,  bounties  for  babies  are  sheer 
folly,  no  self-respecting  man  ought  to  stand  being  given 
a  dole.  Why  should  I  or  any  other  man  expect  a  mother 
to  have  so  little  self-respect  as  to  be  content  to  be  dole- 
fed  ?  The  only  way  to  cure  C3  motherhood  is  to  teach 
the  mothers  of  the  poor  how  their  motherhood  can  be 
regulated  and  controlled  in  accordance  with  the  means 
of  the  family,  and  the  physical  capacity  of  the  mother. 
That  is  why  I  say,  as  I  have  always  said,  that  Birth 
Control,  and  nothing  short  of  Birth  Control,  is  the 
Magna  Charta,  or  Charter  of  Freedom,  for  the  women  of 
the  poor. 


THE   INDIVIDUAL  AND   THE   STATE. 

By  Mrs.  B.  I.  Drysdale. 

The  gradual  dissemination  of  socialistic  ideals  during 
the  past  half-century  has,  during  the  last  decade,  resulted 
(1)  in  a  number  of  Acts  of  Parliament  giving  State  aid  for 
specific  conditions  as  a  right  for  the  alleviation  of  poverty 
due  to  natural  causes  ;   and  (2)  the  tremendous  growth  of 


36      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

that  leaning  on  the  State — as  on  an  omniscient  and 
benevolent  God — by  the  sick  or  indigent,  and  a  rapidly- 
growing  irresponsibility  of  the  individual  for  the  results 
of  his  personal  acts.  Indeed,  the  former  responsibility 
of  the  individual  to  the  State  is  being  gradually  replaced 
by  the  assumption  of  the  responsibility  of  the  State  for 
the  individual. 

In  this  country  the  change  over  to  this  latter  position 
has  been  gradual,  and  has  never  been  clearly  or  openly 
defined  by  social  or  legal  statutes,  unless  we  take  the 
Poor  Law  of  1834  as  such  a  definition,  any  more  than 
the  previous  condition  of  individual  responsibility  to  the 
State  was  defined.  At  this  present  moment  we  are 
muddling  along  with  no  rule  of  life  as  to  the  claims  of  the 
citizen  on  the  State,  or  of  the  State  on  the  citizen.  The 
result  is,  with  the  difficulties  of  the  aftermath  of  war,  a 
growing  discontent  and  unrest  is  found  among  the  unem- 
ployed workers,  and  a  tendency  to  blame  the  present 
individualist  and  capitalistic  State  for  the  existing  mis- 
fortunes ;  while,  to  some  extent,  credence  is  given  to 
those  agitators  who  would  overthrow  the  present  condition 
of  things — with  no  guarantee  that  such  a  change  would 
improve  matters. 

It  is  here  that  it  would  be  well  to  emphasise  the  vital 
necessity  for  three  conditions,  without  which  no  State 
nor  citizen  can  hope  to  flourish  : — 

(1)  Individual  worth. 

(2)  Individual  effort. 

(3)  Regulation    of    families    in    direct    proportion    to 

individual  worth  and  individual  effort. 
A  democratic  State  can  be  no  better  than  the  sum  of 
its  citizens.  In  this  country,  for  better  or  worse,  we  have 
chosen  a  democratic  State  without  any  guarantees  on 
the  part  of  its  electors  of  individual  worth  or  effort  other 
than  that  of  keeping  out  of  prison.  Therefore  the  biggest 
number  has  the  biggest  power.  The  biggest  number  at 
the  present  day  is  the  wage-earning  section,  including  the 
unemployed.  It  stands  to  reason  that  in  an  election 
every  one  votes  for  the  party  or  individual  member  who 
will  do  the  most  for  him  or  her  ;  hence  the  unemployed, 
the  unfit,  the  lazy,  together  with  the  remainder  of  the 
skilled  and  unskilled  wage-earners,  have,  if  they  choose  to 
employ  it,  a  superior  electoral  force  to  the  more  skilled, 
more  educated  and  more  thrifty  section  of  the   com- 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS        37 

munity.  Possibly  it  is  due  to  the  women  of  the  better 
wage-earning  class,  who  are  not  so  easily  won  by  specious 
arguments  and  promises,  that  we  have  not  at  the  moment 
a  Government  representing  this  bigger  and  less  educated 
and  less  responsible  section.  To  make  our  country  safe 
and  prosperous,  we  must  therefore  concentrate  -on  the 
individual  and  urge  by  all  means  in  our  power  the  neces- 
sity for  making  him  responsible  for  his  personal  acts. 
Foremost  among  these  is  parenthood. 

Part  of  the  chaos  at  the  present  time  is  due  to  confusion 
of  thought  among  the  authorities  and  the  mass  of  our 
people  as  to  their  duties  in  this  respect.  Church  and  State 
have  in  the  past  definitely  taught  and  urged  the  duty  of 
large  families.  During  the  last  forty  odd  years,  following 
on  the  wide  publicity  of  Birth  Control  knowledge  due  to 
the  Bradlaugh  and  Besant  trial,  the  better  educated  and 
better  endowed  sections  of  the  community  have  rationed 
their  families  to  the  number  they  could  do  well  and 
independently  by,  while  the  masses  during  that  period 
have  been  left  in  the  darkness  of  savagery  in  respect  to 
this  important  knowledge  and  its  use. 

Civilisation  implies  a  responsibility  for  the  life  of  each 
citizen.  Till  recent  years  this  responsibility  did  not  go 
farther  than  the  protection,  through  the  law,  of  attacks, 
both  on  the  life  and  property  of  the  citizen,  from  members 
of  the  community,  and  a  minimum  of  support  in  cases  of 
destitution. 

During  the  last  ten  or  fifteen  years,  however,  the  State 
has  assumed  a  responsibility  for  the  well-being  of  its 
poorer  citizens  by  taxing  the  remainder  for  their  benefit. 

This  movement,  which  assumed  the  right  of  each 
individual  to  maintenance  and  care,  should  at  the  same 
time  have  deprived  such  citizens  of  some  of  their  indepen- 
dence of  action — principally  in  the  matter  of  producing 
mouths  without  the  means  to  feed  them.  Civilisation  in 
its  own  defence,  and  for  its  continued  existence,  must 
limit  the  amount  of  poor  quality  citizens,  as  John  Stuart 
Mill  so  strongly  considered. 

This  is  the  difficulty  in  which  all  modern  States  are 
finding  themselves.  Either  the  individual  or  the  State 
must  be  responsible  for  the  quantity  and  quality  of  its 
citizens.  Savagery  would  not  spare  the  weak  and  ineffec- 
tive. Civilisation  spares,  protects  and  nourishes  them — 
at  least  partially.     But  it  forgets  that  in  fairness  to  its 


38      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

self-supporting  citizens,  and  to  its  own  existence,  it  must 
not  encourage  the  reproduction  of  the  unfit. 

Lack  of  Birth  Control  among  this  class  is  rapidly- 
bringing  civilisation,  even  in  this  country,  to  a  dangerous 
pass. 

The  present  day,  therefore,  finds  us  with  a  majority  of 
persons,  many  of  whom  are  quite  unable  to  support  the 
families  they  produce,  still  labouring  under  the  idea  that 
they  have  benefited  the  State,  obeyed  God's  law,  and  are 
in  every  way  qualified  for  the  admiration  and  support  of 
their  fellow -citizens.  A  common  reproach  with  many 
of  them  is  that  without  their  numbers  we  should  have 
lost  the  war  with  Germany,  whereas  the  fact  remains 
that  Germany  and  Russia,  with  larger  numbers,  lost 
the  war  to  the  birth-controlling  nations.  It  is,  however, 
this  disproportion  between  the  numbers  of  the  trained 
and  educated  on  the  one  hand  and  the  merely  born  and 
dragged  up  on  the  other  which  forms  the  danger  to  this 
and  other  birth-controlling  nations,  which  have  not,  like 
Holland,  attended  to  the  question  of  quality  as  well  as 
quantity. 

The  wrong  teaching  of  socialistic  bodies  in  respect  to 
limiting  production  of  goods  has  also  done  an  enormous 
amount  of  harm.  The  error  lay  in  confusing  production 
with  reproduction,  and  competition  in  production  with 
competition  due  to  large  numbers.  This  fallacy  will 
have  to  be  exposed  and  the  workers  taught  that  the  true 
enemy  is  the  producer  of  unskilled  and  feeble  citizens, 
not  the  man  who  works  faster  and  better  than  his  fellows. 
To  be  born  is  not  necessarily  a  virtue,  nor  does  it  constitute 
the  right  to  live.  Unless  a  person  can  put  into  the  com- 
munity at  least  as  much  as  he  takes  out  for  himself  and 
his  dependents,  he  is  of  no  value  to  the  community. 
Hence  the  importance  of  producing  the  healthy,  virile, 
enlightened  individual,  who  in  turn  will  pass  on  his 
qualities  and  environment  to  his  children.  Hence  the 
necessity  for  allowing,  in  an  improved  and  healthy  State, 
more  children  to  the  better  endowed  than  to  those  feeble 
in  mind  or  body.  Hence  also  the  prime  necessity  for 
hard  work  by  manual  or  brain  workers  to  produce  an 
abundance  of  the  necessities  and  comforts  of  life.  And 
hence,  finally,  the  need  for  a  control  of  numbers  to  that 
which  the  parents  can  rear  well  by  their  own  efforts. 

The  State,  therefore,  should  make  it  clearly  understood 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS        39 

that  as  it  exists  by  the  will  of  its  citizens,  as  it  owns 
nothing  but  what  is  given  it  by  those  citizens,  and  can  only 
return  to  them  what  is  so  given,  if  the  citizens  demand 
sustenance  for  all  on  given  terms,  the  State  would  neces- 
sarily at  the  same  time  be  obliged  to  limit  the  numbers  to 
those  that  could  be  nourished  under  such  conditions. 
As  it  is  obviously  absurd  to  tax  the  thrifty  and  prudent, 
as  at  present,  to  support  the  thriftless  or  unfit,  the  State 
would  also,  in  its  own  interests,  be  obliged  to  put  a  veto 
on  the  over-production  of  the  less  useful  type  of  citizen. 

So  that,  with  much  complication,  much  interference  and 
control  (paid  for,  of  course,  out  of  the  general  wealth),  the 
State  would  have  to  make  the  same  conditions  as  can  now 
easily  be  imposed  on  the  individuals  by  State  encourage- 
ment and  an  enlightened  and  rational  public  opinion  in 
favour  of  Birth  Control.  Every  one  understands  and  prac- 
tises Birth  Control  save  the  poor  and  ignorant,  and  there 
are  easy  methods  available  for  enlightening  them.  The 
thrift  and  enterprise  of  the  individual  should  be  encouraged 
in  the  interests  of  the  State  by  as  little  taxation  and  inter- 
ference as  possible.  It  is  not  the  wealth  of  the  rich  that 
makes  the  poverty  of  the  poor,  but  the  incapacity,  igno- 
rance and  over-reproduction  of  the  latter. 

Finally,  as  to  the  proportion  of  the  less  skilled  manual 
workers  of  the  future  in  relation  to  brain  and  skilled 
workers,  due  thought  should  be  given.  It  is  certain  that, 
as  time  goes  on,  much  of  the  less  skilled  manual  labour  will 
be  done  by  machinery,  and  better  done.  Mere  numbers 
will  therefore  tend  to  become  burdensome  to  society,  and 
must  be  replaced  by  efficient  and  highly-qualified  workers. 
Such  manual  labour  as  is  skilled,  and  better  done  thus  than 
by  machinery,  will  always  command  high  wages.  But 
"  hands  "  alone — weak,  idle,  unskilled,  untrained — will 
certainly  be  more  and  more  a  drug  in  the  market.  Un- 
skilled manual  workers  are,  even  now,  the  least  useful 
class  of  the  community  and  form  the  biggest  section.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  fortunately  smaller  proportion  of 
unskilled  clerks  and  shop  assistants,  etc.  If  we  are  all 
to  have  an  abundance  of  the  good  gifts  of  life,  the  idea  that 
the  mere  coming  into  life  constitutes  a  claim  to  a  comfort- 
able subsistence  will  have  to  be  abandoned.  First  the 
parents,  on  behalf  of  their  offspring,  and  then  the  children 
as  they  grow  up  and  enter  the  labour  market,  will  have  to 
justify  the  condition  of  existence  which  they  demand. 


40      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

Nothing  can  come  out  of  nothing.  The  State,  to  be  virile, 
happy,  healthy  and  secure,  must  be  composed  of  indivi- 
duals of  that  type,  born  and  reared,  nourished  and  edu- 
cated in  the  belief  that  on  the  individual  himself  rests  the 
well-being  of  the  community. 


THE  FEMININE  ASPECT  OF  BIRTH  CONTROL. 
By  Miss  F.  W.  Stella  Browne. 

I  must  begin  by  stating  that  I  represent  a  very  small 
minority  in  the  movement  in  this  country  ;  so  small  a 
minority  that,  when  I  remember  the  divergence  of  opinion 
on  the  subject,  I  wish  more  than  I  can  say  that  I  might  be 
able  to  approach  the  clarity  and  vigour  with  which  Mrs. 
Drysdale  has  just  expounded  an  entirely  opposite  point  of 
view.  But  I  fear  you  will  have  to  pardon  my  deficiencies. 
I  can  at  least  promise  to  be  brief. 

In  my  opinion,  as  a  Feminist  and  a  Communist,  the  funda- 
mental importance  and  value  of  birth  control  lies  in  its 
widening  of  the  scope  of  human  freedom  and  choice,  its 
selj "-determining  significance  for  women.  For  make  no 
mistake  about  this  :  Birth  Control,  the  diffusion  of  the 
knowledge  and  possibility  of  Birth  Control,  means  freedom 
for  women,  social  and  sexual  freedom,  and  that  is  why  it 
is  so  intensely  feared  and  disliked  in  many  influential 
quarters  to-day.  For  thousands  of  years  births  and  the 
rearing — and  often  the  losing — of  unlimited  broods  of 
babies  were  considered  to  be  women's  business  par  excel- 
lence. But  that  women  should  think  about  this  business, 
that  they  should  judge  and  examine  it,  that  they  should 
look  at  their  future  and  their  children's  future  with  what 
Chesterton  has — in  a  somewhat  different  context,  it  is 
true — described  as  "  bright  alien  eyes,"  this  is,  indeed, 
camouflage  it  as  you  may,  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  a 
social  system  and  a  moral  code. 

Let  me  develop  very  briefly  and  sketchily  my  assertion 
that  Birth  Control  means  sexual  freedom.  The  ostensible 
reasons  for  the  established  form  of  patriarchal  marriage 
have  always  been  (a)  the  inheritance  of  property,  and 
(b)  the  protection  ensured  to  the  young  children  and  to 
their  mother  during  her  child-bearing  period.     But  when 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS        41 

marriage  no  longer  means  the  subjection  of  unlimited 
motherhood  and  the  economic  dependence  of  mothers, 
the  main  social  reasons  for  its  retention  as  a  stereotyped 
monogamous  formula  will  be  at  an  end.  Observe,  I  do  not 
say  that  Birth  Control  will  abolish  or  diminish  real  mono- 
gamy :  there  will  probably  always  be  as  much,  or  rather 
as  little,  monogamy  as  there  has  always  been.  But  it  will 
no  longer  be  stereotyped  as  the  one  lifelong  and  unvarying 
form  of  legally  recognised  expression  for  anything  so 
infinitely  variable  and  individual  as  the  sexual  impulse. 

Now  the  demand  for  Birth  Control  has  long  ago  ceased 
to  be  academic.  It  is  becoming  very  urgent  and  more 
widespread  than  many  persons,  even  among  those 
interested  and  sympathetic,  quite  realise.  This  demand 
touches  the  lives  of  the  majority  of  women  in  this  and 
every  country  very  acutely.  Any  one  who  knows  the 
lives  and  work  of  the  wives  and  mothers  of  the  working 
class — or,  as  I,  a  Communist,  would  prefer  to  style  it,  the 
exploited  class — who  has  helped  them  and  striven  to  teach 
them,  not  in  the  spirit  of  a  schoolmistress,  but  as  a  fellow- 
woman  and  a  friend — knows  that  these  women  are  in  no 
doubt  as  to  the  essential  righteousness  of  their  claim  to 
control  their  own  maternity.  But  how  ?  Hardly  any  of 
these  women,  if  she  can  speak  to  you  fully  and  frankly  as 
a  friend,  but  will  admit  that — often  more  than  once — she 
has,  on  finding  herself,  in  the  hideously  significant  phrase 
they  use,  "  caught,"  had  recourse  either  to  drugs  or  to 
most  violent  internal  operative  methods  in  order  to  bring 
about  a  miscarriage.  And  these  operative  methods  have, 
of  course,  been  applied  absolutely  without  antiseptic  or 
aseptic  precautions,  and  without  any  of  the  rest  which  is 
as  essential  after  such  an  experiment  as  after  a  normal 
confinement  at  full  term.  Yet  it  ought  not  to  be  beyond 
the  powers  of  medical  and  chemical  science  to  invent  an 
absolutely  reliable  contraceptive  !  Think  of  the  marvels 
of  destruction  in  the  shape  of  asphyxiating  and  corrosive 
gases  all  ready  for  the  next  great  war  for  liberty  and  civili- 
sation. Think  of  the  knowledge  we  have  already  attained 
of  the  structure  and  functions  of  the  endocrine  glands, 
and  the  work  which  has  been  done  in  the  direction  of 
modifying,  renewing  or  transforming  sexuality  and 
procreative  power  by  Steinach,  Friedlander  and  Unter- 
berger.  Surely  a  science  which  can  perform  such  wonders, 
though  the  technique  is  obviously  only  in  its  first  stages, 


42      FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

should  be  able  to  prevent  conception  without  injuring 
health  or  impairing  natural  pleasure  ! 

Well,  women  demand  that  science  should  do  this  ;  and 
meanwhile,  they  are  taking  matters  into  their  own  hands. 
The  English  mind  has  always  been  impatient  of  social 
theories  and  the  development  of  principles  to  their  logical 
conclusion.  But  what  I  am  going  to  put  before  you  now 
are  not  speculative  theories,  they  are  historical  facts. 

In  that  unique  experiment  in  constructive  civilisation, 
the  Russian  Socialist  Federative  Soviet  Republic,  under 
the  administration  of  Comrade  Alexandra  Kollontay,  the 
Commissariat  of  Public  Health  has  been  functioning  since 
1918,  and  in  1920  a  law  was  passed  by  which  any  woman 
about  to  become  a  mother,  and  under  three  months 
pregnant,  should  be  entitled  to  have  an  abortion  procured 
by  a  qualified  physician,  and  to  rest  and  care  after  the 
operation  at  the  expense  of  the  State. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  year  a  Bill  was  brought  before 
the  Czecho-Slovakian  Parliament  by  a  woman-deputy, 
Madame  Landova-Stychova,  containing  the  same  provi- 
sions as  the  Soviet  law  ;  and  a  vigorous  agitation  is  being 
developed  among  proletarian  women  in  Germany  and 
Austria  for  the  enactment  of  a  similar  statute  by  the 
Reichstag.  This  agitation  is  led  by  the  Feminists  of  the 
Left  Wing  and  by  several  prominent  Socialists — for  the 
Continental  revolutionary,  unlike  many  of  his  British 
brethren,  has  realised  that  Birth  Control  is  not  a  capitalist 
red  herring,  but  a  requisite  for  life  itself  in  starving  and 
tortured  Eastern  and  Central  Europe.  The  agitation  is 
entirely  spontaneous,  the  expression  of  the  women's 
misery,  of  their  desperately  defiant  mother-love.  They 
cry  aloud,  "  If  you  have  done  this  to  our  children,  and  if 
you  can  only  offer  them  slavery  and  starvation,  you  shall 
have  no  more." 

Now  I  am  not  concerned  here  to  vindicate  the  moral 
right  to  abortion,  though  I  am  profoundly  convinced  that 
it  is  a  woman's  primary  right,  and  have  argued  the  case 
for  that  right  in  the  Press,  both  in  England  and  America. 
I  am  told,  however,  by  one  of  the  leaders  of  our  movement, 
to  whose  penetrating  judgment  and  wide  nursing  experi- 
ence I  give  the  highest  honour,  that  abortion  is  physio- 
logically injurious  and  to  be  deprecated.  It  is  open, 
perhaps,  to  question  whether  the  effects  of  abortion  itself 
have  been  sufficiently  separated  from  the  appalling  bad 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS        43 

conditions  of  nervous  terror,  lack  of  rest  and  lack  of 
surgical  cleanliness  in  which  it  is  generally  performed. 
But  granted  that  it  is  injurious  per  se,  the  demand  for 
effective  contraception  is  all  the  stronger.  The  ancient 
codes,  the  decaying  superstitions  and  prejudices  of  an  old 
theoretical  morality  which  has  never  been  thoroughly 
accepted  in  practice,  are  losing  all  the  sanctity  they  ever 
had.  For  an  increasing  number  of  persons  throughout 
the  world,  including  all  the  most  mentally  capable  and 
physically  vigorous,  they  mean  just  nothing  at  all. 

It  is  up  to  science  to  meet  the  demands  of  humanity  ; 
and  one  of  the  most  urgent  of  those  demands  is  that  of 
true  eugenics  (not  privilege  and  property  defence)  that 
life  shall  be  given,  as  Anna  Wickham  says,  "  frankly, 
gaily,"  or — not  at  all.     Which  shall  it  be  ? 

NEO-MALTHUSIANISM  AS  A  NECESSITY  OF 

CIVILISATION. 

By  Professor  J.  Ferch. 

Neo-Malthusianism,  which  is  popularly  known  as  Birth 
Control,  is  vastly  expanding.  At  its  inception  it  only 
attracted  the  attention  of  a  very  limited  number  of 
intelligent  people  ;  its  value  has  been  differently  rated  and 
has  been  the  impulse  behind  the  writing  of  a  large  number 
of  books,  pamphlets  and  the  like,  particularly  medical  and 
juridical,  which,  frequently,  were  of  a  controversial  nature. 
Further,  political  economists  were  passionate  disputants 
of  the  theory  of  neo-Malthusianism,  which  led  to  a  one- 
sided support  or  opposition  of  the  cause,  and  resulted  in 
the  regrettable  error  being  in  some  quarters  accepted  as 
truth  that  the  call  for  limiting  the  rate  of  birth  is  solely  a 
materialistic  necessity.  The  most  ardent  opponents 
arose  and  were  the  cause  of  the  reproaches  urging  the 
sanctity  of  the  child,  the  weakening  of  patriotism,  and 
selfishness  or  egoism.  Every  sentiment,  as  well  as  religious 
and  scientific  doctrines,  was  speculatively  employed,  and 
even  the  power  of  the  Government  was  called  upon  to  take 
action,  as  we  all  know,  unfortunately  with  success,  against 
the  alleged  undermining  of  the  power  of  the  State.  Any 
popular  treatise  about  the  advantages  of  neo-Malthu- 
sianism was  suppressed,  while  its  abuse  has  been  encouraged 
and  helped  in  every  way  possible.     A  person  speaking 


44      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

privately  or  at  a  private  meeting  about  the  limitation  of  the 
birth  rate  was  in  danger  of  social  ostracism.  Public 
meetings  were  forbidden.  Advertising,  the  distribution, 
or  selling  of  contraceptive  devices  were  also  not  allowed. 
Newspaper  articles,  pamphlets,  books  or  literature  for 
enlightening  the  masses  were  confiscated  and  suppressed. 
Persecutions  of  every  kind  were  directed  against  the  pro- 
tagonists of  neo-Malthusianism  for  their  alleged  immorality 
which  militated  against  the  highest  human  sentiment. 
This  attitude  should  be  particularly  noted  for  comparison 
with  the  altered  mind  of  the  present  generation  regarding 
the  value  of  neo-Malthusianism. 

The  foregoing  having  been  the  position  for  a  little  over 
ten  years,  it  has  not  only  prevented  a  full  development  of 
neo-Malthusianism,  but  has  threatened  it  with  retro- 
gression. It  cannot  be  denied  that  during  this  period 
agitation  for  the  limitation  of  the  birth  rate  in  many  ways 
strengthened  the  hands  of  opponents,  as  frequently  the 
economic,  e.g.,  the  materialistic,  necessity  was  empha- 
sised too  largely,  because  it  has  not  been  sufficiently 
recognised  by  the  supporters  of  neo-Malthusianism  that 
the  spiritual  conception  of  neo-Malthusianism  is  the 
principal  element  which  will  make  it  invincible,  and  lead 
it  to  triumph  over  those  unscrupulous  opponents  specu- 
lating with  the  emotions  of  the  masses.  Neo-Malthusian- 
ism must  be  considered,  not  from  the  point  of  view  of  a 
scientific  branch  of  knowledge,  or  of  any  public  doctrine, 
but  solely  from  the  point  of  view  of  civilisation  and 
humanity.  It  must  not  lead  to  a  selfish  lightening  of 
the  burden  of  life,  but  to  an  enjoyment  of  the  altruistic 
pleasure  of  living.  It  is  my  opinion,  based  on  great 
experience,  that  in  this  lies  the  strength  of  the  present- 
day  neo-Malthusianism,  and  means  inevitable  victory  in 
the  future.  Against  the  false  play  of  our  opponents  upon 
the  emotions  of  the  masses  has  to  be  set  the  human 
happiness  which  must  result  from  the  adoption  of  neo- 
Malthusian  principles,  and  through  the  watchword,  "  Not 
Quantity,  but  Quality,"  should  be  emphasised  mainly  the 
motive  of  humanity,  and  not  that  of  pure  materialism. 
Furthermore,  the  alleged  "  immorality  "  can  be  proved 
to  be  the  highest  degree  of  morality. 

This  re-orientation  appears  to  me  to  be  of  the  greatest 
importance  for  the  development  of  neo-Malthusianism. 
But  it  is  not  right  that  this  should  remain  the  knowledge 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS        45 

of  a  limited  number  of  intelligent  people  ;  it  should  be 
spread,  and  impressed  on  the  minds  of  the  masses.  In 
order  to  attain  this  object,  the  cause  for  adopting  neo- 
Malthusianism  must  not  be  reasoned  out  on  a  scientific 
footing,  but  the  effect  looked  for  in  the  humanising  and 
civilising  direction.  The  guiding  principle  of  the  agita- 
tion must  be  psycho-idealistic,  and  not  the  physiological 
materialistic  point  of  view.  The  urge  to  be  fortunate  and 
happy  is  a  most  powerful  stimulation. 

The  longing  for  happiness  is  the  impetus  behind  all 
human  actions  and  thought.  Happiness  does  not  only 
consist  of  the  comprehension  of  materialistic  values,  but 
mainly  of  understanding  the  value  of  spiritual  life. 
And  mainly  this  is  nothing  else  than  a  manifestation  of 
sexuality,  married  life,  family  life,  motherhood  and  the 
love  of  children  and  parents. 

Love  and  motherhood  are  greater  than  life.  A  com- 
bination of  the  two  results  in  a  successful  married  life  ; 
it  produces  the  highest  attainable  earthly  happiness,  and 
a  state  of  civilisation  in  which  the  child  is  considered  to 
be  the  most  precious  gift  in  life.  This  combination  of 
love,  kindness,  readiness  to  help,  and  self-sacrificing  spirit, 
may  be  developed  in  a  person  to  such  an  extent  that  a 
perfect  human  being  is  produced  thereby.  In  view  of 
this  we  may  ask  how  is  it  possible  that  many  millions  of 
people  live  in  sorrow  instead  of  happiness,  married  life  is 
feared,  motherhood  is  transformed  into  a  martyrdom,  and 
the  childhood  of  many  is  lived  in  a  horrible  desert  of 
privation  ;  and  that  civilisation  amongst  the  masses  is 
still  on  a  very  low  level,  bordering  on  barbarianism  ? 
How  is  it  possible  that  to-day  the  lamentation  of  Goethe, 
"  Must  it  be  that  what  is  called  happiness  by  the  human 
being,  has  to  become  the  source  of  his  misery  ?  "  is  still 
true  ? 

The  principal  reason  for  distress  is  contained  in  that 
great  problem,  whether  sexuality  is  to  be  considered  a 
fortune,  or  only  as  a  subordinate  expedient,  and  whether 
married  life  will  serve  only  for  the  creation  of  children, 
or  for  producing  a  higher  state  of  civilisation  and  happi- 
ness. The  community  which  is  still  affected  by  anti- 
quated religious  dogmas  takes  up  the  point  of  view  of 
blindly  following  the  sexual  instinct  to  create  in  a  soulless 
manner  an  unlimited  number  of  children.  This  is  what 
I   term    the    "  quantity "    theory.     Neo-Malthusianism, 


46      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

which  is  based  on  intelligence,  has  perceived  that  every 
generation  will  create  its  own  morality  according  to  the 
continuously  changing  mode  of  living,  and  that  the  deve- 
lopment of  civilisation  calls  for  the  very  best,  namely, 
what  I  term  "  quality  "  people. 

All  thinking  people  of  to-day  are  bound  to  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  creation  of  children,  although  forming 
a  part  of,  is  not  the  sole  mission  of,  married  life. 

This  leads  up  to  evolving  true  morality.  It  is  moral 
to  create  happiness  and  reduce  sorrow.  It  is  immoral  to 
create  and  increase  sorrow.  The  theory  of  quantity  is 
opposed  to  a  better  mode  of  living,  and  will  create  econo- 
mic and  thus  a  psychical  distress  ;  this  again  will  create 
indifference,  and  is  opposed  to  the  interests  of  civilisation. 
Lack  of  civilisation  will  render  a  person  less  able  to  find 
and  understand  the  meaning  of  happiness,  and  thus  will 
create  more  sorrow.  In  short,  the  blind  fulfilment  of  the 
sexual  instinct  to  reproduce  is  opposed  to  the  present 
needs  of  life,  and  the  tormenting  result  of  its  indulgence 
must  offend  logically  and  morally. 

What  is  the  position  to-day  ?    Intellect  has  produced  a 
realisation  of  the  right  of  the  individual  to  psychical  and 
bodily    happiness.     The    early    paternal    roof    with    its 
patriarchal  ideas  is  dead,  it  has  been  replaced  by  tene- 
ments.    The  wife  is  not  only  a  mother,  but,  unfortunately, 
has  in  most  cases  to  be  a  breadwinner  together  with  her 
husband.     The  economic  strain  of  present-day  conditions 
compels  couples  to  view  with  alarm  the  prospect  of  a 
family  in  their  evil  circumstances  ;  poor  accommodation, 
the  need  for  the  woman  to  work,  as  well  as  the  responsi- 
bility of  the  child's  future,  all  tend  to  make  the  parents 
cautious  about  bringing  children  into  so  uncertain  a  world. 
This  condition,  however,  is  not  really  leading  to  an 
unnatural  moderation,  but  to  a  happier  sexual  life  with 
limitation  of  conception.     The  highest  ideal  of  married 
life  is  the  creation  of  the  child  really  desired,  "  fewer,  but 
healthier   and   happier   children  " — "  not   quantity,    but 
quality." 

To  those  without  personal  experience  of  the  conditions 
it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  this  law  is  one  of  iron  neces- 
sity in  Austria  owing  to  the  vast  economic  misery  there 
prevalent.  Austrian  children  were  only  saved  with  the 
help  of  foreign  countries,  and  even  to-day  most  of  them 
are  kept  alive  only  through  the  aid  of  the  American  relief 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS        47 

missions.  For  families  with  already  a  large  number  of 
children,  the  birth  of  another  child  means  an  economic 
trial,  which  very  few  parents  can  stand.  A  ninth  of  the 
total  number  of  confinements  end  in  stillborn  children, 
22  per  cent,  of  the  children  born  alive  die  within  the  first 
year  of  life.  Tens  of  thousands  of  married  couples  have 
no  home  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  houses  and  the  impossi- 
bility of  buying  the  necessary  furniture  and  articles 
required  in  a  household.  Families  of  twenty  persons  live 
in  two  rooms  only.  The  enormous  spread  of  those  terrible 
maladies,  gonorrhoea,  syphilis  and  consumption,  enforce 
childlessness  upon  many.  The  precarious  existence  and 
income  of  most  fathers  intensify  the  feeling  of  responsi- 
bility towards  the  unborn  child.  Most  of  the  pregnant 
women  become  martyrs,  as  they  cannot  feed  themselves 
properly,  and  therefore  are  in  an  unfit  state  to  bear  children. 
Further,  owing  to  the  horrible  dearth,  hygienic  prepara- 
tions for  the  reception  of  the  expected,  as  well  as  for  the 
born  child,  are  completely  wanting,  and  there  are  no 
guarantees  about  the  nursing,  bringing  up  and  education 
of  the  offspring.  Mothers  are  forced  to  send  their  children 
to  strange  but  kind  people  in  foreign  countries,  in  order  to 
keep  them  alive.  Frequently  confinements  take  place  on 
the  floor  of  a  room  barely  covered  with  straw,  as  the  furni- 
ture has  to  be  sold  in  order  to  keep  the  children  already 
living  alive. 

Medical  examinations  held  in  the  schools  of  Vienna 
have  shown  that  out  of  184,000  Viennese  boys  and  girls 
only  6,000  are  normally  nourished,  while  178,000  are 
suffering  from  malnutrition  ;  75  per  cent,  are  afflicted 
with,  or  in  danger  of,  consumption,  hospitals  are  over- 
crowded with  children  suffering  from  consumption  of  the 
bones,  so  that  even  at  an  age  of  twelve  years  they  cannot 
stand  or  walk.  Owing  to  high  prices  it  is  impossible  to 
buy  children's  linen,  and  it  very  frequently  will  happen 
that  newly-born  children  have  to  be  wrapped  in  paper. 
Very  few  mothers  of  the  vast  majority  of  the  people  are 
in  a  fit  condition  to  nurse  their  infants  owing  to  weak 
health  and  ill-nourished  bodies,  and  beside  this  it  is 
practically  impossible  to  obtain  cow's  milk.  Up  to  a  very 
short  time  ago,  mothers  received  for  newly-born  children 
one-half  to  three-quarters  of  a  pint  of  milk  a  day  at  a 
reduced  price.  This  so-called  milk  was  adulterated  with 
67  per  cent,  of  water,  with  the  result  that  most  children 


48      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

died  of  catarrh  of  the  bowels.  Many  die  owing  to  the 
cold  of  the  rooms,  as  it  is  impossible  to  provide  coal  or 
wood  to  prepare  a  warm  bath  for  the  newly-born  child. 
It  is  within  my  experience  that  in  large  families  actually 
the  last  shirt  had  to  be  used  for  the  newly-born  child. 
And  this  did  not  happen  in  Russia  or  in  an  uncivilised 
country,  but  in  Vienna,  in  Austria,  which  is  one  of  the 
cultured  countries  in  the  world. 

A  child  born  under  such  conditions  does  not  bring 
happiness,  its  arrival  is  feared;  it  fills  married  life  with 
sorrow,  it  does  not  allow  any  scope  for  the  joys  of  parent- 
hood, and  it  is  doomed  to  live  an  inhuman  life.  It  is  not 
a  strengthening  of,  but  a  burden  to,  society.  Under  these 
circumstances  the  limitation  of  birth  is  an  economic, 
hygienic  and  social  duty.  Religious  dogma  and  political 
laws  are  unsocial,  as  they  command  the  unlimited  creation 
of  children,  but  at  the  same  time  they  do  not  provide  for 
the  child,  or  only  to  a  very  limited  extent.  Useless  mother- 
hood will  socially,  morally  and  hygienically  weaken  the 
people.  In  Austria  we  know  nothing  of  the  thirty 
shillings  bounty  or  such  piteous  parodies  of  "  prizes  "  for 
the  birth  of  a  child,  as  every  thinking  person  is  convinced 
of  the  uselessness  of  such  bounties.  Nobody  would  be 
tempted  to  be  so  immoral  as  to  increase  their  family  for 
such  unsocial  and  immoral  bounties  ;  on  the  contrary, 
the  unlimited  creation  of  children  is  viewed  by  the  greater 
number  of  the  present  generation  as  careless  and  unsocial. 
The  recognised  fact  that  neo-Malthusianism  stands  for  the 
limitation  of  sorrow,  lifts  it  to  the  status  of  the  highest 
type  of  morality. 

The  fact  that  this  revolution  of  thought  and  feeling 
amongst  the  Austrian  people  has  taken  place  in  such  a 
comparatively  short  space  of  time  is,  in  part,  accounted 
for  by  the  present  conditions  obtaining  in  that  country, 
but  mainly  it  is  due  to  the  manner  in  which  neo- 
Malthusian  agitation  has  been  advocated.  We  snatched 
neo-Malthusianism  from  the  scientists  and  economists  and 
appealed  strongly  for  consideration  for  the  mother  and 
child  in  the  name  of  civilisation  and  humanity.  We 
declared  our  work  a  task  of  civilisation  devoted  to  trans- 
forming the  mock  love  for  mothers  into  a  real,  helping  and 
sorrow-quenching  love.  We  showed  up  the  crown  of 
thorns  worn  by  those  mothers  who  add  new  children  to  the 
miserable  children  already  living.     We  appealed  to  all  the 


INDIVIDUAL  AND   FAMILY   ASPECTS        49 

happy  people  who  find  a  great  joy  in  their  children  to  pity 
the  poor  mothers,  who  have  to  withhold  from  their  off- 
spring daily  and  hourly  that  which  they  would  readily 
provide  for  them,  even  at  the  sacrifice  of  their  own  lives. 
We  announced  the  limited  creation  of  children  to  be  a 
moral  and  social  law,  which  will  render  possible  a  more 
happy  home  and  life,  and  therefore  is  the  most  inspiring 
aim  and  ideal  of  any  civilised  human  being. 

We  condemn  childlessness  and  animadversion  to  chil- 
dren. The  child  is  the  highest  expression  of  human 
happiness.  It  should  not  produce  anxiety,  horror,  alarm 
or  distress,  but  should  be  looked  forward  to  and  greeted 
with  a  warm  longing,  psychical  delight  and  passionate  love. 
Its  creation  should  be  positively  desired  and  the  moment 
for  this  should  be  chosen  freely  by  the  parents.  The 
creation  of  a  child  really  desired  is  the  most  moral,  social 
and  sensible  demand  of  humanity. 

Twelve  years  ago  I  started  to  teach  the  doctrine  of  neo- 
Malthusianism  among  the  Austrian  working-class  people 
by  writing  a  pamphlet  about  its  social  importance  for  the 
mass  of  the  people.  I  mentioned  also  the  economic 
necessity,  but  my  chief  theme  was  the  true  and  thoughtful 
love  of  mother  and  child,  and  the  possibility  of  filling  the 
home  of  the  working  man  with  happiness  by  regulating 
the  birth  of  the  children.  I  am  the  child  of  a  working  man, 
and  know  something  about  the  distress  caused  by  unlimited 
birth  of  children,  the  tragedy  of  the  mother  become  old 
before  her  time,  of  the  mother  frequently  burying  a  dead 
child.  Her  life  is  devoid  of  happiness,  and  owing  to  increas- 
ing distress  her  married  life  becomes  miserable,  her  husband 
is  driven  from  the  wretched  home  into  the  public -house,  and 
thereby  the  poor  children  are  uncared  for  and  often 
hungry.  Large  families  are  the  main  cause  of  the  exist- 
ence of  so  many  rascals  and  low-minded  fellows.  This  is 
undeniably  true. 

Slowly  this  knowledge  has  become  general,  partly  in 
consequence  of  the  economic  stringency  of  the  existing 
conditions,  and  partly  owing  to  the  increasing  education 
of  the  masses.  The  war  has  greatly  advanced  the  cause. 
The  wholesale  slaughter  of  so  many  men  in  the  prime  of  life 
disclosed  the  hollow  fallacy  of  a  high  birth-rate  being  of 
interest  to  the  country.  The  downfall  and  dissolution 
of  our  old  Empire  made  it  possible  to  agitate  our  cause 
freely    and    openly.     I    founded    the    "  League    against 


50     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

Compulsory  Motherhood,"  held  public  meetings,  wrote  and 
published  pamphlets,  books  and  theatrical  plays,  and  the 
progressive  newspapers  supported  our  cause. 

By  pointing  out  the  cultural  and  purely  human  element 
of  our  movement  and  the  necessity  of  preventing  the 
pauperisation  of  the  mass  of  the  people  through  the  crea- 
tion of  too  many  children  who  cannot  be  supported — or 
even  kept  alive,  we  won  the  approval  of  a  great  part  of 
the  population.  Every  influence  in  Austria  to-day  which 
is  working  for  humanity  and  culture  is  ranked  on  our  side. 
Our  opponents  are  the  war-mongers  and  shouters,  who, 
owing  to  the  limitation  of  the  birth  of  children,  fear  for 
their  ideal  of  a  new  war,  and  further,  a  certain  class  of 
people  who,  for  antiquated  religious  reasons,  do  not  care 
anything  about  humanity,  and  adopt  a  pitiless  and 
hypocritical  attitude. 

As  already  stated,  we  chiefly  emphasise  the  misery  of 
mothers  and  children  in  large  families,  comparing  their 
wretchedness  with  a  family  abiding  by  the  laws  of  neo- 
Malthusianism. 

Nobody  who  has  the  slightest  feeling  for  humanity  can 
object  to  or  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  our  propaganda.  The 
intellect  as  well  as  the  simplest  feelings  are  attracted,  so 
that  the  individual  can  see  and  is  bound  to  admit  that 
our  striving  is  directed  towards  and  based  on  the  highest 
morality,  and  we  demand  nothing  else  than  what  is  called 
for  by  the  best  in  civilisation,  namely,  healthy,  loving, 
and  thinking  parents,  a  happy  home,  few,  but  mentally 
and  bodily  healthy  children,  and  thus  human  lives  worth 
living. 

We  untiringly  uphold  love  for  the  child.  However, 
this  requires  a  home  which  can  provide  for  the  welfare 
and  development  of  the  child,  it  calls  for  healthy  and 
thoughtful  parents  who  are  aware  of  their  responsibility 
towards  the  child.  The  home  must  be  full  of  joy,  laughter, 
happiness,  sunshine  and  prudence.  Homes  in  which 
misery,  hunger,  want,  illness,  quarrels,  demoralisation, 
brutalisation,  and  so  forth,  are  daily  guests  cannot  advance 
the  development  of  the  children.  Such  horrors  produce 
unhappy  children,  whose  ailing  bodies  fill  the  sickbeds 
and  finally  the  coffins.  Therefore,  neo-Malthusianism 
ought  not  to  be  treated  as  a  juridical,  medical,  economic 
or  religious  question.  The  truth  is  that  neo-Malthusianism 
is  a  question  of,  and  for,  the  child,  and  for  every  feeling, 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS        51 

thinking  and  loving  human  being,  and  in  particular  of 
parents. 

Intended  limitation  of  the  birth  is  already  practised 
by  most  married  couples.  Nobody  can  question  this. 
Only  the  modes  of  application  differ  owing  to  the 
deficiencies  in  the  enlightenment  of  the  people,  and, 
therefore,  they  cannot  produce  the  desired  effect.  In 
Austria,  at  our  meetings  and  in  publications,  we  advise* 
people  to  consult  only  qualified  medical  practitioners.  J 
We  ourselves  recommend  a  certain  contraceptive  device, 
namely,  the  occlusive-pessary,  the  use^of  which  we  explain 
in  cheap  pamphlets  and  in  our  newspaper,  and  we  supply 
the  addresses  of  doctors.  Through  articles  published  in 
the  daily  Press  and  trade  union  papers,  through  lectures 
among  all  classes  of  people  and  at  factory  meetings,  our 
cause  is  already  widely  known  all  over  Austria,  so  that 
there  are  not  very  many  people  who  are  not  aware  of  the 
aims  and  importance  of  neo-Malthusianism.  I  would 
like  to  remark  that  our  cause  gains  in  strength  week  by 
week,  even  among  the  agrarian  population. 

Unnatural  and  uncivilised  is  the  want  of  humanity  which 
causes  millions  of  men  to  perish  on  the  battlefields,  and  tens 
of  thousands  of  human  beings  to  die  of  starvation.  It  is 
unnatural  to  give  birth  to  a  child  which  is  condemned  to 
live  in  misery  and  hunger,  or  which  is  shortly  ready  for 
the  cemetery.  It  is  natural,  human  and  logical,  to  prevent 
the  squandering  of  power,  energy,  happiness  and  life. 

The  limitation  of  births  is  international  in  appeal. 
Wars  should  be  prevented,  the  idea  of  a  war  of  revenge 
should  be  combated,  and  the  children  already  alive 
should  be  educated  and  maintained  in  a  human  way. 
This  will  prevent  a  weakening  of  the  nation. 

Moral  ideas  are  changeable,  they  are  expressions  of  the 
necessities  demanded  by  life  at  a  given  time.  It  is 
immoral  to  deliver  into  the  world  a  child  which  is  bound 
to  be  brought  up  in  unhappy  surroundings.  It  is  also 
immoral  to  ask  others  to  bear  children  under  such  con- 
ditions. The  community  has  no  interest  whatever  in 
beggars,  tramps,  invalids,  or  criminals,  recruited  in  most 
cases  from  people  who  had  a  wasted  or  unhappy  childhood. 

More  attention  should  be  paid  to  the  tenements  filled 
with  sorrow,  hunger,  illness,  and  suffering,  so  that  the 
living  children  may  be  better  cared  for.  This  will  stop 
the  depopulation  of  countries. 


52      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

The  fear  of  the  economic  embarrassment  caused  by  a 
large  family  prevents  many  men  from  getting  married, 
and  thus  causes  an  increase  of  prostitution  and  venereal 
disease. 

It  is  a  deliberate  falsehood  to  declare  that  neo-Malthu- 
sianism  will  weaken  the  motherly  love  which  is  alleged 
to  be  produced  only  by  the  creation  of  unlimited  children. 
Every  true  and  humane  doctor  will  stand  by  and  defend 
the  advantages  offered  by  the  proper  application  of  the 
laws  of  neo-Malthusianism. 

Married  life  should  bring  beauty,  happiness,  and  joy, 
and  not  sorrow,  grief,  and  unhappiness.  Not  duty,  but 
love,  not  grief,  but  happiness  are  the  objects  and  ambitions 
of  all  human  efforts. 

From  my  remarks  it  will  be  apparent  that  ours  is  one 
of  the  leading  movements  in  Austria,  and  every  meeting 
held,  even  in  the  smallest  and  remotest  village,  is  a  new 
success  and  adds  new  supporters  to  our  cause.  However, 
the  Austrian  movement  against  compulsory  motherhood 
may  differ  from  the  neo-Malthusian  movement  propagated 
in  those  countries  where  the  laws  withstand  the  will  of 
the  people.  We  also  fight  against  a  law,  the  abolition  of 
which  appears  to  us  and  the  majority  of  the  people  of 
Switzerland  and  Germany  to  be  inevitable,  as  a  conse- 
quence of  the  spread  of  neo-Malthusianism. 

It  will  not  harm  us  to  admit  that  at  the  present  time 
there  is  no  absolutely  reliable  means  for  preventing  concep- 
tion. What  is  to  be  done  in  the  event  of  the  contraceptive 
device  failing  ?  Many  mothers  take  refuge  in  the  most 
desperate  means  of  alleviation,  namely,  artificial  abortion. 
Legions  of  women  are  forced  to  take  this  step~~  This  opens 
up  a  gigantic  problem  which  cannot  be  overlooked.  The 
legal  prohibition  of  medical  aid  and  the  high  fees  which 
have  to  be  paid  for  such  secret  help,  forces  many  women 
to  consult  a  quack  or  to  take  measures  themselves, 
whereby  annually  thousands  of  them  succumb  to  an  early 
death  or  become  and  remain  ill  for  their  lifetime,  are 
imprisoned  or  have  to  spend  the  rest  of  their  lives  in  fear 
of  jail.  Every  loving  and  humane  person  can  imagine  the 
bodily  and  psychical  crisis  passed  through  by  the  woman 
and  her  family  at  such  a  time.  What  dark  lives  and 
anxieties !  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  poorest 
mothers  only  suffer  through,  while  the  moneyed  classes 
evade,  this  law  by  paying  high  medical  fees.     In  Austria, 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS        53 

to-day,  this  knowledge  has  led  to  a  milder  judging  of 
such  cases,  and  owing  to  the  influence  of  our  propaganda 
we  have  the  satisfaction  of  witnessing  judges  passing 
low  sentences.  Nevertheless,  the  consequences  are  still 
terrible. 

The  opponents  of  neo-Malthusianism  are  also  opponents 
of  this  reform.  Victory  is  problematical,  the  final  fight 
is  very  difficult  and  calls  for  all  our  energy,  as  we  have 
to  combat  the  lowest  defamation  of  our  cause.  Bills, 
introduced  in  the  Parliaments  of  Switzerland,  Austria,  and 
Germany,  demanding  exemption  from  punishment  for 
artificial  abortion  carried  out  under  the  care  of  a  doctor, 
and  for  humane  reasons  within  the  first  three  months  of 
pregnancy,  prove  the  justness  of  our  reformatory  efforts. 
Russia  has  already  passed  a  similar  law  and  more  will  be 
said  about  this  in  the  near  future.  It  stands  to  reason 
that  new  laws  and  their  motives  and  consequences  are 
openly  discussed  in  the  countries  in  which  they  are  intro- 
duced. A  matter  which  has  been  before  Parliament 
cannot  be  suppressed. 

Finally,  perhaps  some  people  feel  they  are  entitled  to 
ask  for  stronger  emphasis  of  the  real  and  material  necessity 
for  advocating  the  objects  of  neo-Malthusianism ;  these 
can  be  given.  But  our  experience  has  shown  that  this 
may  not  be  the  most  successful  means  of  agitation.  Neo- 
Malthusianism  appeals  to  the  feelings.  The  brutally 
materialistic  attacks  on  our  ideas  by  selfish  opponents 
must  be  countered  by  appeals  to  the  best  sentiment  in 
people. 

We  have  to  emphasise  again  and  again  that  we  and  our 
supporters  not  only  have  to  live  a  sensible  and  harmonious 
life,  but  that  we  have  to  work  hard  to  make  the  many 
others  believe  in  a  more  civilised  life.  In  the  interest 
of  civilisation  and  humanity  it  is  our  life-task  to  enunciate 
and  work  for  the  execution  of  the  following  emphatic 
commandment : — 

'  Mothers,  bear  only  human  beings  whose  lives  can  and 
will  be  based  on  a  happy  childhood,  lived  in  a  happy  home 
under  bright  conditions.  Sanctify  your  kisses,  so  that 
they  are  given  in  happiness  and  again  breathe  happiness 
for  a  new  life." 

Those  people  who  desire  to  help  in  protecting  the 
unborn  against  sorrow  and  misery  have  to  be  impressed 
with  this  moral  idea.     It  is  a  social,  ethical,  and  human 


54      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

deed  to  dry  the  tears  of  the  present,  and  to  work  for  a 
happier,  better,  and  sorrowless  future.  Neo-Malthu- 
sianism  and  clean  human  conscience  are  the  most  important 
necessities  for  the  preparation  of  such  a  future. 


THE   PERSONAL   AND   FAMILY  ASPECT 
OF   BIRTH   CONTROL. 

By  Dr.  C.  V.  Drysdale,  O.B.E.,  F.R.S.E.,  Etc. 

Our  nation  and  race  is  made  up  of  individuals — men, 
women,  and  children — all  seeking  after  happiness. 

There  are  certain  people  who  maintain  that  the  welfare 
of  the  individual  is  inimical  to  that  of  the  State  or  the  race, 
and  others  who  claim  that  a  life  of  self-sacrifice  is  neces- 
sary for  the  sake  of  a  glorious  hereafter.  Certainly  there 
must  be  certain  restrictions  on  the  liberty  of  the  individual, 
as  a  poor  person  could  greatly  increase  his  wealth  by 
robbing  others.  It  is  obvious  in  this  case,  however,  that 
he  only  gains  at  the  expense  of  the  community,  and  the 
net  result  of  such  conduct  would  be  to  reduce  the  comfort 
of  all  owing  to  the  feeling  of  insecurity  it  would  cause. 
But  as  a  general  rule  we  should  start  from  the  principle 
that  whatever  enables  individuals  to  improve  their  lot 
by  their  own  skill  and  exertions  is  an  advantage  to  the 
community,  unless  there  are  very  good  reasons  to  the 
contrary  in  a  special  case. 

We  will  consider  the  national  and  racial  aspects  of 
Birth  Control  later,  but  for  the  moment  let  us  simply 
take  the  case  of  a  young  man  and  a  young  woman  at  the 
threshold  of  life,  and  see  how  the  possibility  of  Birth 
Control  affects  their  prospects. 

Every  year  a  large  number  of  young  men  and  girls 
arrive  at  the  age  when  they  fall  in  love  and  wish  to  marry. 
If  they  know  nothing  of  the  possibility  of  Birth  Control 
they  are  confronted  with  two  painful  alternatives.  They 
may  marry  with  the  almost  certain  prospect  of  children 
arriving  every  one  or  two  years,  for  whom  their  income 
will  not  enable  them  to  provide  decently,  or  they  may 
decide  to  wait  until  the  young  man's  prospects  have 
improved  and  they  have  saved  enough  to  make  provision 
for  a  home  and  family. 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS        55 

However  commendable  such  prudence  may  be,  it  is 
open  to  serious  objections.  A  considerable  proportion  of 
the  more  primitive  types  will  not  exercise  it.  It  is  as 
natural  for  human  beings  to  mate  as  the  birds,  and  no 
community  can  be  a  happy  one  if  late  marriage  is  the 
rule.  It  has  a  most  injurious  effect  on  the  health  and 
spirits  of  women,  and  a  worse  one  on  men,  as  a  certain 
proportion  of  them  have  recourse  to  prostitutes,  which, 
quite  apart  from  its  moral  effects,  leads  to  the  dissemina- 
tion of  venereal  disease,  which  is  one  of  the  most  serious 
race-blasting  influences. 

Marriage  without  Birth  Control. 

Suppose,  then,  that  our  young  man  and  young  girl 
rush  into  marriage,  as  so  many  do.  They  may  have  just 
enough  to  set  up  a  little  home  and  to  live  on,  and  start 
married  life  happily.  But  probably  within  a  year  the 
first  child  arrives,  and  the  strain  commences.  It  is  quite 
common  among  the  poorer  classes  for  a  fresh  child  to 
appear  every  year,  and  life  then  becomes  one  ever- 
increasing  struggle  against  hopeless  conditions,  or  an 
abject  surrender.  The  young  girl  quickly  loses  her  charm 
and  freshness  and  becomes  a  miserable  drudge,  beset  by 
children  day  and  night.  She  has  no  chance  of  recovering 
her  strength  after  each  confinement  before  falling  pregnant 
again  ;  she  is  insufficiently  fed,  and  her  children  are  born 
in  squalor,  and  pine  under  her  eyes  from  want  of  proper 
conditions. 

As  regards  the  young  husband,  he  may  be  a  decent, 
hard-working  fellow,  fond  of  home  and  children,  but  life 
soon  becomes  intolerable  if  the  children  arrive  too  fast. 
Instead  of  arriving  home  after  his  day's  work  to  a  cheerful 
home  with  a  happy  wife  and  pleasant  meal  awaiting  him, 
he  finds  a  tired,  dispirited  woman  harassed  by  children 
crying  round  her  or  demanding  her  care  on  every  side, 
and  without  the  time  or  means  to  prepare  a  satisfactory 
supper.  If  he  is  a  good  husband,  as  many  of  the  working 
classes,  to  their  honour,  are,  he  takes  his  share  of  looking 
after  the  children,  and  may  be  very  happy  with  them  if 
there  are  not  more  than  two  or  three,  but  beyond  that 
things  become  impossible,  and  he  may  be  glad  to  escape 
to  the  more  genial  atmosphere  of  the  public-house.  Few 
temperance  reformers  have  ever  considered  the  effect  of 
large  families  on  starting  a  man  on  a  career  of  drunken- 


56      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

ness,  but  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  if  all  were  known, 
a  great  deal  of  the  drink  evil  is  attributable  to  the  hopeless- 
ness which  ever-increasing  families  plunge  both  men  and 
women  into. 

Can  the  Poor  support  Large  Families  ? 

It  is  easy  to  talk  glibly,  as  so  many  armchair  theorists 
or  religious  enthusiasts  do,  about  large  families  being  the 
happiest,  and  to  quote  examples  of  families  of  ten  or  a 
dozen  brought  up  well  on  a  small  wage.  But  when 
Mr.  Seebohm  Rowntree  made  his  famous  inquiry  into  the 
cost  of  maintaining  a  family  containing  three  children 
in  York,  he  found  that  235.  8d.  per  week  was  the  absolute 
minimum  upon  which  the  bare  necessaries  of  life,  without 
providing  a  penny  for  illness,  amusement,  or  luxuries, 
could  be  obtained.  In  our  large  industrial  towns,  where 
rents  are  higher  and  a  certain  amount  of  travelling  for 
the  man  is  generally  imperative,  305.  would  have  been 
about  the  figure,  and  as  the  index  number  of  the  cost  of 
living  is  now  still  nearly  200,  this  means  £3  a  week  at 
present. 

At  the  time  when  Mr.  Rowntree  wrote  apparently 
about  2,500,000  adult  men  wage-earners  were  in  receipt 
of  255.  a  week  or  less,  so  for  many  of  these  a  family  of 
more  than  two  children  was  an  economic  impossibility. 
We  may  take  it  that  conditions  are  even  worse  to-day  in 
proportion  to  the  cost  of  living,  and  that  a  two-child 
family  is  the  utmost  that  can  be  supported  by  the  average 
wage-earner  in  decency  and  health. 

It  is  easy  to  blame  the  economic  or  social  system  and 
to  say  that  wages  should  be  higher.  Perhaps  they 
ought,  though  there  are  grave  difficulties  in  the  way 
which  we  shall  consider  later,  but  why  should  we  subject 
men,  women,  and  children  to  torture  until  things  are 
improved,  if  they  can  be  improved  ?  We  must  start  from 
the  bedrock  fact  that  the  great  majority  of  wage-earners 
cannot  deal  with  more  than  two  children  properly. 

Even  when  both  parents  are  strong,  healthy,  and 
virtuous,  life  becomes  a  misery  when  the  family  increases 
too  rapidly.  After  the  first  two  or  three  children  arrive 
more  house  room  should  be  available,  but,  instead,  the 
margin  for  rent  gets  less  ;  and  this  is  the  great  cause  of 
overcrowding,  with  its  horrible  hygienic  and  moral  evils. 
At  a  meeting  held  in  Berlin  before  the  War  the  Socialist 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS        57 

leaders  whoT  inveighed  against  family  limitation  were 
howled  down  by  the  people,  who^  declared  that  large 
families  were  the  great  cause  of  prostitution,  because  of 
the  crowding  of  the  sexes  together  and  the  forcing  of  the 
girls  on  the  streets. 

But  when,  as  so  often  happens,  one  or  both  parents  are 
diseased  or  defective,  large  families  mean  a  hell  on  earth. 
At  our  meetings  in  poor  districts  we  have  had  poor  young 
women  of  only  twenty-five  years  of  age  telling  us  how 
they  had  married  in  their  'teens  and  spent  their  lives  in 
miscarriages  or  bearing  dead  or  diseased  children  every 
year.  Women  suffering  from  consumption,  heart  disease, 
and  other  painful  and  hereditary  complaints  all  go  through 
this  terrible  agony,  and  for  what  ?  Only  to  launch  help- 
less maimed  children  into  the  world  to  die  early  or  be  a 
burden  to  themselves  or  the  State. 

Any  one  who  would  refuse  instruction  in  Birth  Control 
to  such  women  is  a  monster  in  human  shape  and  an 
enemy  of  society.  There  is  no  objection,  national, 
religious,  or  moral,  in  this  case  which  is  worthy  of  the 
slightest  respect. 

Marriage  with  Birth  Control. 

Now  let  us  suppose  that  our  young  man  and  young 
woman  are  aware  that  Birth  Control  is  possible  and  that 
they  can  obtain  the  information  just  before  marriage. 
This  removes  practically  every  bar  to  their  immediate 
marriage.  Among  the  poor,  both  the  young  men  and 
young  women  become  self-supporting  at  an  early  age, 
and  they  can  keep  on  working  and  pool  their  wages, 
waiting  for  their  first  child  until  they  have  built  up  their 
home,  and  the  husband's  wages  are  sufficient  for  the 
wife  to  leave  her  work  and  start  their  family. 

The  moral  cleansing  of  society  which  would  result  from 
the  general  early  marriage  of  young  men  would  be  im- 
mense. It  may  be  contended  that  it  would  not  do  away 
with  promiscuity,  but  it  is  certain  that  all  efforts  to  do  so 
will  be  vain  without  it.  This  is  the  moral  argument  for 
Birth  Control,  and  has  been  a  corner  stone  of  the  neo- 
Malthusian  doctrine  from  its  inception. 

When  we  lecture  in  the  streets  of  the  poor  quarters  we 
always  say  to  the  young  men  and  girls  around  :  "  Do 
not  wait  to  marry  until  you  have  enough  to  support  a 


58      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

family.  Get  married  as  soon  as  you  want  to  and  wait 
for  your  children  until  you  have  built  up  a  warm  nest 
for  them.  Learn  to  live  together  first  and  be  a  comfort 
to  each  other,  before  undertaking  the  responsibility  of 
parenthood.  The  knowledge  of  Birth  Control  is  free  to 
you  ;  use  it  for  your  own  happiness  and  that  of  your 
children  to  come." 

Our  young  couple  can  then  enter  on  their  new  life 
together  in  love  and  confidence.  The  husband  can  return 
home  from  work  to  find  a  comfortable  home  and  a  smiling 
wife  awaiting  him  ;  he  can  lavish  a  few  comforts  on  her, 
and  they  can  develop  mutual  interests.  He  can  keep 
himself  neat,  have  adequate  food  and  rest,  and  have  time 
for  study,  so  that  he  can  advance  in  efficiency  and  rapidly 
improve  his  position.  Should  slackness  of  employment 
come  he  can  have  some  reserve  behind  him,  and  not  be 
forced  into  fighting  desperately  with  his  fellows  for  the 
poorest  jobs. 

For  the  wife,  as  we  have  frequently  said,  the  possession 
of  Birth  Control  knowledge  is  her  Magna  Charta,  her  real 
emancipation  from  slavery.  By  being  able  to  have  her 
children  only  when  she  feels  able  to  do  justice  to  herself 
and  them,  she  becomes  mistress  of  her  fate,  and  from  the 
point  of  view  of  the  race  the  eugenic  effect  of  Birth 
Control  would  be  enormous.  Women  who  are  free  from 
passive  maternity  will  rarely  consent  to  bring  diseased  or 
defective  children  into  the  world,  or  start  them  under  too 
unfavourable  conditions. 

Lastly,  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  children,  they 
can  start  life  under  better  conditions  with  a  sufficiency 
of  maternal  care.  Instead  of  being  pushed  aside  for  the 
next  comer,  they  can  be  properly  fed,  clothed,  and 
housed,  and  be  started  on  their  school  life  with  bodies 
prepared  to  take  advantage  of  education.  They  need 
not  be  snatched  from  school  at  the  earliest  possible  age 
and  forced  into  the  first  blind  alley  occupation,  in  order 
to  help  the  family  ;  they  may  even  be  able  to  pursue 
their  studies  to  a  secondary  or  technical  school  and  start 
their  working  lives  well  equipped  to  be  efficient  workers. 
All  these  benefits  can  be  obtained  by  the  knowledge  of 
healthy  methods  of  Birth  Control,  and  it  has  this  priceless 
advantage  over  all  other  schemes  for  human  betterment, 
that  it  is  ready  for  immediate  adoption  by  any  one  who 
wishes,  without  costty  or  elaborate  welfare  schemes  or 


INDIVIDUAL  AND  FAMILY  ASPECTS         59 

Government  action  of  any  kind.  When  we  go  out  for  an 
evening's  work  in  the  streets  or  halls,  and  give  out  forms 
of  application  for  our  practical  leaflet,  we  know  that  we 
have  given  a  chance  of  salvation  from  further  misery  to  a 
dozen  or  twenty  suffering  couples.  There  is  no  absolute 
need  for  more  ;  we  may  never  see  them  again,  but  at  the 
cost  of  a  few  pence  we  have  put  the  opportunity  of  con- 
trolling their  destinies  into  their  own  hands,  and  their 
gratitude  is  shown,  not  only  by  the  letters  we  receive,  but 
by  the  fact  that  although  our  forms  distinctly  state  that 
the  leaflet  will  be  sent  without  charge  of  any  kind,  the 
majority  of  applications  contain  at  least  a  few  stamps, 
and  the  average  contribution  has  actually  covered  the 
cost  of  this  branch  of  the  Malthusian  League's  activity 
from  its  start. 


Resolution. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  session  the  following  resolution 
was  put  to  the  meeting  : — 

"  The  Fifth  International  Neo-Malthusian  and 
Birth  Control  Conference  calls  the  attention  of  all 
thoughtful  men  and  women  to  the  great  benefits 
which  Birth  Control  can  confer  on  themselves  and 
their  children,  by  enabling  young  people  to  marry 
early  and  escape  temptation,  and  by  enabling  them 
to  regulate  their  families  in  accordance  with  their 
health  and  resources  and  to  bring  up  their  children  in 
comfort  to  be  happy  and  useful  citizens.  It  calls  in 
the  name  of  humanity  upon  all  those  who  have  already 
experienced  these  benefits  to  join  in  the  effort  to 
extend  them  to  the  poor  and  suffering,  whose  lives 
are  burdened  with  unlimited  families,  and  thus  to 
help  in  getting  rid  of  destitution,  immorality,  and 
disease  and  elevating  humanity." 

Passed,  with  two  dissentients. 

(Signed)  Margaret  Sanger, 

President  of  the  Section. 


Wednesday,  July  12th. — Morning  Session. 

ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  SECTION. 
President       .         Professor  J.  M.  Keynes,  C.B.,  M.A. 

The  President,  in  opening  the  session,  formally 
addressed  those  present,  saying  : — 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  we  have  rather  a  long  programme 
before  us  to-day,  and  I  am  not  going  to  occupy  your  time. 
My  presidential  address  I  am  not  going  to  read  to-day,  but 
later,  and  I  have  been  moved  to  write  a  memoir  on  Malthus, 
which  I  hope  to  read  on  that  occasion. 

Malthus  was  a  moderate  man,  and  I  do  not  think  he 
always  has  full  justice  shown  to  him  to-day.  There  is  a 
suggestion  that  he  did  not  see  the  future  clearly,  and  that 
while  he  had  some  good  ideas,  they  need  modification 
now. 

That  is  not  the  case.  The  science  of  the  whole  thing  is 
to  be  found  in  Malthus'  first  edition  of  1798,  and  it  is  well 
not  to  forget  that  he  had  tremendous  influence  on  all 
nineteenth-century  thought.  That  is  evident  from  the 
fact  that  it  was  the  reading  of  Malthus  that  put  his  ideas 
first  of  all  into  the  head  of  Darwin.  I  believe  it  is  in  the 
first  edition  of  Malthus  that  the  phrase  "  Struggle  for 
existence  "  first  appears  in  literature. 

THE  CRITERION  OF  OVER-POPULATION. 

By  Dr.  C.  V.  Drysdale,  O.B.E.,  F.R.S.E.,  Etc. 

When  is  a  country  over-populated  ?  It  seems  very 
important  that  we  should  be  able  to  give  a  definite  answer 
to  this  question,  as  the  misconceptions  concerning  it  are 
so  numerous.  For  example,  it  is  often  said  that  this  and 
other  countries  are  not  over-populated  because  "  wealth 
has  increased  faster  than  population,"  or  because  the 
density  of  their  populations  is  less  than  in  some  other 
countries. 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  61 

It  ought  not  to  require  proof  that  density  of  population 
is  no  index  of  over-population.  A  sparsely-populated 
country  with  a  rocky  soil,  or  in  primitive  conditions,  may 
have  far  poorer  inhabitants  than  a  densely -peopled,  fertile 
country  with  rich  stores  of  coal  and  minerals  and  a 
highly-developed  industry.  Over-population  'must  be 
relative  to  the  resources  and  state  of  development  of  a 
nation,  and  density  does  not  afford  us  the  slightest  clue. 

And  the  criterion  of  increase  of  wealth  in  proportion  to 
population,  though  apparently  more  plausible,  is  no  less 
fallacious.  The  wealth  of  a  nation  is  expressed  in  terms 
of  money,  and  depreciation  of  the  currency,  such  as  has 
been  recently  witnessed  in  so  many  nations,  may  cause 
an  apparent  increase  of  wealth  while  the  people  are  poorer 
in  all  the  necessaries  and  comforts  of  existence.  And 
even  if  the  currency  is  unaltered,  it  is  obvious  by  the  very 
definition  of  wealth  that  it  is  no  criterion  of  well  being. 
Wealth  consists  of  all  useful  and  desirable  objects  which 
have  an  exchange  value — the  machinery  and  implements 
of  production,  no  less  than  the  products  themselves — and 
if  the  law  of  decreasing  return  involves  the  use  of  more 
and  more  capital  for  the  production  of  the  necessaries  of 
life,  the  wealth  of  a  country  may  increase  greatly,  even 
with  a  diminution  of  the  standard  of  life. 

And  lastly,  even  if  increase  of  wealth  per  head  repre- 
sented a  real  increase  in  the  standard  of  existence,  how 
would  that  prove  that  a  country  was  not  over-populated  ? 
At  best  it  could  only  prove  that  it  was  less  over-populated 
than  it  was  formerly.  If  a  person  who  has  been  suffering 
from  a  severe  illness  commences  to  recover,  we  do  not 
immediately  say  he  is  well ;  and  an  improvement  of  the 
standard  of  comfort  from  the  frightfully  low  one  of  the 
past,  though  of  good  omen,  does  not  mean  that  a  suffi- 
ciency for  every  one  has  been  attained,  as  is  painfully 
evident. 

In  the  true  Malthusian  sense  over-population  exists 
whenever  the  combined  exertions  of  the  community  fail 
to  procure  a  sufficiency  of  the  necessaries  of  life  for  the 
complete  physiological  health  of  the  whole  community. 
One  way  of  ascertaining  this  would  be  to  obtain  the  total 
net  food  supply  of  a  country  due  to  its  own  production 
and  excess  of  imports  over  exports,  and  to  compare  this 
with  the  ascertained  physiological  requirement  for  full 
health  and  strength.     This  was  first  done  for  the  whole 


62      FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

civilised  world  by  our  esteemed  colleague,  M.  G.  Giroud, 
who  showed  that  the  total  food  supply  only  provided 
two-thirds  of  Attwater's  standard  of  physiological  ration 
of  nitrogenous  food,  and  disposed  finally  of  the  facile 
"  plenty  for  all  if  it  was  only  properly  distributed " 
contention.  The  food  crisis  during  the  last  war  caused 
the  Governments  of  Great  Britain  and  Germany  for  the 
first  time  to  make  similar  inquiries  for  their  own  countries, 
and  although  their  investigations  appeared  more  opti- 
mistic than  the  above,  due,  partly,  to  their  making 
insufficient  deductions  for  industry  and  inevitable  waste, 
and  to  their  adopting  a  low  standard  of  requirements, 
apart  from  the  fact  that  they  were  dealing  with  countries 
which  were  far  above  the  average  of  prosperity,  these 
reports  showed  quite  distinctly  that  there  was  certainly 
no  plenitude  of  subsistence. 

But  the  above  criterion,  though  a  good  one  if  the  facts 
are  carefully  compiled  and  impartially  handled,  is  too 
complicated  for  ready  adoption.  Fortunately  we  have 
another  which  is  easily  attainable,  and  which  is  probably 
more  satisfactory  as  being  less  open  to  difference  of 
opinion. 

What  is  the  effect  of  insufficiency  of  subsistence  ?  The 
answer  is  poor  nutrition  and  diminution  of  longevity,  not 
so  much  by  direct  starvation,  as  by  diminution  of  resist- 
ance to  disease.  Whenever  the  average  duration  of  life 
is  low,  we  may  have  reason  to  suspect  over-population. 
In  certain  cases  it  may  be  due  to  inherent  unhealthiness 
of  the  climate,  or  to  vicious  modes  of  life,  and  it  can  only 
therefore  be  taken  as  an  indication,  but  whenever  we 
find  it  we  should  consider  the  probability  of  over-popula- 
tion. 

Now,  how  are  we  to  find  the  longevity  or  average 
duration  of  life  of  a  community.  In  some  few  cases  this 
figure  is  given  us  by  the  official  returns,  but  only  in  a  few. 
But  practically  all  civilised  countries  keep  a  complete 
record  of  their  birth  and  death  rates  from  year  to  year, 
and  these  figures  are  of  the  utmost  importance  to  students 
of  the  population  doctrine.  It  can  easily  be  shown  that 
if  we  had  a  community  without  any  migration,  and  in 
which  all  who  were  born  lived  to  the  same  age,  L  years, 

then  L  =  2303   °g      ~  °§      where  6  and  d  are  the  birth 

b  —  d 

and  death  rates  per  thousand.     If  the  rate  of  increase  is 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  63 

slow,  b  —  d  is  small,  and  the  formula  reduces  to  the  simple 

relation,   L  =  , '       „  which   is   equivalent  to   saying   in 

words  that  the  longevity  or  average  duration  of  life  is 
1,000  divided  by  the  mean  between  the  birth  and  death 
rates,  or  divided  by  the  death  rate,  plus  half  the  rate  of 
increase.     If  there  is  no  increase  at  all,  b  =  d,  and  L  = 

-L^—,  the  well-known  rule  which  many  high  authorities 
d 

have  taken  as  being  universally  true,  thereby  gravely 

assuring  us  that  a  steadily  maintained  birth  rate  of  ten 

per  1,000,  as  in  New  Zealand,  is  impossible,  because  it 

would  mean  an  average  duration  of  life  of     '       ,  or  100 

years.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  would  mean  nothing  of  the 
kind  unless  there  were  no  increase  of  population. 

Of  course,  none  of  these  rules  are  accurate  for  countries 
having  a  large  migration  or  deaths  spread  over  all  ages. 
But  they  are  becoming  more  and  more  accurate  as  time 
goes  on,  as  migration  and  death  at  early  ages  diminish, 
and  they  are  already  of  the  greatest  importance,  especially 
for  a  clear  understanding  of  the  population  problem. 
For   example,    if   we   take   the   second   simple   relation, 

L  =  r1 — -,,  then  if  the  longevity  were  constant,  and  the 

birth  rate  b  fell,  then  d  would  increase  by  an  equal  amount 
to  make  b  —  d  constant,  or  the  correlation  between  the 
birth  and  death  rates  would  be  —  1.  This  is  what  we 
are  always  threatened  with  by  actuarial  or  statistical 
opponents  of  Birth  Control,  who  tell  us  that  as  the  birth 
rate  falls  further  the  death  rate  will  rise,  and  that  we  shall 
therefore  rapidly  approach  a  state  of  real  depopulation, 
in  which  the  numbers  will  diminish  from  year  to  year. 
This  would  certainly  be  true  if  the  longevity  remained 
constant,  but  it  has  never  yet  happened  or  shown  any 
signs  of  happening.  Even  in  France,  with  its  low  birth 
rate,  the  death  rate  fell  with  the  birth  rate  during  the 
ten  years  1904 — 1913,  the  correlation  between  the  birth 
and  death  rates  being  +  0-5  instead  of  —  1,  and  in  this 
country  a  fall  of  the  birth  rate  from  24  before  the  war 
to  22  last  year  has  been  accompanied  by  a  fall  from  13-7 
to  12. 

Now,  if  over-population  or  pressure  of  numbers  on  food 
exists,  it  is  clear  that  what  sets  a  limit  to  the  rate  of 


64      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

increase  is  not  the  birth  rate,  but  the  rate  of  increase  of 
subsistence,  and  this,  apart  from  fluctuations  of  harvests, 
remains  fairly  constant  for  considerable  periods  in  normal 
times.  In  that  case  the  death  rate  is  simply  equal  to  the 
birth  rate  minus  the  rate  of  increase  of  food,  and  if  the 
latter  is  constant,  the  death  rate  must  rise  or  fall  with 
the  birth  rate,  instead  of  moving  in  the  opposite  direction, 
and  the  correlation  should  be  +  1  in  cases  of  severe  over- 
population falling  to  zero  as  its  intensity  diminishes. 

This  then  gives  us  the  true  criterion  of  over-population. 
Whenever  we  find  a  country  of  low  longevity — say,  under 
fifty  years — we  may  suspect  over-population,  but  the 
decision  as  to  whether  the  low  longevity  is  caused  by  over- 
population, or  by  other  factors  depends  upon  how  the 
death  rate  varies  with  variations  in  the  birth  rate.  If 
they  vary  in  opposite  directions  the  cause  is  not  over- 
population, but  if  they  vary  in  the  same  direction  it  is 
fairly  definite  proof  of  over-population,  and  as  a  matter 
of  fact  the  correlation  in  the  whole  of  Western  Europe 
was  no  less  than  -82  from  1841  to  1905,  while  that  for 
England  and  Wales  from  1904  to  1913  was  -90.  Until 
these  figures  fall  to  zero  there  can  be  no  question  that  over- 
population still  exists,  and  that  the  birth  rate  should  be 
further  lowered,  unless  any  extraordinary  development 
in  the  productive  arts  arises. 

This  criterion  of  over-population  ought  to  appeal  to  the 
simplest  common  sense.  Every  one  will  admit  that  the 
reduction  of  the  death  rate  should  be  the  prime  object  of 
civilisation,  and  if  the  reduction  of  the  birth  rate  helps 
to  bring  this  about,  it  simply  means  that  pressure  of  popu- 
lation on  subsistence  has  existed,  and  that  it  is  becoming 
mitigated  as  the  birth  rate  falls. 

This  is  the  principle  which  has  been  kept  steadily  in 
view  in  the  neo-Malthusian  movement  in  this  country, 
and  by  its  aid  we  are  able  to  gauge  the  effects  of  our  work, 
and  to  judge  of  the  figure  to  which  the  birth  rate  should 
be  reduced  in  every  country,  so  that  poverty  in  the  sense 
of  insufficiency  of  the  necessities  of  life  may  be  eliminated. 

THE  CRUX  OF  MALTHUSIANISM. 

Professor  Knut  Wicksell  (Sweden). 

There  has  always  been  some  uncertainty  about  the  real 
meaning  of  the  Malthusian  doctrine,  and  this,  no  doubt, 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  65 

depends  upon  some  faults  in  the  doctrine  itself,  grand  and 
all-important  as  it  may  be  in  the  general  effect. 

In  the  first  edition  of  Malthus'  book — by  the  way,  quite 
another  work  than  the  later  editions,  and  one  that  in 
several  respects  well  deserves  to  be  reprinted— there  is 
no  uncertainty  whatever.  Its  contents  can  be  given  as 
it  were  in  a  single  syllogism.  Malthus  said  :  "  If  a  people 
were  to  live  under  happy  circumstances  it  would  double 
the  number  of  its  population  at  least  every  twenty-fifth 
year.  Now  a  people  cannot  double  its  number  every 
twenty-fifth  year,  or  anything  like.  Consequently  no 
people  can  ever  be  happy,  the  great  mass  of  it,  and  under 
a  system  of  equality  the  whole  of  it  must  needs  be 
wretched."  In  the  last  two  chapters  he  then  tries  to 
console  us  for  this  rather  gloomy  view,  saying  that  people 
really  have  no  business  to  be  happy  on  earth,  but  only  to 
prepare  themselves  for  the  future  state. 

In  the  following  editions,  Malthus,  as  everybody  knows, 
tried  to  mitigate  those  terrible  conclusions  of  his  in  pointing 
to  the  possibility  of  a  moral  restraint — late  marriage  and 
chastity  in  the  single  state — as  a  way  of  checking  popula- 
tion without  misery  or  vice.  But  the  amelioration  was 
not  a  very  essential  one,  because  Malthus  himself  did  not 
believe  much  in  the  effectiveness  of  that  moral  restraint. 

In  his  polemic  with  Mr.  Arthur  Young,  in  1806,  printed 
in  the  Appendix  of  his  Principle,  he  has  in  this  respect 
some  utterances  which  should  not  be  forgotten. 

:'  Mr.  Young,"  he  says,  "  has  asserted  that  I  have  made 
perfect  chastity  in  the  single  state  absolutely  necessary 
to  the  success  of  my  plan,  but  this  is  surely  a  misrepre- 
sentation. ...  I  have  said  what  I  conceive  to  be  strictly 
true,  that  it  is  our  duty  to  defer  marriage  till  we  can  feed 
our  children  ;  and  that  it  is  also  our  duty  not  to  indulge 
ourselves  in  vicious  gratifications,  but  I  have  never  said 
that  I  expected  either,  much  less  both,  of  these  duties  to 
be  completely  fulfilled.  In  this,  as  a  number  of  other 
cases,  it  may  happen  that  the  violation  of  one  of  two 
duties  will  enable  a  man  to  perform  the  other  with  greater 
facility,  but  if  they  really  be  both  duties  and  both  practical, 
no  power  on  earth  can  absolve  a  man  from  the  guilt  of 
violating  either.  This  can  only  be  done  by  that  God 
who  can  weigh  the  crime  against  the  temptation,  and  will 
temper  justice  with  mercy.  .  .  .  Whatever  I  may  have 
said,  in  drawing  a  picture  professedly  visionary  for  the 

B.C.  F 


66      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

sake  of  illustration,  in  the  practical  application  of  my 
principles  I  have  taken  man  as  he  is  with  all  his  imperfec- 
tions on  his  head.  ..." 

The  difference  in  the  results  seems,  therefore,  not  to  be 
very  essential,  in  practice  the  altor  native  would  be  very 
much  the  same  :  misery  or  vice. 

It  would  be  easy,  of  course,  to  drive  those  reflections  of 
Malthus  into  absurdity.  If  indeed,  God,  according  to 
Malthus,  is  likely  to  be  rather  indulgent  towards  the 
unchastity  in  the  single  state,  why  should  He  be  so  very 
particular  about  the  use  of  contraceptives  in  the  matri- 
monial state  ?  Even  there  the  temptation  is  very  great 
indeed.  Why  should  not  God  in  this  case  "  weigh  the 
crime  against  the  temptation  "  and  be  willing  to  "  temper 
justice  with  mercy  "  ? 

Of  course  it  is  preposterous  to  place  a  question  of  the 
greatest  social  bearing  solely  under  the  narrow  aspect  of 
ecclesiastical  morals.  If  there  were  no  other  objection  to 
a  loose  sexual  life  than  the  wrath  of  God,  a  modus  vivendi 
might  perhaps  be  got  at.  Unfortunately  there  are  other 
consequences,  the  scourge  of  venereal  disease,  the  un- 
speakable abjectness  of  the  phenomena  of  prostitution 
and  so  forth.  But  on  those  things  Malthus  does  not 
speak  a  word. 

To  my  mind  this  half-heartedness  of  Malthus  has  been 
the  great  hindrance  of  the  success  of  his  doctrine.  At 
any  rate  for  the  next  three-quarters  of  a  century  the 
practical  application  of  his  teachings  almost  totally  failed, 
except  perhaps  in  France,  not  because  of  people  being 
ignorant  of  what  he  had  said,  but  because  they  did  not 
care  for  it.  And  when  the  propaganda  of  the  Malthusian 
League  took  up  the  doctrine  on  more  rational  lines,  almost 
another  half-century  had  to  be  spent  in  order  to  convince 
people  of  the  rather  obvious  truth  that  late  marriage  is 
not  a  blessing,  and  the  use  of  contraceptives  the  only  real 
way  out  of  the  dilemma. 

During  all  this  time  another  side  of  the  Malthusian 
problem  has  been  almost  completely  neglected,  namely, 
the  question  not  of  the  proper  way  of  working  out  the 
limitation  of  numbers  required,  but  the  deciding  of  the 
proper  amount  of  that  limitation. 

For  a  good  many  people,  even  among  Malthusians,  this 
later  question  does  not  exist  at  all.  They  will  say  :  If 
parents  only  limit  the  numbers  of  their  children  according 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  67 

to  their  power  of  supporting  them,  the  proper  amount  of 
population  will  come  of  itself  ;  but  that  is  not  always  true. 
Circumstances  may  be  such  that  it  is  comparatively  easy 
for  parents  to  breed  and  keep  a  rather  great  number  of 
children,  but  when  those  children  are  grown  up,  there  may 
eventually  be  a  frightful  state  of  over-population.  For 
instance,  in  Sweden,  the  relative  smallness  of  mortality 
amongst  children  seems  to  prove  that  most  children  with 
us  are  kept  by  their  parents  tolerably  well,  if,  of  course, 
in  a  very  simple  way  of  living.  But  nevertheless  we  have, 
for  many  decades,  had  a  constant  need  of  emigration,  and 
if  that  is  stopped,  as  in  fact  it  was  during  the  war,  the 
consequence  at  once  shows  itself  in  a  tremendous  amount 
of  unemployment. 

On  this  point  I  am  of  a  somewhat  different  opinion 
from  the  present  Malthusian  League  and  Dr.  Drysdale 
himself,  although  I  may  not  quite  have  fathomed 
his  arguments.  They  seem  to  believe  that  as  long  as 
there  is  a  sufficient  parallel  between  this  decrease  of 
mortality  and  the  simultaneous  decrease  of  natality 
everything  is  good  and  well,  and  nothing  more  is  to  be 
required.  But  this  view  seems  to  me  to  be  somewhat 
superficial.  The  parallel  in  question  cannot  be  but 
occasional,  because  there  is  no  necessary  connection 
between  present  mortality  and  present  natality,  or  at  any 
rate  only  a  very  small  one. 

I,  therefore,  think  that  we  must  attack  the  problem  in 
a  more  direct  way  and  ask  ourselves,  What  would  be  under 
present  circumstances  or  those  of  the  near  future  the  best 
amount  of  population  ?  In  other  words,  I  would  say  that 
over-population  exists  as  soon  as  the  present  number 
could  be  diminished  with  advantage,  and  from  this  point  of 
view  I  venture  to  say  that  there  is  at  present  no  country 
in  Europe,  even  France  not  excepted,  where  the  conditions 
of  the  people,  as  well  in  the  moral  as  the  material  respect, 
would  not  be  immensely  ameliorated  if  its  number  were 
reduced  to  one-half.  In  regard  to  the  Swedish  population, 
I  have  tried  to  research  this  question  in  detail,  and  I  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  we  would  be,  in  all  respects,  far  better 
off  if  the  present  population  of  six  million  was  going  back 
to  something  like  3|  million.  Then  the  extremely  small 
lots  of  arable  land  available  for  the  present  farming 
population  would  be  extended  so  as  to  give  full  occupa- 
tion for  each  family  of  farmers.     And  one  of  the  most 

f2 


68      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

important  of  our  natural  resources — our  forests — which 
now  are  in  a  great  danger  of  a  rapid  exhaustion,  would 
then  raise  themselves  anew  at  the  same  speed  at  which 
they  are  hewn  down  by  the  axe.  In  respect  of  other 
countries,  I  have  not  been  able  to  make  any  detailed 
research  of  that  kind,  but  I  really  think  that  it  would  be 
possible  to  carry  through  the  same  demonstrations  for 
them  ;  I  lean  to  the  opinion  so  often  uttered  by  the  late 
Dr.  C.  R.  Drysdale  that  even  the  France  of  his  time  was 
"  terribly  over-populated." 

Furthermore,  looking  at  the  statistics  of  the  present 
time,  for  instance,  in  Sweden  or  in  Germany,  there 
seems  to  be  a  very  great  probability  that  the  countries  of 
Europe  will,  at  no  distant  time,  change  their  present 
continuous  increase  of  population  into  a  more  or  less 
stationary  state,  and  then  even  go  back  in  numbers. 
The  poorer  classes  are  in  this,  as  in  other  things,  sure  to 
imitate  sooner  or  later  the  social  customs  of  the  well-to-do 
classes.  The  figures  of  Berlin,  for  instance,  taken  before 
the  war,  did  show,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  a  greater  falling 
off  of  natality  among  the  labouring  population  than 
among  the  well-to-do  classes,  and  the  well-known  statis- 
tician Professor  L.  Bortkiewicz,  of  Berlin,  predicted  already 
in  1914  that  the  population  of  Germany  would  come  in 
twenty-five  years  to  what  he  expressed  as  the  critical 
point,  where  deaths  and  births  keep  one  another  in  equili- 
brium so  that  the  German  population  from  that  date- 
would  become  stationary  just  as  the  present  French 
population.  Of  that  space  of  time  now  only  seventeen 
years  remain,  and  the  circumstances  of  the  war  have  no 
doubt  made  the  prediction  still  more  probable.  However, 
my  opinion  is,  that  the  English  population  and  that  of  my 
own  country  will  still  sooner  have  come  over  to  the 
stationary  state. 

In  this,  of  course,  there  is  nothing  to  frighten  us,  because 
the  stationary  state  apparently  is  the  only  normal  condi- 
tion of  any  people,  but  the  question  is  :  Will  that  stationary 
state  be  got  at  in  the  present  number  of  European  popula- 
tions, or  will  those  populations  at  first  have  to  go  back  from 
their  present  state  ?  For  my  part,  I  believe  the  last,  and 
I  would  exhort  Malthusians,  if  things  are  coming  to  this, 
not  to  be  frightened  out  of  their  positions  by  the  general 
outcry  which  is  sure  to  arise  when  in  the  future  popula- 
tions are  actually  going  back.     From  what  I  have  said 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  69 

before,  it  would  follow  that  such  an  event  by  no  means  is 
necessarily  to  be  regarded  as  a  token  of  degeneration,  but 
much  more  as  a  token  of  regeneration,  and  of  the  coming 
of  a  new  and  happier  generation. 


EMIGRATION  AND  THE  BIRTH  RATE. 

By  Professor  Roberto  Michels  (University  of  Turin). 

The  present  food  shortage  is  synonymous  with  pressure 
of  population  and  struggle  for  existence,  and  is  owing  to  a 
relatively  excessive  birth  rate  ;  people  have  more  children 
than  they  can  provide  for.  Certainly  the  neo-Malthusians 
are  right  in  one  sense  :  food  supply  has  increased  so  slowly 
that  two  things  are  needed  for  the  elimination  of  poverty  ; 
a  social  system  encouraging  effort,  and  a  low  but  eugeni- 
cally  selected  birth  rate. 

However,  to  quote  one  of  the  greatest  English  econo- 
mists, John  Stuart  Mill :  "  Besides  the  importation  of  corn, 
there  is  another  resource  which  can  be  invoked  by  a  nation 
whose  increasing  numbers  press  hard,  not  upon  their 
capital,  but  upon  the  productive  capacity  of  their  land. 
I  mean  emigration,  especially  in  the  form  of  colonisation. 
Of  this  remedy,  the  efficacy  as  far  as  it  goes  is  real,  since 
it  consists  in  seeking  elsewhere  those  unoccupied  tracts  of 
fertile  land  which,  if  they  existed  at  home,  would  enable 
the  demand  of  an  increasing  population  to  be  met  without 
falling  off  in  the  productiveness  of  labour."  * 

In  countries  where  the  means  of  subsistence  are  inade- 
quate for  the  population  there  are  several  reasons  why 
emigration  should  be  encouraged  by  the  State  : — 

(a)  Economic,  because  the  surplus  of  population  forms 
a  category  economically  useless  and  unproductive,  and 
destined  to  inevitable  unemployment. 

(6)  Moral,  because  the  nation  incapable  (for  reasons 
intrinsic  or  otherwise)  of  nourishing  its  own  citizens  has 
lost  the  right  to  keep  them  by  force. 

(c)  Political,  as  emigration  constitutes  a  safety  valve 
without  which  the  masses,  turbulent,  exasperated  and 
starving  easily,  have  recourse  to  revolution. 

In  Italy,  the  first  consequences  of  emigration  are 
advantageous  : — 

*  John  Stuart  Mill :  "  Principles  of  Political  Economy "  (London : 
Standard  Libr.  Co.),  p.  142. 


70      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

(a)  Improvement  of  wages  of  the  labourers  remaining 
in  the  mother  country,  which  is  easily  understandable 
owing  to  the  diminution  of  competition  caused  by  the 
exodus  of  surplus  labour. 

(6)  Augmentation — though  often  temporary — of  foreign 
trade,  the  exportation  of  men,  needing  and  promoting  the 
exportation  of  national  goods  in  corresponding  quantity, 
the  emigrants  carrying  with  them  their  customs  and  habits, 
trade  following  the  emigration. 

(c)  A  sensible  improvement  of  the  national  wealth 
caused  by  the  reflux  of  the  economies  made  by  the  emi- 
grants abroad  (these  economies  have  been  made  by  great 
expenditure  of  vital  energy  and  a  high  spirit  of  sacrifice  and 
abnegation)  and  sent  home  like  rivers  of  gold.  Indeed,  in 
Italy  the  savings  of  emigrants  sent  back  in  the  year  1919 
have  exceeded  by  half  a  million  the  sums  sent  back  in  the 
year  before  the  war,  and  in  1920  attained  two  milliard 
francs.  The  Italian  emigrants  in  South  America  sub- 
scribed to  the  Italian  War  Loan  1,732  million  lire. 

(d)  An  improvement  in  the  distribution  of  landed 
property  due  to  the  fundamental  land  hunger,  which  impels 
the  returned  emigrants  to  buy  land,  and  to  dismember  and 
divide  the  big  properties  or  latifundia. 

Besides,  often  emigration,  in  spite  of  its  evils,  produced 
and  still  produces  one  of  the  mightiest  phenomena  in  the 
world  :  the  rising  of  new  civilisations.  Thus  by  the  means 
of  emigration  England  gave  her  language,  her  law,  her  race 
and  her  customs  to  more  than  one  of  the  greatest  nations 
of  mankind.  Spain,  Portugal  and  France  did  the  same, 
though  in  a  lesser  degree. 

According  to  the  law  of  compensation  of  Levasseur, 
every  period  of  exceptional  mortality  is  counterbalanced 
by  a  corresponding  elevation  of  birth  rate  in  the  following 
period.  This  law  explains  to  us  why  great  wars,  as  de 
Maistre  has  already  stated,  are  not  followed  by 
depopulation. 

In  some  measure  an  analogous  law  may,  however,  be 
observed  affecting  emigration.  As  Gonnard  has  stated, 
the  leakages  caused  by  emigration  are  rapidly  closed  by 
an  increasing  birth  rate.  In  the  first  moment  after  a 
strong  emigration,  population  is  naturally  decreasing,  but 
this  effect  is  often  only  temporary.  In  the  year  1857 
emigration  assumed  accentuated  dimensions,  while  at  the 
same  time  the  birth  rate  grew  from  3-85  per  cent,  to 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  71 

4-15  per  cent.  Anyhow,  the  law  is  not  general.  An 
example  of  the  non-existence  of  the  law  is  given  by  Ireland, 
from  which  in  the  years  1851  to  1891  3,304,842  people 
emigrated  (82,627  per  year  average)  without  having  an 
equal  number  of  successors  by  birth  rate.  In  Basilicata, 
a  province  of  Southern  Italy,  where  in  the  last  twenty 
years  before  the  war  emigration  has  been  very  strong, 
there  has  been  observed  during  the  same  time  some 
diminution  of  population. 

The  facts  (first)  that  modern  emigration  implies  a 
disproportion  between  the  area  of  a  country,  the  means  of 
subsistence,  and  the  population  living  on  it,  and  (second) 
the  danger  that  a  very  large  percentage  of  the  emigrants 
are,  in  the  long  run,  lost  to  the  mother  country,  because 
they  embrace  the  nationality  and  mentality  of  the  nations 
where  they  enjoy  hospitality,  gave  rise  in  times  of  strong 
national  feeling,  such  as  during  the  Great  War,  to  the 
hope  that  after  peace  the  phenomenon  would  cease,  or  at 
least  confine  itself  only  to  the  colonies  of  the  country 
concerned.  In  the  minds  of  many  economists  that  hope 
became  during  the  war  almost  a  certainty  with  the  growth 
of  the  old  manufactures  and  the  rise  of  new  branches  of 
industry,  due  both  to  the  necessity  of  being  self -supporting 
and  the  potent  help  of  the  State.  Indeed,  during  the 
war,  industry  absorbed  everywhere,  even  in  the  weaker 
and  industrially  less  advanced  countries,  the  whole  surplus 
population  ;  nay,  forced  even  the  military  authorities  to 
leave  a  good  many  of  the  young  men  at  work  in  order  to 
render  possible  the  regular  service  of  the  absorbing 
machinery  of  production.  Why  should  not  these  new 
industries  survive  the  war,  procuring  profit  for  everybody 
and  putting  an  end  to  emigration  ? 

But  the  economist  patriots  were  the  victims  of  a  terrible 
delusion.  Their  war-nights'  dream  broke  down  in  the  most 
definite  way.  Peace  showed  that  many  of  the  new 
branches  of  industry  had  been  mere  glass-houses,  whose 
fruits  were  not  able  to  resist  the  open  air  of  competition, 
because  depending  absolutely  on  the  Etat  fournisseur. 
On  the  contrary,  emigration  came  up  again  immediately, 
and  with  the  utmost  violence. 

The  American  Commission  of  Emigration,  sent  by  the 
United  States  Government  to  Europe  with  the  precise 
order  to  get  information  on  the  proportions  European 
emigration  would  take  if  unrestricted,   made  enquiries 


72      FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

which  gave  amazing  figures  with  regard  to  the  masses 
liable  to  emigrate. 

The  present  crisis  has  led  the  English  Prime  Minister  to 
say  in  Parliament  that  it  seemed  almost  impossible  to 
prevent  frequently  recurring  periods  of  serious  unemploy- 
ment, and  that  the  present  crisis  was  so  grave  that  even 
England  might  have  to  face  the  problem  of  emigration. 
This  admission  of  over-population  startled  the  House.  In 
Italy  the  emigration  problem  immediately  became  as 
serious  as  it  had  been  before  1914. 

In  the  defeated  countries  the  need  of  emigration  was 
similar.  If,  nevertheless,  emigration  from  Germany  is  not, 
or  not  yet,  so  great  as — given  its  present  economic  condi- 
tions— it  ought  to  be,  and  emigration  from  Austria  is  even 
very  small,  the  main  causes  consist,  firstly,  in  the  difficulty 
for  countries  of  low  exchange  to  get  the  foreign  high  money 
necessary  for  the  voyage  and  requested  by  several  States 
as  a  condition  of  entry  ;  and,  secondly,  in  the  high  chances 
of  export  industries  going  on  splendidly  in  some  countries 
because  of  the  low  exchange. 

To-day  it  can  be  stated  without  exaggeration  that  every 
State  and  every  nation  is  a  closed  unit,  economically  as 
well  as  demographically,  and  that  nothing  is  more  difficult 
than  to  get  passports,  unless  you  belong  to  the  class 
which,  instead  of  desiring  to  earn  a  living  abroad,  is  ready 
and  able  to  spend  money  there. 

It  may  be  altogether  preferable  that  the  migrants 
should  pass  to  the  colonies  politically  dependent  on  the 
mother  country,  because  only  in  that  way  can  they  be 
preserved  for  the  nation  to  which  they  belong.  It  must 
be  considered  as  one  of  the  most  important  tasks  of  every 
State  by  every  means  in  its  power  to  make  its  colonies 
accessible  to  the  maximum  possible  of  its  own  country- 
men, offering  them  conditions  of  life  and  wages  not  inferior 
to  those  at  home.  However,  it  would  be  impolitic  and 
inhuman  to  close  to  emigrants  the  way  to  foreign  states, 
or  to  the  foreign  colonies.  England  is  perhaps  the  only 
State  in  Europe  whose  citizens  do  not  emigrate  except  to 
English-speaking  and  English-governed  countries.  With 
the  exception  of  some  small  numbers  of  wealthy  people 
enjoying  their  wealth  in  some  of  the  luxury  towns  of  the 
South,  and  who  constitute  a  very  small  section  of  the 
community,  there  are  no  English  who  live  under  foreign 
rule.     The  other  nations  came  too  late  in  the  distribution 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  73 

of  the  world,  and  are  therefore  obliged,  in  the  case  of  high 
birth  rates,  to  send  their  surplus  population  to  foreign 
countries. 

As  Sir  Sidney  Low  stated  in  the  Press  some  months 
ago:— 

'  In  fifty  years  Japan  will  have  100  millions  of  people, 
a  population  nearly  equal  to  that  of  the  United  States, 
locked  up  in  a  group  of  islands  not  much  larger  than  the 
United  Kingdom,  and  far  inferior  in  natural  resources. 
Japanese  statesmen  see  their  country  faced  with  the 
prospect,  at  no  distant  date,  of  a  desperate  struggle  for 
sheer  existence.  The  people  must  get  food  and  elbow- 
room  somehow,  or  they  must  perish.  '  They  must,'  says 
a  native  writer,  '  either  expand  into  the  neighbour's  back- 
yard, or  die  a  saintly  death  in  righteous  starvation,  and 
Japan  is  not  that  much  of  a  saint.'  Japan  is  not  that 
kind,  or  any  kind,  of  saint.  She  is  inhabited  by  a  warlike, 
virile,  singularly  energetic  race,  which  believes  in  helping 
itself.  From  her  own  ricefields,  cultivated  as  they  are  to 
the  last  inch,  she  cannot  raise  food  enough  to  keep  her 
growing  population  alive.  She  must  either  send  her 
superfluous  millions  away,  or  develop  her  industries 
sufficiently  to  be  able  to  buy  abroad  all  the  imported 
supplies  she  needs." 

The  exportation  of  manual  labour  is  generally  the  effect 
of  unemployment.  Such  labour  is  absorbed,  replaced, 
and  tends  to  cease  with  the  increase  of  industrial  develop- 
ment, as  happened,  for  instance,  in  Germany,  when  for 
forty  years  the  emigration  to  America  amounted  to  about 
200,000  persons  yearly,  and  disappeared  when  Germany 
became  a  highly  industrial  country.  Friedrich  Naumann 
put  the  question  in  the  following  terms.  He  stated  that  a 
nation  with  a  good  birth  rate  has  either  to  export  goods  or 
to  export  men,  and  that  it  is  preferable  for  a  country  to 
export  goods.  Of  course,  for  Germany  after  the  War,  the 
question  changed  greatly. 

In  other  countries,  for  instance  in  Italy,  inhabited  by  a 
vigorous,  strong,  healthy  people,  with  profound  family 
feeling  and  very  large  families,  but  lacking  coal  and  iron, 
and,  therefore,  the  technical  possibility  to  become  a 
first-class  manufacturing  and  exporting  nation,  the 
question  cannot  arise.  For  Italy  and  other  countries 
emigration  is  a  vital  question,  and  its  unimpeded  course 
is    essential.      Even    their    foreign    policy    will    depend 


74      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

on  the  manner  foreign  States  treat  their  emigrant 
nationals. 

But  Italian  emigration  is  not  only  a  part  of  "  sacred 
egoism  "  ;  in  sending  her  sons  abroad,  Italy  is  conscious 
of  making  at  the  same  time  a  very  valuable  gift  to  foreign 
States.  Indeed,  emigration  is  often  due  to,  or  is  the 
result  of,  division  of  labour.  Historical  traditions  and 
technical  inheritance  and  capacities  on  one  hand,  and 
perhaps  even  physical  differences  between  the  different 
races,  have  created  in  many  countries  very  definite  condi- 
tions of  the  division  of  labour.  We  know  countries  where 
certain  categories  of  economic  services  are  fulfilled  almost 
exclusively  by  foreigners.  For  instance,  Italian  navvies 
build  the  railways  in  Switzerland. 

In  order  to  avoid  conflicts  between  immigrant  and 
native  labour  the  best  way  would  be  that  immigrants 
should  perform  a  certain  type  of  labour  for  which  they  are 
better  equipped  than  the  labourers  abroad  (emigration  of 
specialised  labour). 

Therefore,  the  most  urgent  question  for  overcrowded 
countries  is  this  :  they  have  to  take  measures  against 
the  numerous  measures  of  the  States  which  in  ordinary 
times  need  immigrants,  but  which,  driven  by  the 
economic  crisis,  not  only  refuse  to  accept  new  ones 
but  tend  even  to  extradite  the  strangers  within  their 
gates. 

It  may  seem  easy  for  the  countries  of  large  emigration 
to  find  means  strong  enough  to  compel  the  countries  with 
restrictive  legislation  to  change  their  policy.  Indeed, 
they  may  gain  their  point  by  treating  foreigners  in  their 
own  countries  as  a  sort  of  hostage  for  their  countrymen 
abroad  in  order  to  defend  their  interests  efficaciously.  As 
the  strangers,  for  instance  in  Italy,  belong  mostly  to  the 
higher  and  highest  classes,  this  may  seem  a  practicable 
way.  However,  this  policy  is  difficult  of  application,  and 
for  the  reason  that,  from  the  economic  point  of  view,  the 
rich  strangers  constitute  an  income  for  the  benefit  of  the 
nations  which  give  them  hospitality. 

Population  is  still  badly  distributed  over  the  world,  both 
from  an  economic  and  from  a  demographic  point  of  view. 
Therefore,  one  of  the  cares  of  mankind  ought  to  be  to 
spread  men  and  women  in  such  a  way  that  a  determined 
population  should  be  settled  in  territory  fit  to  support  it. 
That  is  now  still  possible.     For  how  much  longer  it  is 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  75 

impossible  to  tell,  as  we  do  not  know  exactly  the  creative 
factors  of  the  future. 


THE  POPULATION  PROBLEM  IN  JAPAN. 

By  Baron  Keikichi  Ishimoto  (Tokyo). 

Birth  Control,  in  the  last  analysis,  is  the  only  way  for 
.Japan  to  meet  the  problem  presented  by  a  growing 
population  and  a  static  food  supply.  The  thorough 
investigation  of  the  increase  in  population,  of  the  possi- 
bilities of  emigration  in  various  directions,  and  of  the 
question  of  importing  food,  leads  to  the  conclusion  that 
Japan  must  regulate  her  population,  whether  it  is  moral 
or  immoral  to  do  so. 

The  investigations  made  last  year  showed  that  the 
population  in  Japan  increases  by  600,000  to  700,000  every 
year.  It  goes  without  saying  that  the  situation  will 
become  more  serious  if  this  state  of  affairs  is  left  to  itself, 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  Japan  is  already  one  of  the  most 
densely  populated  countries  on  earth. 

There  are  two  ways  of  seeking  a  solution  of  the  question, 
one  peaceful  and  the  other  not.  As  to  the  latter,  we  must 
hope  that  such  an  idea  is  impossible  in  the  future  in  view 
of  the  international  naval  holiday  decided  upon  by  the 
Washington  Conference.  In  that  case  attention  must 
centre  round  the  other  method — that  is,  the  peaceful  one. 
What  is  meant  by  it  ?  It  offers  three  alternatives — 
emigration,  importation  of  foodstuffs  for  the  ever-increas- 
ing population  at  home,  and  Birth  Control.  Is  it  possible 
for  600,000  to  700,000  persons  to  emigrate  every  year  ? 

Emigration  :    Not  even  enough  Ships. 

It  is  necessary  to  study  the  Japanese  population  abroad 
in  order  to  see  whether  it  is  possible  or  not.  The  Japanese 
population  abroad  stood  at  590,000  in  1919,  490,000  in 
1918,  and  450,000  in  1917.  The  rate  of  increase  is  very 
small,  and  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  590,000 
Japanese  abroad  are  the  result  of  the  constant  emigration 
during  the  past  fifty  years.  This  is  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  although  emigration  to  America  and  Australia  is 
made  difficult,  emigration  to  Siberia  and  Manchuria  and 
other  parts  of  Asia  has  been  easy.  The  average  increase 
of  the  Japanese  population  abroad  is  between  10,000  and 


76      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

20,000  a  year.  In  this  figure  the  Japanese  children  bom 
abroad  are  included  ;  thus  the  actual  rate  of  increase  by 
emigration  is  reduced  to  a  low  figure.  It  is,  therefore, 
safe  to  declare  that  it  is  impossible  to  deal  with  the  annual 
increase  of  600,000  to  700,000  people  in  Japan  by  means  of 
emigration. 

What  is  the  reason  for  this  failure  of  Japanese  emigra- 
tion ?  The  opposition  in  America  and  Australia  is,  of 
course,  the  principal  reason.  The  policy  of  these  countries 
is  due  not  only  to  racial  prejudices  and  political  reasons, 
but  also  to  the  low  character  of  the  Japanese  immigrants 
in  general. 

What,  then,  of  the  emigration  to  Korea,  Manchuria,  and 
Siberia  ?  The  Japanese  emigrants  to  these  places  cannot 
compete  with  the  Korean  and  Chinese  labourers,  who  work 
for  30  to  40  sen  a  day.  This  is  most  convincingly  illus- 
trated by  the  fact  that  the  immigration  of  Japanese  farm 
workers  in  Korea  for  the  last  ten  years  amounted  only  to 
about  30,000,  in  spite  of  the  indefatigable  efforts  of  the 
Oriental  Development  Company.  It  is,  therefore,  im- 
possible for  Japan  to  solve  her  population  difficulty 
satisfactorily  through  emigration  unless  she  finds  some 
suitable  country  where  Japanese  can  live  in  comfort. 

Viscount  Takahashi,  the  Premier,  thinks  that  Central 
and  South  America  offer  bright  prospects  for  Japanese 
emigrants,  and  urges  the  people  to  go  there.  But  it  costs 
about  Y.200  (£20)  per  capita  for  emigrants  to  go  there, 
and  another  Y.200  before  the  immigrant  can  find  a  job. 
Thus  about  Y.400  will  be  required  for  each  emigrant. 
Supposing  Japan  sends  600,000  people  there,  it  will  cost 
about  Y. 240,000,000  (£24,000,000).  Such  a  huge  expendi- 
ture will  be  impossible  unless  the  Budgets  for  the  navy 
and  the  army  are  permanently  halved. 

The  question  of  steamship  accommodation  must  also 
be  taken  into  consideration.  A  steamer  of  the  type  of  the 
T.K.K.  Shinyo  Maru  can  carry  about  800  passengers,  and 
it  takes  about  two  months  for  the  ship  to  go  to  Central  or 
South  America  and  return.  Supposing  six  return  trips 
can  be  made  a  year,  one  ship  can  take  4,800  people  a  year. 
Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  120  ships  of  the  Shinyo  Maru 
type  would  be  required  to  carry  600,000  people  there 
annually.  The  Shinyo  Maru  is  a  20,000-ton  ship  ;  thus, 
2,400,000  tons  of  shipping  per  annum  would  be  necessary. 
Now  the  total  tonnage  of  Japanese  shipping  stands  in  the 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  77 

neighbourhood  of  2,920,000,  according  to  investigations 
made  in  1920.  These  facts  show  that  it  would  be  im- 
possible for  600,000  people  to  emigrate  each  year  even 
from  an  economic  point  of  view. 

No  Hope  in  Rice  Imports. 

Next,  attention  is  drawn  to  the  possibility  of  providing 
for  the  ever-increasing  population  by  means  of  imports  of 
foodstuffs  from  abroad.  The  first  question  that  has  to  be 
considered  in  this  connection  is  the  relation  between  the 
Japanese  people  and  the  rice  supply,  which  is  their  staple 
foodstuff.  The  increase  of  population  in  Japan  during 
the  last  ten  years  has  been  14  per  cent.,  of  land  under 
cultivation  5  per  cent.,  and  of  rice  production  10  per  cent. 
As  the  standard  of  living  rises  the  consumption  of  rice 
increases  year  after  year  ;  to-day  the  average  consumption 
of  rice  stands  at  1-15  koku  (1  koku  is  about  5  bushels)  per 
head  per  annum.  The  import  of  rice  has  become  impera- 
tive to  cope  with  the  increasing  demand.  The  yearly 
import  during  the  six  years  between  1913  and  1918 
averaged  3,000,000  to  4,000,000  koku.  What  will  be  the 
relations  between  the  population  and  the  rice  supply  in 
1931  if  the  situation  is  left  alone  ?  The  population  will 
stand  at  62,000,000  (allowing  12  per  cent,  increase  for  the 
decade),  the  rice  consumption  at  86,000,000  koku  (at  the 
rate  of  1-4  koku  per  head  per  annum),  and  the  rice  pro- 
duction in  Japan  at  66,000,000  koku  (allowing  10  per  cent, 
increase  for  the  decade).  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Japan 
will  be  suffering  from  a  shortage  of  as  much  as  20,000,000 
koku  of  rice  a  year.  Calculating  the  price  of  rice  at  Y.20 
per  koku,  Y.400,000,000  will  be  required  to  import  the 
shortage. 

The  trade  of  Japan  has  increased  from  two  to  four-fold 
in  the  last  ten  years,  while  the  import  trade  in  rice  will 
have  to  be  increased  five  to  six  times  in  the  coming  ten 
years.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  rice  import  has  been  the 
worst  of  all  import  trades.  In  short,  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  anticipate  such  a  fantastic  increase  in  the 
importation  of  rice.  Yet  the  authorities  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  and  Commerce  always  try  to  assure 
us  of  the  possibility  of  meeting  the  increasing  shortage  of 
rice  in  Japan  with  imported  foreign  rice.  The  facts  cited 
above,  however,  do  not  warrant  such  an  optimistic  view. 
For  dealing  with  the  food  problem  a  scientific  study  is 


78      FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

necessary  of  means  for  the  increase  of  rice  production  on 
the  one  hand  and  the  prevention  of  unnecessary  consump- 
tion on  the  other.  In  a  country  like  Japan  there  may  yet 
be  room  for  the  prevention  of  unnecessary  consumption 
of  rice,  but  as  regards  the  increase  of  production  it  may 
safely  be  declared  impossible,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
no  country  in  the  world  produces  so  much  rice  per  acre  as 
Japan.  The  producing  capacity  of  the  rice  fields  in  Japan 
is  taxed  to  the  maximum  extent.  This  view  is  endorsed 
by  Dr.  Otohei  Inagaki,  the  best  authority  on  the  subject 
in  Japan.  It  would  be  impossible  to  solve  the  food 
problem  except  by  eating  rice  mixed  with  various  inferior 
cereals,  which  the  Japanese  people  cannot  stand. 

Birth  Control. 

Now  the  remaining  way  of  solving  the  population 
question  lies  in  Birth  Control.  Apart  from  whether  it  is 
right  or  wrong,  Japan  will  have  to  adopt  this  policy  in 
order  to  cope  with  her  ever-increasing  population.  There 
is  no  other  adequate  remedy.  It  is  most  important  for 
both  the  Government  and  the  people  of  Japan  to  make  a 
serious  and  careful  study  of  the  question.  It  is  not  the 
intention  here  to  argue  whether  Birth  Control  is  good  or 
bad,  or  to  discuss  means  for  enforcing  it.  Birth  Control  is 
now  the  most  important  question  of  the  world.  In 
England,  America,  France,  and  Germany  the  stage  of 
argument  is  already  past,  and  these  countries  are  now 
entering  on  the  stage  of  practice.  Two  of  the  greatest 
men  of  thought  in  the  world,  Bertrand  Russell  and  H.  G. 
Wells,  have  warned  the  Japanese  nation  that  Japan  must 
adopt  Birth  Control,  advice  which  the  people  of  Japan 
cannot  overlook. 


BIRTH  CONTROL  AND   ORGANISED  LABOUR. 

By  Edward  G.  Punke,  A.M.  (Harrison  Fellow  in 
Sociology,  University  of  Pennsylvania). 

The  First  American  Birth  Control  Conference  held  in 
New  York  City  last  November,  Mrs.  Margaret  Sanger's 
tour  of  China  and  Japan  to  impart  to  those  peoples  know- 
ledge concerning  race  restriction,  and  the  International 
Birth    Control    Congress     held    in    London    this    July, 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  79 

should  be  of  great  interest  to  Organised  Labour  and  its 
leaders  and  spokesmen.  This  is  because  the  advocates  of 
race  restriction  are  striving  for  the  same  end  as  Organised 
Labour,  namely,  the  bettering  of  the  condition  of  life  of 
the  human  race,  and  particularly  of  that  portion  consisting 
of  the  unskilled  and  semi-skilled  workers. 

Emphasis  on  the  elevation  of  the  standard  of  life  has 
been  a  most  important  characteristic  of  the  labour  struggle 
in  the  United  States  since  the  real  beginning  of  labour 
unions  nearly  a  century  ago.  Those  at  all  familiar  with 
the  industrial  and  labour  history  of  the  United  States  are 
well  acquainted  with  the  important  part  played  by  labour 
unions  in  obtaining  our  tax-supported  schools,  the  aboli- 
tion of  imprisonment  for  debt,  the  passing  of  the  Home- 
stead Act,  and  much  of  our  modern  social  and  factory 
legislation.  Pre-eminently,  Organised  Labour  in  America 
has  concerned  itself  with  social  welfare  in  the  broad  sense. 

It  is  with  this  splendid  record  of  Labour  in  mind  that 
advocates  of  Birth  Control,  as  a  means  of  race  elevation, 
appeal  to  Labour  and  Labour's  interests  for  support  in 
pushing  their  programme.  Organised  Labour  is  vitally 
interested  in  raising  the  standard  of  life  of  the  toiling 
masses.  To  obtain  that  elevation  in  the  standard  of 
living,  the  prime  requisite  is  the  increase  of  real  wages 
among  the  working  classes,  particularly  the  unskilled  and 
semi-skilled. 

Under  the  present  economic  system,  however,  wages 
are,  at  least  partly,  dependent  upon  the  relative  supply  of, 
and  demand  for,  labour.  Other  things  equal,  the  larger 
the  supply  of  a  certain  type  of  labour  in  proportion  to  the 
demand  for  it,  the  lower  will  be  the  wage  of  that  labour. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  smaller  the  supply  relative  to  the 
demand,  the  higher  will  be  labour's  pay. 

Unfortunately,  owing  to  immigration  and  other  forces, 
unskilled  and  semi-skilled  labour  in  this  country  is  rela- 
tively too  great  for  the  demand  for  it.  This  class  of 
workers,  bidding  against  each  other,  beats  down  the  wage 
of  labour.  Moreover,  this  class,  in  which  there  is  a  vital 
need  for  a  larger  wage,  is  the  most  difficult  and  last  to 
organise.  It  is  therefore  largely  denied  the  gains  flowing 
from  collective  bargaining.    Here  numbers  mean  weakness. 

A  lessening  of  the  number  of  unskilled  and  semi-skilled 
workers  relative  to  the  demand  for  that  type  of  labour  is  a 
vitally  important  measure  for  Organised  Labour  and  those 


80      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

really  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  toiler.  To  a  limited 
extent  this  is  what  labour  unions  strive  to  do. 

Judicious  Birth  Control  spread  after  the  manner  of 
dissemination  by  the  Neo-Malthusian  League  of  Holland, 
or  that  of  Great  Britain,  offers  one  of  the  easiest,  safest, 
and  racially  most  beneficial  means  for  the  diminution  of 
the  size  of  the  manual  working  classes.  Only  the  United 
States,  through  the  asinine  stupidity  of  a  few  puritanically 
minded  individuals  and  law-makers,  legally  prevents  the 
giving  of  such  information  to  the  people.  Imitating  the 
Federal  Government,  which  classes  all  contraceptive 
information  in  the  same  category  with  obscenity  and 
indecency,  many  States  have  made  the  dissemination  of 
such  knowledge  a  misdemeanour  or  felony. 

However,  despite  this  Federal  and  State  legislation, 
Birth  Control  is  now  practised  almost  universally  among 
the  more  educated  and  better  situated  classes  of  the 
population.  Through  their  education,  better  financial 
position  and  social  connections,  these  groups  can,  and  do, 
obtain  the  needed  contraceptive  information.  Their  low 
birth  rate  testifies  to  the  extent  to  which  they  practise 
voluntary  parenthood. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  high  birth  rate  of  the  poorer 
classes — the  unskilled  and  semi-skilled  groups — indicates 
how  effective  this  anti-Birth  Control  legislation  is  for  the 
less  well-situated  groups.  The  poor  are  penalised  for  their 
poverty.  Thus  our  present  society  presents  a  most  topsy- 
turvy condition — those  most  able  to  rear  and  educate  a 
larger  number  of  children  have  few  ;  while  those  unable 
to  decently  rear  and  train  but  a  few  have  many. 

Further,  it  is  chiefly  these  poorer  classes — the  low  wage 
groups — who  overstock  the  labour  market  with  their  type 
of  labour,  who  furnish  the  children  to  work  despite  the 
various  child  labour  legislation,  who  beget  cannon-fodder 
and  machine  tenders.  These  classes,  through  their 
ignorance  and  stolid  hopelessness,  are  the  joy  of  the  war- 
makers  and  conscienceless  employers.  Likewise,  these 
groups — not  from  desire  but  from  lack  of  knowledge  to  do 
otherwise — propagate  offspring  most  recklessly,  without 
regard  for  the  latter' s  future  education  and  chance  of  ever 
winning  a  decent  livelihood.  It  is  these  classes  who  most 
urgently  need  the  knowledge  and  opportunity  of  employing 
modern,  scientific  Birth  Control. 

Hence   the  Birth  Control  movement  offers   Organised 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  81 

Labour  and  its  leaders  a  unique  opportunity.  To-day- 
voluntary  parenthood  is  recognised  as  a  most  important 
step  toward  the  regeneration  of  mankind,  toward  the 
elimination  of  poverty,  with  its  attendant  misery  and 
hopelessness,  and  toward  the  prevention  of  over-popula- 
tion, with  the  resulting  threat  of  more  war,  with  its"  gigantic 
reversal  of  race  improvement.  Birth  Control  offers  a 
welcome  relief  to  the  working-class  mother,  who  has  a  child 
with  almost  annual  periodicity,  and  sees  in  the  future  only 
a  monotonous  repetition  of  this  thankless  task,  ended, 
finally,  by  the  grave. 

Now,  by  virtue  of  its  name,  and  of  its  constituency, 
Organised  Labour  is  the  champion  of  the  working  classes — 
women  as  well  as  men — not  only  of  the  skilled  and  better 
situated,  but  also  of  the  unskilled  and  semi-skilled,  of  the 
poorest  and  worst  conditioned.  Its  mission,  its  purpose  in 
existing,  is  the  raising  of  the  standard  of  life  of  the  working 
groups — the  emancipation  of  the  toilers  from  their  heritage 
of  long  hours,  low  wages,  large  families,  and  the  resultant 
ignorance  and  misery.  Further,  it  is  duty-bound,  if  it 
would  remain  true  to  its  early  record  of  social  achievement, 
to  get  behind  all  important  movements  for  racial  and  social 
betterment. 

Voluntary  parenthood,  then,  for  the  poor  as  well  as  for 
the  well-to-do,  has  an  irrefutable  claim  to  the  support  of 
the  Labour  movement.  This  is  true  because  Birth  Control 
for  the  lower  classes  offers  a  most  important  means  of 
elevating  the  standard  of  life  of  those  groups. 

English  Labour,  the  leader  in  so  many  fields,  clearly 
recognises  this.  It  is  putting  its  shoulders  behind  the 
Neo-Malthusian  League  in  Great  Britain.  It  is  helping  to 
diminish  the  number  of  labourers  competing  for  a  given 
job,  aiding  to  lessen  the  number  of  scabs  and  unemploy- 
ables  by  furthering  the  dissemination  of  contraceptive 
knowledge  and  materials  among  the  poorer  members  of  its 
constituency.  Briefly,  it  has  grasped  the  tremendous 
significance  of  voluntary  parenthood  as  a  weapon  in  the 
struggle  for  bettering  the  conditions  of  the  workers. 

It  is  only  a  matter  of  time,  moreover,  until  American 
Labour  must  assume  the  same  attitude,  if  it  is  to  forward 
the  true  interest  of  its  members  and  of  the  large  unor- 
ganised group  for  which  it  speaks.  This  is  inevitable. 
For  it  will  avail  Organised  Labour  little  to  attempt  to 
unionise  all  the  workers,  to  limit  the  number  of  competitors 

B.C.  O 


82      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

for  a  given  job,  to  have  helped  in  restricting  immigration 
from  abroad,  if  it  does  not  aid  in  limiting  "  immigration 
from  heaven." 

Further,  Birth  Control  is  practical,  immediately  appli- 
cable, and  not  to  be  attained  at  some  unknown  future 
date.  In  the  words  of  Dr.  Marie  Stopes,  of  England, 
who  has  been  running  a  Birth  Control  clinic  in  London's 
slums  : — 

'  This  ideal  differs  from  those  far  distant  Utopias 
which  are  generally  presented  in  being  really  a  practicable 
and  achievable  ideal.  We  have  already  to-day  sufficient 
physiological  knowledge  to  check  (if  one  could  only  get 
everybody  to  know  it)  the  birth  of  every  diseased, 
unhealthy,  unpiepared-for  child.  Once  stem  the  onrush 
of  those  who  enter  life  in  such  quick  succession  that  they 
snatch  the  bread  and  milk  from  each  other's  mouths,  and 
do  nothing  but  defeat  each  other's  chances  of  life,  or  if 
they  live,  live  weakened,  doomed,  or  diseased  lives — once 
stem  the  onrush  of  those  who  are  a  total  loss  to  the  State, 
an  anguish  and  drain  to  their  mothers,  and  a  misery  to 
themselves,  and  then  we  shall  find  in  each  home  the  joyous 
creators  of  children  born  in  love  and  loved  before  their 
birth." 

Such,  then,  are  the  things  judicious  Birth  Control  holds 
in  store  for  mankind,  and  particularly  for  the  poorer 
classes.  As  the  chief  spokesman  of  those  classes,  Organised 
Labour  has  a  unique  opportunity  and  a  solemn  duty  to 
perform — it  must  forward  the  spread  of  voluntary  parent- 
hood knowledge  among  the  poor  and  disinherited,  it 
must  help  emancipate  the  working-class  women  from  the 
bane  of  unwanted,  uncareforable  children. 


THE  LOGIC  OF  THE  SITUATION. 

By  Herbert  M.  Magotjn  (Cambridge,  Mass.,  LLS.A.). 

The  idealist  frequently  chases  rainbows.  He  delights 
in  chasing  them.  Oftentimes  he  is  certain  that  a  pot  of 
gold  awaits  him  at  the  end  of  his  run.  Disappointment 
only  seems  to  whet  his  appetite  and  stimulate  his  ardour. 
Those  who  venture  to  disagree  with  him  he  regards  as 
pessimists,  or  as  sadly  lacking  in  sentiment.  Practical 
common  sense  he  has  little  use  for.  It  stands  in  the  wav 
of  his  theories,   and  his  precious  theories  outweigh  all 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  83 

other  considerations.  Idealists  include  those  who  would 
abolish  war.  They  forget  that  war  has  always  been  the 
result  of  economic  pressure  of  some  sort,  due  either  to  an 
excess  of  population  or  else  to  a  lack  of  material  things 
of  which  the  inhabitants  of  some  region  less  favoured  than 
another  near  by  have  felt  the  need. 

Human  greed,  like  the  urge  of  animal  hunger,  has  thus 
driven  many  a  people  into  war,  and  it  will  continue  to  do 
so  until  the  cause  is  removed.  An  adequate  supply  of 
what  is  needed,  combined  with  a  change  of  heart  to 
correspond,  is  a  part  of  the  process  ;  but  it  is  not  all  of 
the  requirement,  and  it  never  can  be  all  of  it  while  present 
conditions  prevail. 

Physicians  who  would  abolish  disease  are  idealists  ; 
for  men  continue  to  eat  foolishly,  and  so  store  up  in  their 
systems  vast  amounts  of  waste  material,  and  that  waste 
material  furnishes  an  ideal  lodging-place  for  germs  and 
other  things  inimical  to  human  welfare.  Meanwhile,  in 
other  parts  of  the  world,  men,  women,  and  children  are 
starving  for  the  lack  of  food  equivalent  to  what  such 
people  waste  !  Excesses  are  harmful,  including  an  excess 
of  food. 

Famine  men  do  not  speak  of  abolishing.  It  is  too 
elusive.  It  depends  on  too  many  circumstances.  The 
element  of  chance  in  agriculture  is  too  great.  And  the 
teeming  population  of  parts  of  our  planet  furnish  too  many 
mouths  to  feed  with  what  they  have  as  an  available 
supply  of  sustenance. 

Looking  at  things  as  they  are,  one  cannot  but  see  that  the 
idealist's  dream  of  a  warless  world,  and  of  one  free  from 
disease,  is  a  dream  of  Utopia  which  many  seem  to  imagine 
is  a  sort  of  heaven  somewhere,  not  knowing  that  the 
word  itself  means  literally  "  nowhere."  It  was  originally 
intended  to  suggest  the  impossible,  not  a  place  of  delight 
in  reality,  although  the  fact  was  obscured. 

Impossible  the  idealist's  dream  certainly  is,  so  long  as 
present  conditions  are  allowed  to  persist,  for  the  abolition 
of  war  and  disease  can  only  mean,  on  the  present  basis, 
the  enthronement  of  famine.  This  can  be  shown  beyond 
dispute  if  one  will  but  consider  the  matter  on  a  logical 
basis.     It  will  be  explained  shortly. 

To  exchange  pestilence  and  sword  for  gaunt  famine  the 
world  over  would  hardly  be  suggestive  of  progress,  but 
that  is  exactly  what  idealists  are  seeking  to  do,  albeit 


84      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

they  know  it  not.  An  exception  must  be  made  to  that 
statement ;  for  there  are  idealists  who  are  practical  and 
offer  an  adequate  solution  of  the  difficulty.  They  are 
assembled  in  this  Convention.  They  advocate  doing 
something  that  will  make  the  abolition  of  war  and  the 
prevention  of  disease  possible  without  at  the  same  time 
plunging  mankind  into  a  condition  far  worse  than  that 
from  which  men  now  try  to  escape. 

Many  will  dispute  this,  and  some  will  even  consign 
persons  of  the  sort  here  assembled  to  a  climate  more  than 
tropical,  and,  what  is  more,  such  people  are  common. 
They  little  know  how  short-sighted  and  foolish  they  are, 
or  to  what  an  extent  they  stand  athwart  the  path  of 
progress  and  serve  to  render  impossible  the  very  ideal 
they  seek.  If  they  could  succeed,  they  would  really  be 
the  enemies  of  mankind,  not  the  friends  that  they  profess 
to  be  so  vociferously.  To  leap  from  the  frying  pan  into 
the  fire  is  not  to  better  one's  condition  ;  but  that  is 
what  many  idealists  are  trying  to  have  us  do,  and  that  is 
why  they  are  our  foes  and  not  our  friends,  regardless  of 
their  protestations.  If  any  such  are  listening  to  these 
words,  their  indignation  is  doubtless  being  stirred  to  the 
depths.  Until  they  have  heard  me  through,  however, 
it  may  be  well  for  them  to  control  their  choler,  for  the 
case  will  be  presented  to  the  present  assembly  as  a  jury, 
and  the  point  will  be  proved.  Let  them  refute  it  if  they 
can.  Otherwise  let  them  hold  their  peace  and  not  pre- 
sume to  criticise  men  and  women  who  are  wiser  than 
themselves.  We  will  attend  to  the  matter  in  detail. 
Suppose  we  start  with  a  single  human  pair,  and  allow  the 
population  to  double  once  in  fifty  years.  That  is  a 
decidedly  conservative  estimate,  taking  the  entire  world 
into  consideration.  If  we  begin  with  two,  we  shall  have 
four  in  fifty  years,  and  eight  in  100  years.  That  is  all 
because  a  century  can  only  mean  four  times  as  many  as 
we  started  with,  on  the  basis  laid  down.  A  second 
century  will  therefore  mean  but  thirty-two  persons  in  all 
at  its  close.  A  third  will  end  with  128,  a  fourth  with 
512,  and  a  fifth  with  2,048. 

"  Well,"  you  say,  "  it  has  taken  500  years  to  obtain  a 
paltry  2,000  or  more,  and  what  does  it  all  amount  to  ?  " 
Listen,  and  you  will  soon  find  out.  It  may  take  a  little 
patience,  but  it  will  profit  you  in  the  end. 

Please  verify  the  computation.     Two  times  two  are 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  85 

four.  Twice  that  makes  eight.  Four  times  two  is  there- 
fore the  story  for  the  first  century.  The  rest  is  merely 
four  times  eight,  then  four  times  thirty-two,  then  four 
times  128,  and  then  four  times  512. 

We  will  now  discard  the  forty -eight.  That  leaves  but 
2,000.  Our  multiplications  for  the  next  500  years  will 
thus  be  exactly  as  before,  except  that  we  must  place  three 
ciphers  after  each  number.  The  final  result  will  accord- 
ingly be  2,048,000.  That  will  be  the  population  at  the 
end  of  1,000  years  on  the  basis  followed.  To  make  it  easy 
to  go  on  we  will  call  it  only  two  million. 

The  third  500  years  will  offer  no  changes  in  our  figures, 
save  only  the  added  ciphers.  The  two  millions  of  our 
first  1,000  years  are  but  a  drop  in  the  bucket,  so  to  speak, 
of  the  world's  population  ;  but  1,500  years  will  require 
six  ciphers  after  our  amounts,  and  that  means  at  the  end 
two  billion  and  forty -eight  millions.  Forty-eight  million 
people  cannot  be  wiped  out  without  making  a  ripple  in 
the  world's  affairs  ;  but  we  will  drop  them  just  the  same 
and  charge  them  up  to  the  World  War.  Two  billion  will 
answer  every  purpose,  and  make  our  computation  that 
much  easier  ;  for  we  will  go  on  and  complete  a  period  of 
twenty  centuries. 

The  figures  will  not  change  apart  from  the  ciphers,  of 
which  there  will  now  be  nine.  That  means  two  trillion 
and  forty-eight  billion  as  the  inevitable  population  of  the 
earth  in  only  2,000  years  on  the  basis  laid  down.  The 
result  is  incontrovertible,  for  figures  will  not  lie,  even  if 
statistics  will.  The  World  War  was  called  "  impossible  " 
and  "  out  of  date  "  before  it  happened  ;  but  it  came  for 
all  that,  and  some  of  us  felt  it.  My  own  boy  came  home 
with  a  wound  stripe  as  well  as  a  Croix  de  Guerre,  and 
suffering  made  me  think. 

Now  notice  another  thing.  If  we  include  those  dis- 
carded forty-eights,  we  shall  obtain  a  number  more  than 
150  billion  higher  than  we  did,  and  that  150  billion  may  be 
perhaps  100  times  the  present  population  of  the  earth. 
Surely  our  allowance  has  been  ample,  and  the  results  are 
conservative. 

"  But,"  you  say,  with  a  fine  show  of  indignation,  "  no 
such  increase  has  ever  happened,  or  ever  can,  in  the 
population  of  the  world."  You  feel  free  to  blame  me  for 
the  suggestion,  as  well  as  to  criticise  me  for  making  it  ? 
Are  you  honest  enough  to  tell  me  why  there  has  been  no 


86      FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

such  increase  ?  Can  you  think  of  any  possible  reason 
apart  from  war,  pestilence,  famine  and  earthquakes  ? 
And  you  would  blithely  abolish  war  and  pestilence, 
leaving  to  earthquakes  and  famine  the  task  of  keep- 
ing the  population  within  bounds  that  the  earth  can 
feed.  That  means  famine  for  all  mankind.  Can  you 
dispute  it  ? 

You  can — on  one  condition.  If  the  world  will  practise 
Birth  Control,  and  keep  the  births  on  a  par  with  the 
deaths,  then  you  may  abolish  war  and  banish  disease 
without  producing  something  far  worse.  But  so  long  as 
births  exceed  deaths,  just  so  long  will  war  be  inevitable 
in  the  long  run  ;  for  grim  necessity  will  compel  men  to 
fight  for  food  or  die  of  starvation. 

Before  the  War  Russia  was  increasing  her  population 
at  a  rate  that  meant  a  doubling  in  twenty -five  years,  and 
Japan  is  said  to  be  increasing  hers  at  the  rate  of  about 
600,000  a  year.  They  do  not  want  so  many,  and  it  is  a 
common  sight  in  their  street  cars  to  behold  mothers 
nursing  children  two  or  three  years  old.  That  is  their 
way  of  warding  off  too  rapid  an  increase  in  the  family  ; 
but  it  is  a  broken  reed  on  which  to  lean. 

An  honest  and  open-minded  consideration  of  the  matter 
forces  one  to  the  conclusion  that  Birth  Control  is  the  only 
logical  way  of  meeting  the  situation,  if  a  way  is  to  be 
opened  for  the  abolition  of  war  and  the  banishment  of 
disease  on  our  planet.  Nothing  short  of  that  will  do. 
Nothing  else  is  practicable.  If  it  involves  some  increase 
of  immorality,  it  will  also  involve  a  decrease  of  the  number 
of  criminals  born  to  curse  the  world.  In  any  case,  it  offers 
the  only  road  to  a  peaceful  future.  That  is  the  logic  of 
the  situation. 


INDIAN  POPULATION  PROBLEM. 

By  Professor  Gopalji  Ahluwalia  (Professor  Biology, 
Ramjas  College,  Delhi). 

I. — Introduction. 

India  resembles  a  vast  garden  literally  choked  with 
weeds,  fine  roses  being  few  and  far  between.  C3  people 
are  only  too  numerous,  and  exhibit  the  unfortunate  ten- 
dency to  increasingly  multiply  their  kind.     Sheer  numbers 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  87 

prevail,  quality  being  relatively  rare.  Race  degenera- 
tion proceeds  apace,  and  racial  poisons  are  fast  increasing 
in  strength  and  extent.  A  thousand  and  one  evils  are 
rampant  abroad.  The  social  reformer,  the  educationist, 
the  statesman,  the  philanthropist,  and,  above  all,  the 
eugenist,  are  groping  in  the  dark.  The  field  becomes  vaster 
with  the  effort. 

II. — Abject  Poverty. 

India,  celebrated  in  the  earliest  ages  for  her  immense 
wealth,  was  at  one  time  the  richest  country  in  the  world. 
Sultan  Mahmud,  of  Ghazni,  was  so  much  struck  by  the 
splendour  and  magnificence  of  Kananj,  that  he  declared 
that  "  it  was  only  rivalled  by  the  high  heavens."  The 
spoil  of  Nadir  Shah  was  valued  at  £625,000,000.  But, 
unfortunately,  the  present  condition  is  disappointing. 
The  average  annual  income  per  head,  as  computed  by 
eminent  Englishmen  (Famine  Commissioners  of  1880 ; 
Sir  Robert  Giffen,  1903  ;  and  Sir  Patrick  Playfair,  1912), 
is  Rs.  30  (say  £3) ;  that  in  United  States  being  £39  ;  United 
Kingdom,  £37  ;  France,  £27-8  ;  and  Germany,  £22-2. 
(Vide  Mulhall,  "  Dictionary  of  Statistics.")  The  average 
wealth  per  head  in  India  was  computed  by  Sir  Robert 
Giffen  in  1903  at  £10 ;  that  in  United  Kingdom,  £334  ; 
United  States,  £270  ;  France,  £252  ;  and  Germany,  £246. 
The  aggregate  wealth  of  India  was  estimated  at 
£3,000,000,000;  United  States,  £18,000,000,000;  Ger- 
many, £16,000,000,000;  and  England,  £15,000,000,000. 
Now  mere  courtesy  styles  India  as  "  the  brightest  jewel 
in  the  British  Crown." 

Comparisons  are  odious,  and  averages  reflect  but  little 
the  chronic  poverty  of  the  masses.  The  richer  classes 
represent  only  a  microscopic  minority,  and  the  poorer 
classes  constitute  the  telescopic  majority.  '  111  fed,  ill 
clad,  ill  lodged,  the  mass  of  the  people  of  India  lead  a 
dull  and  dreary  existence."  The  teeming  millions  simply 
count  their  days  of  life  and  drag  on  a  miserable  existence. 
And  even  that  is  threatened  by  constant  famines  and 
epidemics. 

III. — The  Ultimate  Cause. 

No  complex  results  can  rightly  be  ascribed  to  single 
causes.     But  the  relative  importance  of  influencing  factors 


88      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

can  be  fairly  indicated  to  a  great  extent.  Of  all  possible 
causes  of  our  extreme  poverty — loss  of  spiritual  and  moral 
ideals  in  practical  life,  the  break-up  of  good  old  systems 
under  changed  circumstances,  persistence  of  old-world 
habits,  customs,  manners,  and  even  prejudices,  lack  of 
sufficient  and  suitable  education,  and  the  much-maligned 
political  disabilities — thoughtless,  irresponsible  and  exten- 
sive breeding,  particularly  among  the  middle  and  poor 
classes,  is  one  of  the  basic,  if  not  the  basic,  factors. 

Dense  ignorance  prevails,  even  among  the  educated 
classes,  on  sex,  hygiene,  eugenics,  and  Birth  Control. 
Orthodox  morality,  spurious  sentiment,  false  modesty, 
and  even  sham  hypocrisy,  blind  people  to  the  most  real 
issues  of  life. 

Little  do  the  people  know  even  the  homely  facts  of 
science,  the  truest  saviour  of  mankind.  What  we  need 
most  is  a  living  realisation  of  and  a  practical  lesson  from 
the  inherent  and  ultimate  tendency  of  every  organic 
being.  As  a  rule,  it  naturally  increases  at  so  huge  a  rate 
that,  if  not  destroyed,  the  earth  would  soon  be  covered 
by  the  progeny  of  a  single  pair.  Linnaeus,  the  celebrated 
Swedish  naturalist,  made  very  interesting  calculations. 
If  an  annual  plant  produces  only  two  seeds — and  there  is  no 
plant  so  unreproductive  as  this — and  each  seed  should  "  ful- 
fil its  mission,"  there  would  be  two  plants  in  the  second 
season,  four  in  the  third,  eight  in  the  fourth,  and  so  on  in 
geometrical  ratio,  until  in  twenty  years  there  would  be  a 
million  plants.  Now  let  us  consider  the  case  of  an  insect. 
A  single  flesh-fly  (Musca  carnaria)  produces  20,000  larvae, 
reaching  their  full  size  in  five  days,  increases  ten  thousand- 
fold in  a  fortnight,  and  if  allowed  to  breed  at  this  rate 
only  during  three  months  of  summer,  it  would  produce  at 
the  end  of  the  season  one  hundred  millions  of  millions  of 
millions  flies.  Linnaeus  asserted,  and  rightly  too,  that  a 
dead  horse  would  be  devoured  by  three  such  flies  as 
quickly  as  by  a  lion.  Nay,  "  even  slow-breeding  man  has 
doubled  in  twenty  years,  and,  at  this  rate,  in  less  than  a 
thousand  years,  there  would  literally  not  be  standing  room 
for  his  progeny." 

But  from  day  to  day,  month  to  month,  and  year  to  year, 
we  notice  a  modest  increase  in  the  numbers  of  plants, 
animals,  and  men,  far  below  the  theoretical  calculations. 
The  plain  fact  is  that  in  nature  there  is  a  cut-throat 
struggle  for  existence,  a  blood-and-iron  competition  among 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  89 

organisms  seeking  food,  shelter,  or  mate.  True,  indeed,  is 
the  poet's  picture  of 

"Nature,  red  in  tooth  and  claw  .  .  ." 

s 

The  vast  majority  of  potential  and  actual  organisms  die 
in  the  struggle.  Thus  we  have  "  the  survival  of  the 
fittest  "  or  "  the  destruction  of  the  unfit."  Therefore 
we  arrive  at  the  striking  conclusion  that  in  nature  "  death 
is  the  rule  and  life  the  exception."  If  man,  with  all  his 
reason,  submits  to  nature,  recklessly  multiplies  like  wild 
plants  and  animals,  and  exercises  no  prudence  to  escape 
from  the  unfortunate  consequences  of  the  unrelenting 
struggle  for  existence,  he  belittles  his  very  name.  With 
him  "  life  should  be  the  rule  and  death  the  exception." 

IV. — Our  High  Birth  Rate. 

Early  and  universal  marriages,  little  parental  responsi- 
bility, and  no  prudence,  are  the  causes  of  a  very  high 
birth  rate  in  India.  "  Everybody  marries,  fit  or  unfit, 
and  becomes  a  parent  at  the  earliest  possible  age  permitted 
by  nature.  .  .  .  For  a  Hindu  marriage  is  a  sacrament 
which  must  be  performed  regardless  of  the  fitness  of  the 
parties  to  bear  the  responsibilities  of  a  mated  existence. 
A  Hindu  male  must  marry  and  beget  children — sons,  if 
you  please — to  perform  his  funeral  ceremony,  lest  his 
spirit  wander  in  the  waste  places  of  the  earth.  The  very 
name  of  son,  '  Putra,'  means  one  who  saves  his  father's 
soul  from  the  hell  called  '  Puta.'  A  Hindu  maiden,  un- 
married at  puberty,  is  a  source  of  social  obloquy  to  her 
family  and  of  damnation  to  her  ancestors "  ("  The 
Population  Problem  in  India,"  P.  K.  Wattal,  p.  3).  The 
Mohammadan  faithfully  follows  the  Hindu  example. 

The  population  of  India  at  the  beginning  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  is  estimated  to  have  been  roughly  100 
millions,  and  in  1911  it  was  315  millions.  What  a  huge 
increase  !  Of  the  total  population,  among  males,  49  per 
cent,  are  unmarried,  46  per  cent,  married,  and  5  per  cent, 
widowed  ;  among  females,  34  per  cent,  are  unmarried, 
48  per  cent,  married,  and  17  per  cent,  widowed.  Among 
male  bachelors,  three-quarters  are  under  fifteen,  only  one 
in  twenty-four  is  over  thirty  years.  Among  spinsters, 
more  than  three-quarters  are  under  ten,  only  one  in 
fourteen  is  over  fifteen  years,  and  at  reproductive  age 


90     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 


period,  fifteen  to  forty,  the  unmarried  female  population 
is  only  6  per  cent.  Early  marriage  is  a  curse  in  many 
parts  of  India.  Up  to  the  age  of  fifteen,  no  boys 
and  girls  are  married  in  England,  but  in  India  6  per 
cent,  males  and  20  per  cent,  females  are  married.  An 
early  marriage  becomes  really  funny  when  the  would-be 
life -partners  understand  it  little,  and  later  in  life  can 
hardly  remember  it,  except  a  feast  or  a  dance  in  its  con- 
nection. But  it  becomes  a  positive  absurdity — and  such 
cases  are  many — when  male  or  female  friends,  sometimes 
unmarried  themselves,  solemnly  promise  to  marry  their 
issues  should  they  happen  to  be  of  opposite  sex. 

Another  regrettable  feature  is  almost  universally  met 
with.  Parents  value  and  love  their  offspring  differentially. 
Census  officer,  1911,  observes:  "Sons  are  eagerly  sought 
for,  while  daughters  are  not  wanted."  The  proportion  of 
females  per  1,000  males  was  in  1881,  954  ;  1901,  963  ;  and 
in  1911,  954.  In  many  parts  of  India,  particularly  in 
Bengal,  daughters  are  very  much  dreaded  because  of  the 
costly  dowries  to  be  provided  at  marriages,  often  bj' 
running  into  lifelong  debts.  Many  a  heroic  girl  has 
burnt  herself  in  the  fire  before  her  marriage  to  save  her 
poor  father  from  the  impending  financial  and  social  peril. 
True,  indeed,  some  over-burdened  parents  exclaim  on  a 
birth  of  a  daughter,  "  Ah  !  Here  is  another  decree  of 
5,000  rupees." 

Our  birth  rate  is,  with  the  exception  of  European 
Russia,  the  world's  highest.  The  average  birth  rate  for 
1,000  living  persons  for  decennial  period  1902 — 11  is,  for 
India,  38-58  ;  European  Russia  (1896—1905),  48-47  ; 
Japan  (1900—9),  32-85  ;  Germany,  32-31  ;  England  and 
Wales,  26-8  ;  and  France,  20-25.  Twenty  per  1,000  is  a 
fairly  satisfactory  birth  rate. 

The  birth  rate  per  1,000  living,  excluding  still  births, 
for  Delhi,  the  capital  of  India  and  Imperial  city  (a  typical 
Indian  city),  is  : — 

Year. 

1913 
1914 
1915 
1916 
1917 
1918 
1919 


Birth  Rate. 

47-21 

49- 11 

50-97 

48-72 

53-28 

50-93 

50-94 

ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL 


91 


Year.  Birth  Rate. 

1920  .  .  49-42 

1921  .  .  .  .      51-82 
A  continuously  high  and  sad  record,  indeed.    , 

V. — The  Unfortunate  Consequences. 

Premature,  reckless  and  excessive  breeding  leads  to  any 
number  of  undesirable  results,  chief  among  which  are  the 
following  : — 

(1)  Smaller  Natural  Increase  and  Fecundity. — Our 
survival  rate  is  very  low  in  spite  of  our  high  birth  rate. 
As  regards  fecundity,  a  little  comparison  will  be  instruc- 
tive. The  total  number  of  females  of  reproductive  ages 
(fifteen  to  forty-five)  in  England  and  Wales  in  1911  was 
8,988,745,  and  the  birth  rate  per  1,000  such  females 
was  98  ;  the  total  number  of  such  females  in  India  in 
1911  was  71,535,861,  and  the  birth  rate  per  1,000  such 
females  was  128.  That  appears  to  be  rather  a  satisfactory 
increase.  But  if  we  calculate  the  birth  rate  per  1,000 
married  females  of  reproductive  ages,  we  find  the  Indian 
birth  rate  is  only  160,  while  the  English  birth  rate  is  196. 
The  reason  is  not  far  to  seek.  Too  early,  irregular  and 
excessive  cohabitations  and  unsatisfactory  or  bad  con- 
ditions of  feeding,  clothing,  housing  and  living,  undermine 
the  health,  strength,  and  consequently  the  reproductive 
power  of  women. 

(2)  High  General  Mortality. — Alas  !  our  death  rate  is 
the  highest  in  the  world.  The  average  death  rate  per 
1,000  living  for  the  decennial  period  1902 — 11  is,  in  India, 
34-2  ;  European  Russia  (1896—1905),  31-41  ;  Japan 
(1900—9),  20-86  ;  Germany,  18-39  ;  France,  17-32  ;  and 
England,  15-15.  The  death  rate  per  1,000  living,  exclud- 
ing still  births,  for  Delhi  (a  typical  Indian  town)  is  : — 

Year.  Death  Rate. 

1913 43-65 


1914 

4001 

1915 

3416 

1916 

38-88 

1917 

36-46 

1918 

74-08 

1919 

46-40 

1920 

37-50 

1921 

.     41-11 

What  a  disappoint 

ing  re 

cord  ! 

92      FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 


(3)  High  Infantile  Mortality. — This  is  the  saddest  aspect 
of  our  high  birth  and  death  rates.  A  greater  misery  and 
keener  bitterness  than  the  death  of  a  child  is  difficult  to 
imagine.  It  leaves  lasting  shadows  over  the  lives  of  its 
unfortunate  parents.  And  India  leads  the  world  in 
infantile  mortality.  The  average  mortality  rate  of  infants 
under  one  year  per  1,000  births  for  1902 — 11  is,  for  United 
Provinces  (India),  352  ;  Burma,  332  ;  Bombay  (India), 
320  ;  Punjab  (India),  306  ;  Bihar  and  Orissa  (India),  304  ; 
Bengal  (India),  276 ;  Chile,  293-4 ;  European  Russia 
(1895—1905),  260-5  ;  and  Hungary,  207-6.  The  average 
Indian  infantile  mortality  rate  is  250. 

The  average  infantile  mortality  rate  per  thousand  births 
for  Delhi,  the  Imperial  capital  (a  typical  Indian  town), 
is  : — 


Year. 

Infantile  Mortality  Hate 

1913 346-40 

1914     . 

.       313-42 

1915     . 

.      249-33 

1916     . 

265-66 

1917     . 

256-24 

1918     . 

323-32 

1919     . 

268-33 

1920     . 

232-54 

1921     . 

232-39 

"  The  infantile  mortality  rate  during  the  year  (1921)  was 
232-39,  against  232-54  in  the  preceding  year  (1920),  that 
is,  a  decrease  in  this  rate  by  0*15.  This  is  a  feature  of 
interest  and  great  satisfaction,  as  this  figure  records  the 
lowest  infantile  mortality  rate  in  the  sanitary  history  of 
Delhi  "  (Delhi  Municipality  Health  Report,  1921,  p.  2. 
Italics  mine).  A  matter  for  congratulation  indeed  ! 
There  appears  the  following  significant  observation  : 
"  High  infantile  mortality  prevails  in  quarters  inhabited 
by  the  poor  and  the  ignorant,  and  it  varies  inversely  (in 
an  inverse  ratio)  to  the  social  status  of  the  population  " 
(p.  5). 

(4)  High  Female  Mortality  at  Reproductive  Ages. — The 
average  number  of  female  deaths  per  thousand  between 
the  ages  five  to  fifteen,  and  fifteen  to  thirty,  in  1911,  is 
(those  for  fifteen  to  thirty  being  shown  in  brackets),  for 
Madras,  923  (1,232)  ;  United  Provinces,  897  (1,080)  ;  and 
Bombay,  970  (1,043).     Phthisis  or  some  other  respiratory 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL 


93 


disease  or  ovarian  complications  are  the  chief  causes  of 
deaths  within  ten  years  of  early  marriages.  The  resulting 
misery  is  deplorable. 

(5)  Short  Average  Life  Expectation. — We  learn  that  in 
days  gone  by  the  people  of  India  lived  to  good  old  ages. 
In  the  daily  prayer  of  Hindus  there  is  a  mantra  (hymn) 
whereby  the  devotee  prays  God  to  grant  him  a  life  of  at 
least  a  hundred  years.  But  in  Kaliyugya  (this  dark  age) 
persons  who  live  a  hundred  years  or  more  are  rare. 

The  following  comparative  table  speaks  for  itself  : — 

India  and  England  :  Average  Life  Expectation.  In  years 
at  decennial  ages,  deduced  from  the  Censuses  of  1891, 
1901,  and  1911. 


Males. 

Females. 

Age. 

India. 

England. 

India. 

England. 

1891. 

1901. 

1911. 

1901. 

1911. 

1891. 

1901. 

1911. 

1901. 

1911. 

0 
10 
20 
30 
40 
50 
60 
70 
80 
90 

24-59 

35-46 

29-24 

23-66 

18-75 

14-28 

10-12 

6-48 

3-65 

1-69 

23-63 

34-73 

28-59 

22-90 

17-91 

13-59 

9-53 

5-80 

307 

1-23 

22-59 

33-36 

27-46 

22-45 

18-01 

13-97 

10-00 

619 

3-06 

115 

44-07 

49-65 

41-04 

3306 

25-65 

18-89 

12-90 

8-02 

4-40 

2-32 

46-04 
52-35 
43-67 
35-29 

27-27 

19-85 

13-38 

8-25 

4-64 

2-37 

25-54 

34-40 

29-28 

24-69 

20-20 

15-59 

10-87 

6-80 

3-76 

1-75 

23-96 

33-86 

28-64 

23-82 

19-12 

14-50 

10-02 

5-98 

3-12 

1-64 

23-31 

33-74 

27-96 

22-99 

18-49 

14-28 

1011 

6-22 

3-06 

1-10 

47-70 

51-98 

43-45 

35-43 

27-81 

20-63 

14-08 

8-74 

4-84 

2-68 

50-02 

55-02 

46-36 

37-84 

29-65 

21-87 

14-81 

913 

5-10 

2-55 

(Taken  from  "  The  Population  Problem  in  India,"  P.  K  Wattal,  p.  18.) 

Thus  the  average  life  expectation  of  a  male  at  birth  in 
India  is  22-59  years,  whereas  in  England  it  is  46*04,  that 
is,  twice  as  long.  Nay,  the  average  life  expectation  of  a 
male  at  birth  in  India  in  1891  was  24-59  years  ;  in  1911, 
23-63  ;  and  in  1911,  it  came  down  to  2259.  Similar  are 
the  records  for  females  and  other  ages.  Nothing  could 
be  more  unfortunate  than  the  downward  tendency  exhi- 
bited by  figures  representing  average  life  expectations  in 
India. 

(6)  Misery  and  Disease. — Untold  worry,  misery,  pain 
and  suffering  are  the  inevitable  consequences  of  high 
birth  and  death  rates.     Infectious  diseases  play  havoc  in 


94      FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

the  country.  Fully  a  fatal  dozen  have  been  recognised. 
The  following  are  the  notifiable  infectious  diseases : 
smallpox,  chicken-pox,  measles,  diphtheria,  scarlet  fever, 
enteric  fever,  typhus  fever,  erysipelas,  cholera,  plague, 
tubercle  (phthisis)  and  influenza.  In  Delhi  alone  (popu- 
lation on  March  18th,  1922,  248,302— by  no  means  a  big 
town),  the  chief  causes  of  deaths  in  1921  were  :  fevers, 
3,918 ;  respiratory  diseases  (excluding  lung  tubercle), 
3,037  ;  dysentery  and  diarrhoea,  448  ;  tubercle  (including 
lung  tubercle),  350  ;  and  cholera,  307.  The  total  number 
of  registered  deaths  in  India  in  1917  was  7,803,832,  of 
which  fevers  accounted  for  4,555,721  ;  plague,  437,036  ; 
cholera,  267,002  ;  and  dysentery  and  diarrhoea,  260,984. 
The  total  deaths  from  plague  in  all  India  (British  and 
native  states)  from  1896  to  1917  exceeded  eight  millions, 
averaging  nearly  half  a  million  a  year.  The  figures  are 
shocking  and  significant. 

(7)  Racial  Degeneration. — Racial  defects  and  poisons 
are  multiplying  from  day  to  day.  The  physique  of  the 
people  is  surely  deteriorating.  The  tall,  stout  and  strong 
are  being  fast  replaced  by  persons  lean,  lank  and  bony — 
objects  fit  and  proper  for  the  study  of  a  student  of  medi- 
cine. The  extent  and  pace  of  growing  degeneration 
justifies  anxious  thought  and  speedy  cure. 

VI. — A  Sure  Remedy. 

A  selective  lower  birth  rate  will  surely  go  a  great  way 
towards  checking  the  evil.  Then  only  will  the  right  sort  of 
material  be  ready  for  the  social  reformer  and  the  eugenist. 
Puberty  marriages  should  be  universal  for  fit  persons. 
Late  marriages  should  be  exceptional.  Brahmacharya 
(continence),  lifelong  or  partial,  is  possible  and  highly 
desirable  for  persons  of  rare  capacity,  who  can  really  live 
an  absolutely  chaste  life  in  thought,  word  and  deed.  Half- 
hearted or  inconsistent  attempts  at  continence  lead  to 
more  evil  than  good.  Brahmacharya  represents  the  ideal 
condition,  and  it  is  naturally  possible  for  the  gifted  few. 

Normal  enjoyment  in  wedded  life  and  right  living 
should  be  encouraged.  Sexual  excesses  should  be 
denounced.  Blessed  will  be  the  day  when  there  will  be 
sheer  vulgarisation  of  the  knowledge  of  sex  hygiene, 
eugenics  and  Birth  Control.  Till  then,  the  marriage  and 
parenthood  of  the  unfit  should  be  under  social  or  State 
control. 


ECONOMIC  AND  STATISTICAL  95 

Conclusion. 

It  is  confidently  hoped  that  the  leaders  of  Indian 
thought  will  muster  courage,  blow  up  obsolete  ideas, 
shake  off  old-world  prejudices,  and  lead  this  ancient  land 
aright  on  the  noble  path  of  national  regeneration  to  her 
eternal  glory. 


Resolution. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  session  the  following  resolution 
was  put  to  the  meeting  : — 

"  The  Fifth  International  Neo-Malthusian  and  Birth 
Control  Conference  desires  to  point  out  to  all  workers 
and  employers  the  great  economic  advantage  which 
will  arise  from  the  adoption  of  Birth  Control  by  the 
wage-earners.  The  prosperity  of  modern  industry 
depends  not  on  unlimited  supplies  of  cheap,  ineffi- 
cient, discontented  labour,  but  on  the  co-operation 
of  intelligent,  efficient  and  willing  people  aided  by 
the  machinery  they  are  competent  to  use.  Birth  Con- 
trol enables  the  wage-earners  first  to  live  decently  and 
maintain  and  increase  their  efficiency  on  their  present 
wages,  and  secondly,  to  increase  wages  by  restricting 
the  supply  of  fresh  labour  to  the  moderate  number  of 
efficient  workers  for  whom  adequate  equipment  is 
available  and  who  can,  therefore,  with  absence  of 
undue  competition,  command  high  wages  by  their 
superior  productivity." 

Carried. 

{Signed)  J.  M.  Keynes, 

President  of  the  Section. 


on 


Wednesday,  July  \2th. — Afternoon  Session. 

MOEAL  AND  KELIGIOUS   SECTION 

President        .         .         The  Rev.  Gordon  Lang. 
The  President  opened  the  session  by  reading  a  paper 

THE  MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  ASPECT  OF 
BIRTH  CONTROL. 

It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  be  able  to  take  part  in  this 
Conference.  I  am  certain  that  there  could  be  no  more 
important  session  than  the  one  we  are  about  to  engage 
in.  It  does  not  appear  that  the  churches  are  very  much 
interested  in  over -population.  They  are  certainly  not 
troubled  with  it  so  far  as  attendance  at  services  is 
concerned.  The  trouble  is  that  the  organised  demonstra- 
tions of  religion  fail  lamentably  to  come  into  direct 
contact  with  the  needs  and  conditions  of  daily  life.  What- 
ever other  effects  may  have  followed  the  War,  it  has  left 
the  churches  practically  bankrupt  of  power  and  prestige, 
and  the  power  of  the  pulpit  is  at  its  lowest  ebb.  We 
have  recently  been  treated  to  the  sorry  spectacle  of  a  Lord 
Bishop  urging  an  increase  of  population  as  a  guarantee  of 
success  in  the  next  war.  Such  is  the  ineptitude  of  the 
leaders  of  religion.  Peace  is  an  integral  part  of  the 
Christian  religion,  and  the  best  guarantee  of  peace  will  be 
the  adoption  of  Birth  Control.  The  tendency  just  now  is 
to  measure  the  value  of  life  in  terms  of  quantity  rather 
than  of  quality,  but  the  Founder  of  the  Christian  religion 
has  said  :  "I  came  that  they  might  have  life  and  that 
they  might  have  it  more  abundantly."  That  is  a  question 
of  quality  beyond  doubt,  but  is  it  possible  of  full  applica- 
tion to-day  ?     I  more  than  doubt  it. 

There  is  no  important  problem  of  the  day  that  Birth 
Control  will  not  assist  to  solve,  and  to  some  problems  it 


MORAL  AND   RELIGIOUS  97 

is  the  only  solution.  If  we  consider  our  local  affairs 
with  the  present  ruinous  rates,  we  shall  at  once  be 
made  to  realise  that  a  very  large  proportion  of  our 
expenses  are  really  superfluous  and  in  no  sense  an  invest- 
ment, inasmuch  as  we  are  spending  large  amounts  of 
money  on  palliatives  for  imbecility,  physical  deformity, 
and  relief  in  the  way  of  funeral  expenses,  some  sort  of 
medical  treatment  and  maintenance  of  a  more  or  less 
unsatisfactory  nature  for  thousands  of  children  unwanted 
by  any  one  at  all,  and  especially  so  by  their  parents.  There 
is  nothing  at  all  immoral  in  Birth  Control  or  its  advocacy. 
In  fact,  the  immorality  is  there  stark  and  stiff  in  the 
present  position  of  things  where  little  ones  are  produced 
as  the  result  of  ignorance,  apathy,  or  gusts  of  passion,  and 
left  to  flounder  about  in  the  world,  often  handicapped  from 
the  very  commencement  of  life.  A  society  which  tolerates 
that  sort  of  thing  is  seeking  disaster,  and,  in  my  opinion, 
is  guilty  of  the  gravest  immorality. 

I  am  afraid  I  do  not  quite  accept  Dr.  Drysdale's 
view  that  most  of  the  organised  opposition  to  Birth 
Control  has  gone.  I  believe  that  it  is  merely  sleeping 
and  will  arise  with  greater  vigour  than  ever  as  the 
movement  begins  to  take  its  proper  position.  So  far  as  the 
working  classes  are  concerned  there  is  an  appalling 
amount  of  ignorance  and  apathy,  largely  due  to  the 
"comfortable"  doctrines  they  have  been  taught  from  the 
pulpits  as  to  the  joy  and  Divine  favour  to  be  found  in  the 
possession  of  ultra-large  families.  It  is  significant  that 
this  doctrine  is  preached  usually  by  people  who  are 
careful  to  practise  the  very  reverse.  There  are  all  sorts 
of  insidious  suggestions  floating  about  as  to  sterile  mar- 
riages and  abortion.  Birth  Control  certainly  has  no 
connection  with  the  first  matter  in  normal  cases  and  is 
the  only  substitute  for  the  latter. 

Ministers  of  religion  and  doctors  are  continually 
brought  up  against  the  sordid  and  seamy  phases  of  life, 
and  can  reveal  secrets  that  would  appal  many  people. 
We  might  not  all  agree  that  Birth  Control  will  prove 
the  final  solution  of  the  unemployment  problem,  but  we 
are  bound  to  admit  that  the  lack  of  it  is  responsible 
for  the  gravest  aggravations  of  the  present  misery  and 
suffering  of  the  working  people.  Under  present  conditions 
children  come  unwanted  after  months  of  dread  for  the 
mother.      Every    birth    of    an    unwanted    child    is    an 


98     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

immoral  act,  and  the  result  of  the  thousands  of  such  births 
which  take  place  every  week,  and  which  are  responsible 
in  the  long  run  for  that  worst  kind  of  competition,  the 
bitter  struggle  of  the  unfit  to  exist  alongside  of  their 
healthy  brethren.  Is  it  not  a  moral  objective  to  desire 
a  happier,  healthier,  and  better -equipped  race  ?  Why,  the 
distinction  between  quantity  and  quality  is  one  of  the 
elementary  rudiments  of  a  child's  education.  It  is  of  no 
avail  to  point  to  past  exceptions.  Men  and  women  who 
have  been  members  of  very  large  and  very  poor  families, 
and  yet  have  attained  to  greatness  as  citizens,  have  done  so 
in  spite  of  these  drawbacks,  and  not  because  of  them  ;  and 
if  they  have  done  so  well  under  such  handicaps  what  might 
they  not  have  done  if  they  had  been  in  possession  of  all  the 
advantages  which  a  proper  exercise  of  Birth  Control  would 
afford  ?  If  people  turn  thoughtfully  to  international 
affairs  they  will  perforce  have  to  take  the  view  that  the 
greatest  barrier  to  war  and  practical  incentive  to  world 
peace  is  the  prevention  of  over-population.  We  are, 
treating  our  women  with  less  care  and  discrimination  than 
the  average  farmer  deals  with  his  stock.  We  are  allowing 
little  ones  to  be  produced  as  easily  and  carelessly  as  are 
flies,  and  we  trouble  as  little  about  them  subsequently 
until  we  become  painfully  conscious  of  their  existence  by 
having  to  "  foot  the  bill."  Morality  is  even  now  at  a  low 
ebb  because  the  greatest  facts  of  life  are  forced  into  an 
immoral  servitude.  The  unlimited  procreation  of  children 
in  homes  where  starvation  is  already  present  is  immoral. 
I  have  frequently  visited  families  crowded  in  miserable 
hovels  where  little  mites  of  ten  and  twelve  knew  all  the 
worst  features  of  the  facts  of  life  and  discussed  them  in 
all  the  worst  ways. 

I  have  officiated  at  the  funeral  of  a  woman  who  died 
suddenly  at  the  birth  of  her  thirteenth  child.  The  housing 
accommodation  for  the  whole  family  of  fifteen  had  been 
three  rooms,  and  the  children  were  taking  their  meals 
around  the  table  on  which  their  mother's  coffined  body  lay. 
Naturally,  the  funeral  had  to  be  speeded  up.  Again,  I 
have  buried  five  children  from  one  home  with  phthisis,  five 
had  been  buried  previous  to  my  ministry,  and  some 
subsequent  to  it.  This  woman  still  continued  having 
children  regularly  and  burying  them  with  equal  regularity. 
It  is  sometimes  suggested  that  Birth  Control  would  do 
away  with  love,  but  few  things  could  nullify  affection  more 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  99 

rapidly  or  more  thoroughly  than  the  cruel  poverty  and  fear 
which  paralysed  homes  where  poor  people  were  having  a 
constant  succession  of  babies.  I  have  no  hesitation  in 
affirming  that  Birth  Control  will  piove  the  greatest  aid 
to  morality.  As  it  was  we  have  the  reverse.  I  have  seen 
men  in  drink  demanding  foully  and  brutally  satisfaction 
from  their  wives.  I  have  seen  the  same  men  battering 
their  wives  because  another  little  one  was  coming.  Yet 
the  churches — some  of  them — prate  about  the  immorality 
of  restricting  births.  The  doctors  and  the  clergy  know 
that  abortion  is  rife.  Our  medical  friends  could  startle 
the  supposedly  civilised  community  if  they  prepared  and 
published  statistics  showing  the  numbers  of  ruined  women 
and  deficient  children  who  are  so  because  of  the  drugs 
taken  and  the  operations  performed  in  an  agony  of 
endeavour  to  prevent  childbirth. 

Abortion  is  immoral  and  illegal,  but  it  will  continue 
until  Birth  Control,  which  is  both  moral  and  legal,  is 
generally  known  and  practised. 

I  regret  that  the  leaders  of  Labour  are  not  more 
actively  identified  with  this  movement,  which  means  so 
much  to  their  rank  and  file.  The  worst  paid  workers 
possess  the  largest  families,  and  it  is  foolish  to  neglect 
those  remedies  and  ministries  which  lie  to  hand.  We 
frequently  hear  a  lot  about  class  distinction,  but  it  is 
nowhere  so  marked  as  in  this  matter  of  Birth  Control.  The 
educated  and  wealthier  people  practise  it.  The  poorer 
members  of  the  community,  through  ignorance,  supersti- 
tion and  dominance,  do  not. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  say  that  Birth  Control  is  indeed 
the  Workers'  Charter,  because  it  means  freer  access  to  the 
good  things  of  life,  greater  independence  and  better 
equipment.  It  is  the  insignia  of  the  freedom  of  the 
unborn  race,  because  it  guarantees  to  them,  through 
voluntary  parenthood,  that  they  would  be  wanted,  loved 
and  provided  for,  with  vast  possibilities  of  service  and 
development  ever  before  them.  The  spread  of  this  know- 
ledge will  mean,  too,  the  removal  of  women's  futile 
martyrdom. 


H   2 


100    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

NEO-MALTHUSIAN  MORALITY  AND  RELIGION. 
By  Dr.  C.  V.  Drysdale,  O.B.E.,  F.R.S.E.,  etc. 

Although  invectives  against  Birth  Control  have  almost 
died  away,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  one  thing  which 
prevents  its  full,  open  acceptance  and  acclamation  is  that 
it  is  supposed  to  be  regardless  of  morality  and,  indeed,  to 
aid  and  abet  "  immorality  "  by  "  making  vice  safe."  I 
have  put  the  word  immorality  in  quotation  marks,  because, 
although  there  are  many  kinds  of  immorality,  there  is  only 
one  which  appears  to  be  popularly  recognised,  viz.,  sexual 
licence.  A  person  may  break  all  the  other  command- 
ments and  be  a  pest  or  danger  to  society,  but  so  long  as  he 
keeps  within  the  prescribed  sexual  code  he  is  not  generally 
thought  of  as  immoral. 

The  propaganda  of  Birth  Control  by  preventive  devices 
is,  however,  especially  marked  out  for  moral  condemna- 
tion, because  it  certainly  robs  sexual  licence  of  its  worst 
terrors  ;  and  whatever  good  it  may  do  in  other  directions, 
and  whatever  relief  from  suffering  it  may  afford,  these 
benefits  are  held  as  naught  in  comparison  with  this  awful 
possibility. 

It  will  probably  come  as  a  surprise,  therefore,  to  many 
to  learn  that  neo-Malthusianism  was  founded  as  much  on 
moral  considerations  as  on  economic  ones,  and  that  the 
leaders  of  the  propaganda  have  been  as  greatly  concerned 
for  the  former  as  the  latter. 

Students  of  ethics  will  hardly  need  reminding  of  the 
school  of  morals  founded  by  Bentham  under  the  somewhat 
unfortunate  title  of  Utilitarianism,  the  motto  of  which  was 
"  the  greatest  happiness  of  the  greatest  number,"  i.e.,  of 
the  majority  of  the  community,  and  it  was  on  this  prin- 
ciple that  the  modern  doctrine  of  Birth  Control  was  based, 
first  through  a  suggestion  of  James  Mill  in  1820,  after- 
wards carried  into  effect  by  the  practical  propaganda  of 
Francis  Place  in  1822.  The  writings  of  the  latter  show  a 
clear  appreciation  of  the  moral  side  of  the  question  even 
from  the  conventional  standpoint,  and  although  it  is  quite 
true  to  say  that  the  advocates  of  Birth  Control  are  less 
severe  as  a  rule  in  their  judgments  on  sexual  laxity  than 
most  of  the  puritans,  for  reasons  which  will  appear,  it  is 
equally  unfair  to  charge  them  with  encouraging  or  even 
being  indifferent  to  such  laxity. 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  101 

The  Utilitarian  or  happiness  doctrine  of  morality  does 
not  necessarily  come  into  conflict  with  theological  morality; 
on  the  contrary,  it  preserves  every  part  of  it  which  people 
as  a  whole  really  believe  in.  To-day  we  believe  in  religious 
toleration,  but  we  do  not  certainly  allow  a  person  freedom 
in  following  his  religious  beliefs  if  they  are  obviously 
contrary  to  the  well-being  of  the  community.  To  take 
an  extreme  case,  the  devotees  of  Thuggee,  without  doubt, 
consider  that  they  are  performing  a  highly  meritorious  act 
in  strangling  their  victims,  but  our  toleration  of  their 
religion  does  not  extend  to  absolving  them  from  punish- 
ment for  their  actions,  and  this  simply  means  that  in  the 
last  resort  the  principle  of  Utilitarianism  of  the  well-being 
of  the  community  transcends  all  other  considerations.  It 
is  difficult  to  believe  that  an  all-wise  and  beneficent 
Deity  could  command  us  knowingly  to  injure  our  fellow- 
creatures,  and  it  is  certainly  contrary  to  the  whole  spirit 
of  Christianity. 

And  even  coming  nearer  home,  we  do  not  allow  our 
national  religious  faith  to  prevail  regardless  of  considera- 
tion of  earthly  well-being,  except  as  a  scourge  for  what  we 
dislike.  Many  devout  Christians  find  no  difficulty  in 
taking  heed  of  the  morrow  and  of  laying  up  treasure  on 
this  earth,  and  are,  indeed,  disposed  to  be  censorious  of 
the  improvidence  of  those  who  literally  obey  the  scriptural 
injunction.  Quite  apart  from  any  question  of  hypocrisy, 
the  acquiescence  of  society  in  this  practice  is  due  to  the 
realisation  that  forethought  is  essential  for  human  well- 
being. 

One  other  illustration  must  be  given  as  it  touches  the 
very  root  of  theological  opposition  to  Birth  Control. 
Apart  from  the  general  exhortation  to  increase  and 
multiply  which  was  given  when,  according  to  the  Scriptures, 
there  were  only  a  few  people  on  the  earth,  the  only  passage 
in  the  Bible  which  can  be  read  as  condemnatory  of  Birth 
Control  is  the  story  of  Onan,  which  has  led  to  the  general 
denunciation  of  all  contraceptive  devices  by  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  as  "  Onanistic."  Now,  what  appears  to 
be  missed  in  this  story  is  that  Onan  refused  to  conform  to 
the  definite  Mosaic  injunction  recorded  in  Deuteronomy 
xxv.  5 — 10,  that  a  man  (presumably  whether  already 
married  or  not)  is  bound  to  marry  the  widow  of  his  deceased 
brother,  and  to  raise  up  seed  to  his  brother,  and  that  he 
shall  be  subject  to  the  scorn  of  the  community  if  he 


102    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

refuses.  It  would  therefore  appear  at  least  justifiable 
to  ascribe  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  to  Onan's  refusal  to  obey 
the  law,  rather  than  to  the  particular  manner  in  which  he 
did  so,  as  there  is  no  other  pronouncement  against  it  in 
the  Scriptures  ;  but  theological  opponents  are  discreetly 
silent  on  this  point. 

What,  however,  I  wish  to  point  out  is  that  those  who 
call  upon  Old  Testament  Scripture  as  a  basis  of  morality 
have  no  right  to  select  isolated  instances,  but  must  accept 
the  whole  of  its  teaching,  including  the  above  injunction 
and  the  acceptance  of  polygamy.  The  fact,  again,  that  we 
have  not  only  discarded  these  practices,  but  look  upon 
them  with  abhorrence,  is  an  indication  that  human  judg- 
ment and  reason  has  pronounced  them  unsuited  to 
civilised  society  as  being  incompatible  with  earthly 
happiness. 

The  evolution  of  morality  in  the  Bible  itself  is  shown  by 
the  contrast  between  New  and  Old  Testament  teaching, 
and  the  modern  ascetic  clerical  doctrine  that  sex-union  is 
only  justifiable  for  reproduction,  and  that  Birth  Control 
is  only  permissible  by  partial  or  total  continence  within 
marriage  is  strongly  negatived  by  the  teaching  of  St.  Paul 
(1  Corinthians  vii.  5)  :  "  Defraud  ye  not  one  the  other, 
except  it  be  with  consent  for  a  time,  that  ye  may  give 
yourselves  to  fasting  and  prayer  ;  and  come  together 
again,  that  Satan  tempt  you  not  for  your  incontinency." 
In  this  chapter  St.  Paul  clearly  endorses  the  neo-Malthu- 
sian  advocacy  of  general  early  marriage  as  a  safeguard 
against  sexual  irregularity  for  those  that  have  not  a 
vocation  to  celibacy,  and  warns  against  attempts  at 
prolonged  continence  in  marriage. 

And  when  we  take  a  broader  view  and  consider  other 
religions,  we  find  cases  like  the  Areeoi  cult  of  Polynesia, 
where  Birth  Control  even  by  abortion  is  enjoined  as  a 
religious  ordinance,  and  many  others  which  permit  it. 
These  occur  when  circumstances  have  caused  the  pressure 
of  population  upon  substance  to  be  clearly  recognised,  and 
the^  aflord  instances  of  the  general  rule,  that  Salus  populi 
suprema  religio  as  well  as  suprema  lex,  and  that  all  com- 
munities instinctively  feel  or  at  least  act  on  the  belief  that 
what  conduces  to  the  welfare  of  the  whole  of  society, 
apart  from  the  advantage  of  any  individual,  is  in  harmony 
with  the  Divine  will.  We  must  believe  that  our  intelli- 
gence was  given  us  for  the  purpose  of  avoiding  evils  and 


MORAL  AND   RELIGIOUS  103 

the  improvement  of  our  earthly  lot,  and  if  we  recognise 
this  by  taking  advantage  of  medical  science  to  cure  us  of 
disease,  and  of  inventions  for  increasing  the  comforts  of 
existence,  there  is  surely  no  reason  why  we  should  refrain 
from  exercising  our  intelligence  to  escape  from  the  dire 
consequences  of  over-population  and  the  remorseless 
straggle  for  existence. 

All  this  goes  to  show  that  Utilitarianism,  however 
derided  and  disliked  in  name,  is  the  real  religion  which 
we  instinctively  follow,  and  it  certainly  does  not  quarrel 
with  the  highest  religious  view  of  the  marriage  relation, 
although  it  recognises  the  futility  of  attempting  to  enforce 
it  on  those  who  are  constitutionally  or  through  their 
environment  unable  to  rise  to  it.  In  view  of  the  natural 
equality  of  numbers  of  the  sexes,  of  the  mutual  support  of 
lifelong  companionship,  and  of  common  parental  responsi- 
bility for  children,  enduring  monogamic  unions  are  most 
certainly  the  ideal,  and  promiscuity  is  strongly  to  be 
deprecated  for  its  gratification  of  impulses  without  thought 
of  their  ultimate  result,  for  the  risk  of  disseminating  race- 
blasting  venereal  disease,  and  for  its  general  failure  to 
provide  satisfactory  conditions  for  the  rearing  of  children. 

So  far  Utilitarians,  purely  from  considerations  of  earthly 
happiness,  are  in  full  agreement  with  the  most  orthodox 
theologians  and  conventional  moralists  ;  but  where  they 
differ  from  them,  toto  coelo,  is  in  the  motive  which  prompts 
their  opinion,  and  the  methods  by  which  they  seek  to 
achieve  the  ideal.  The  idea  that  sex-union  is  a  part  of 
our  lower  nature,  unclean  in  itself,  and  only  to  be  sanctified 
by  a  religious  ceremony  and  expiated  by  unlimited  child 
bearing,  is  absolutely  abhorrent  to  the  neo-Malthusians, 
who,  on  the  contrary,  view  it  as  essential  to  the  complete 
expression  of  sex  love,  and  as  a  physiological  and  psycho- 
logical need  for  the  majority  of  virile  individuals.  This 
point  of  view  was  strongly  expressed  by  Lord  Dawson  at 
the  last  Church  Congress,  and  it  is  certainly  in  accordance 
with  natural  human  feeling. 

And  on  the  practical  side  of  promoting  sexual  purity  the 
difference  is  no  less  fundamental :  neo-Malthusians  follow 
Huxley  in  regarding  man  as  a  risen  ape  rather  than  as  a 
fallen  angel,  and  primarily  as  an  animal  whose  physical 
needs  have  to  be  met  before  a  high  degree  of  culture, 
refinement,  and  morality  is  to  be  expected  from  him. 
While  yielding  to  no  one  in  their  respect  and  admiration 


104    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

for  self-sacrifice  in  a  good  cause,  and  recognising  that  such 
self-sacrifice  will  always  be  required,  they  are  totally 
opposed  to  asceticism  for  its  own  sake  or  for  the  acquire- 
ment of  merit.  It  is  because  of  the  neglect  of  the  physio- 
logical or  animal  constitution  of  mankind  that  thousands 
of  years  of  moral  precept  and  thunderings  have  proved 
vain  ;  while  the  forty-five  years  of  neo-Malthusian  propa- 
ganda based  on  a  recognition  of  this  animal  nature  have 
resulted  in  an  immense  improvement  in  public  decency, 
the  almost  complete  disappearance  of  lewd  suggestiveness, 
and  their  replacement  by  earnest  and  reverent  discussion 
of  moral  problems.  In  view  of  the  approximate  natural 
equality  of  the  number  of  the  sexes,  of  the  need  for  life- 
long companionship  and  of  common  interest  in  and 
responsibility  for  children,  general  early  monogamic 
marriage  forms  the  natural  and  legitimate  provision  for 
sex  expression,  and  all  who  are  anxious  for  sexual  purity 
should  carefully  consider  how  it  may  be  facilitated,  even 
though  some  may  quite  rightly  reject  all  idea  of  coercion 
in  the  matter. 

General  early  marriage,  though  possibly  not  a  complete 
preventive  of  promiscuity,  would  most  certainly  prove 
the  strongest  possible  deterrent  to  it.  Not  only  would  it 
satisfy  the  cravings  of  sex  hunger  and  thus  reduce  the 
demand  for  promiscuity,  but  it  would  also  reduce  the 
supply  of  unmated  women  who  are  forced  to  minister  to  it. 
In  a  community  where  the  numbers  of  the  sexes  were  equal 
and  all  women  were  married  at  an  early  age  the  market  for 
prostitution  would  be  practically  dried  up  even  if  we  were 
to  admit  an  inherent  polygamous  character  in  men. 
Whatever  may  be  said  by  ascetic  moralists  concerning  the 
fundamental  unregeneracy  of  humanity,  it  is  absolutely 
certain  that  no  amount  of  moral  precept  will  secure  sexual 
purity  without  general  early  marriage,  and  the  neo- 
Malthusians  who  are  engaged  in  promoting  this  reform  are 
doing  far  more  for  securing  such  purity  than  all  the 
professed  moralists,  just  as  those  who  are  providing  plenty 
of  innocent  relaxation  for  the  masses  are  doing  far  more  for 
the  cause  of  temperance  than  all  the  teetotal  fanatics  in 
the  world. 

Now,  there  is  one  way,  and  one  way  only,  of  promoting 
general  early  marriage,  and  that  is  to  let  it  be  known  to  all 
young  people  that  they  can  marry  as  soon  as  they  desire 
without  the  fear  of  the  economic  handicap  of  unlimited 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  105 

families.  Instead  of  exhorting  our  young  men  to  postpone 
marriage  until  they  have  secured  a  good  position,  and 
turning  a  blind  eye  on  any  habits  they  may  form  in  conse- 
quence, we  should  advise  them  to  marry  as  soon  as  they 
can  decently  support  themselves  and  their  wives,  and  to 
postpone  having  children  until  their  circumstances  permit 
them  to  do  justice  to  them.  Among  the  wage-earning 
classes  we  may  even  go  further  and  advise  young  men  and 
women  to  marry  in  the  early  twenties  when  they  are  both 
earning.  Quite  apart  from  the  economic  and  moral 
considerations  above  mentioned,  it  is  highly  desirable  that 
economic  factors  should  not  enter  too  greatly  into  love  and 
marriage,  and  that  young  people  should  learn  to  live 
together  and  cultivate  mutual  understanding  before 
entering  on  the  sacred  responsibilities  of  parenthood.  In 
fact,  I  am  quite  certain  that  as  time  goes  on  and  the 
possibilities  of  Birth  Control  become  recognised,  an  entirely 
new  view  of  the  marriage  relation  will  arise.  Biologically 
speaking,  marriage  ought  to  date  from  the  first  conception, 
and  society  has  no  concern  in  sexual  relationships  so  long 
as  all  children  are  healthy  and  properly  looked  after  by 
their  parents,  and  that  venereal  disease  is  not  propagated. 
The  whole  question  of  divorce  will  inevitably  have  to  be 
reconsidered  in  this  light. 

Of  course  these  great  reforms  will  be  viewed  with  horror 
by  moralists  of  the  old  school,  who  have  an  ineradicative 
fear  of  the  sex  instinct  unless  it  is  rigidly  cabined  and 
confined.  But,  although  there  is  certainly  a  risk  of  a 
considerable  amount  of  irregularity  in  the  transition  stage, 
the  remedy  lies  not  in  denunciation,  but  in  education.  It 
must  be  clearly  recognised  that  contraceptive  knowledge 
must  and  will  become  general  even  among  unmarried 
persons,  and  attempts  at  suppression  are  both  unjustifiable 
and  futile.  What  is  now  urgently  required  is  that  a 
rational  code  of  sex  education  should  be  developed  on 
utilitarian  lines,  fully  accepting  and  pointing  out  the 
advantages  of  Birth  Control,  but  at  the  same  time  incul- 
cating the  sacredness  of  parenthood  and  the  lifelong 
happiness  to  be  derived  from  constancy,  as  contrasted  with 
the  fleeting  pleasures  of  change.  A  brief  attempt  has  been 
made  in  this  direction  in  the  Malthusian  League's  practical 
leaflet,  but  it  appears  to  me  that  neo-Malthusians,  having 
already  achieved  their  first  great  aim  of  securing  public 
interest  and  sympathy  with  the  Birth  Control  movement, 


106    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

should  concentrate  attention  on  sex  instruction  for  the 
young  in  order  to  secure  the  best  effects  of  their  propa- 
ganda, and  to  remove  the  fear  of  sexual  anarchy  which 
deters  many  otherwise  sympathetic  people  from  endorsing 
the  movement. 

And  this  brings  me  to  my  last  great  point  concerning 
religion  itself.  Religion  has  no  necessary  connection  with 
theology  ;  it  strictly  means  the  moral  principles  by  which 
we  shape  our  conduct.  Utilitarianism  is  scientific  religion, 
and  neo-Malthusianism  is  its  most  important  outcome. 
The  breeding  of  the  human  race  for  quality  and  quantity 
is  the  greatest  of  all  possible  powers  for  improvement,  and 
it  would  be  difficult  to  set  limits  to  its  possibilities.  It 
would  certainly  be  possible  in  a  few  generations  to  produce 
a  race  of  human  beings  as  far  above  the  present  average 
as  racehorses  are  above  poor  broken-down  hacks,  and  so 
endowed  with  strength  and  independence  as  to  have  no 
need  for  what  Nietzsche  calls  "  slave  morality,"  which  has 
been  such  a  conspicuous  feature  of  theological  and  social 
morality.  Neo-Malthusianism  is,  in  fact,  a  most  important 
part  of  true  religion,  and  its  exponents  who  seek  to  direct 
Birth  Control  for  the  benefit  of  humanity  and  for  race 
improvement  are  religious  in  the  best  sense  of  the  term. 
It  is  certainly  true  that  morality,  like  every  other  depart- 
ment of  human  affairs,  requires  its  teachers,  and  if  the 
Church,  which  is  the  self-appointed  guardian  of  morality, 
would  realise  the  real  meaning  of  religion  and  develop  its 
teachings  in  harmony  with  the  advance  of  scientific 
knowledge,  it  could  do  immense  good.  Birth  Control  is 
fast  becoming  part  of  the  definitely  accepted  code  of  all 
earnest,  thoughtful  people,  and  if  the  Church  is  to  retain 
their  respect  it  must  hasten  to  accept  it  and  to  help  in 
directing  this  wonderful  new  power  for  the  best  results. 
The  Malthusian  League  has  done  its  best  to  circulate  the 
new  knowledge,  with  due  consideration  of  moral  precau- 
tions, and  it  is  greatly  to  be  hoped  that  the  Church  will 
realise  its  possibilities,  and  join  in  the  effort  to  give  this 
great  help  to  suffering  humanity  while  accompanying  it 
with  sound  moral  teaching. 


©NTARIO 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  107 

BIRTH  CONTROL  AS  AN  ESSENTIAL  BACK- 
GROUND TO  MONOGAMOUS  MARRIAGE. 

By  Edith  Houghton  Hooker. 

One  of  the  facts  that  experience  constantly  reiterates 
is  that  the  forces  of  evolution  cannot  be  turned  backward 
by  human  hands.  Evolutionary  processes  may  be  re- 
tarded by  the  intervention  of  mankind,  but  eventually 
they  prevail  over  stupidity,  prejudice  and  misconception. 

History  is  replete  with  evidence  to  show  that  mono- 
gamous marriage  represents  the  evolution  of  sex,  both  in 
its  racial  and  personal  aspects,  to  the  highest  point  of 
usefulness  among  human  beings.  Accompanied  by  suit- 
able divorce  regulations,  giving  love  full  scope  as  the  final 
arbiter  in  the  relations  between  the  sexes,  the  one  man 
and  one  woman  union  appears  to  be  the  ideal  toward 
which  humanity  is  trending. 

Westermarck  tells  us  that  "  marriage  was  derived  from 
the  family,  not  the  family  from  marriage,"  and  he  adduces 
adequate  ethnological  proof  that  marriage  has  survived 
the  test  of  time  in  response  to  the  law  of  natural  selection. 
The  old  saying  that  "  the  home  is  the  backbone  of  the 
State "  indicates  the  common  appreciation  of  mono- 
gamous marriage  as  an  essential  institution  for  the  pre- 
servation of  the  racial  life. 

Among  human  beings  sexual  selection  is  phrased  as  the 
spiritual  emotion  called  Love.  This  mysterious  and 
potent  force  that  binds  men  and  women  together  in  a  life- 
long union  acts  to  insure  the  improvement  of  the  race 
stock.  At  the  same  time  it  tends  to  stimulate  the  indivi- 
dual to  his  highest  development  when  social  conditions 
do  not  unduly  interfere. 

In  considering  Birth  Control  in  its  relation  to  mono- 
gamous marriage,  it  is  of  fundamental  importance  to 
recognise  the  dual  nature  of  sex,  first  in  its  relation  to  the 
racial  life,  and  second  in  its  relation  to  the  happiness  and 
productivity  of  the  individual.  Monogamous  marriage 
without  Birth  Control  is,  and  presumably  always  will  be, 
an  untenable  institution  for  large  numbers  of  individuals. 
Human  fertility  far  exceeds  the  physical  strength  of  the 
average  woman  and  the  earning  power  of  the  average 
man. 

Delayed  marriage  results  in  prostitution  and  venereal 


108    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

disease,  for  the  sex  impulse  is  too  powerful  to  be  con- 
sistently denied  by  the  majority  of  men  long  after  full 
maturity  has  been  achieved.  If  marriage  is  to  take  place 
in  the  early  twenties,  which  under  civilisation  would  seem 
to  be  the  normal  mating  time,  the  number  of  offspring 
must  be  regulated  to  accord  with  the  strength  of  the 
woman  and  the  earning  power  of  the  man.  Too  frequent 
pregnancies  may  wreck  the  health  of  the  wife,  and  result 
merely  in  non-viable  products  of  conception,  while  a 
larger  number  of  children  than  the  father  can  support 
entails  unhappiness,  privation  and  eventual  disillusion. 

Almost  any  fairly  reasonable  person  is  ready  to  admit 
that  common  sense  should  operate  in  the  utilisation  of 
human  fertility,  but  there  are  those  who  contend  that  self- 
control  and  not  Birth  Control  should  be  the  method 
adopted.  These  persons  apparently  consider  the  emotion 
upon  which  marriage  is  founded  as  functioning  in  its 
expression  only  in  the  production  of  offspring.  This 
limited  and  puritanical  viewpoint  is  doubtless  derived  from 
the  association  of  sex  with  sin,  for  it  regards  love  as  lust, 
and  looks  upon  the  child  as  in  the  nature  of  an  expiation. 

That  love  in  marriage  has  an  additional  function  in  that 
it  tends  to  preserve  the  institution  itself,  and  to  protect 
wedlock  against  venereal  infection  is  a  fact  patent  to  any 
student  of  social  conditions.  There  may  be  those  who 
will  claim  that  these  are  sordid  grounds  for  demanding 
the  right  of  sexual  expression  for  married  people  irrespec- 
tive of  procreation.  Such  persons  will  say  that  this  view- 
point reduces  the  wife  to  the  level  of  the  prostitute,  and 
that  any  man  who  is  so  base  as  to  seek  sexual  satisfaction 
outside  of  wedlock  merely  because  the  family  has  reached 
maximal  dimensions  deserves  to  contract  venereal  disease. 

In  order  to  weigh  fairly  the  soundness  of  this  claim,  let 
us  examine  the  actual  bases  of  monogamous  marriage. 
Two  persons  of  opposite  sexes  are  brought  together  by  the 
force  that  is  called  love,  they  marry  in  order  legitimately 
to  express  their  affection  for  one  another  through  sex. 
We  are,  of  course,  here  assuming  that  love  is  the  only 
right  basis  for  sex  relations,  and  that  marriages  founded 
upon  ulterior  considerations  such  as  money,  social  position, 
political  expediency,  and  the  like,  are  defiant  of  civilised 
sexual  ideals.  We  are  also  assuming  that  procreation,  in 
the  absence  of  love,  is  not  a  sufficient  ethical  basis  for 
marriage,  for  human  beings  should  mate,  not  as  the  beasts 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  109 

are  mated,  but  in  response  to  a  spiritual  emotion.  This 
man  and  this  woman  love  one  another,  therefore  humanity 
grants  them  the  right  to  sexual  companionship  under  the 
name  of  marriage.  Now,  they  may  or  may  not  desire  to 
have  children,  they  may  or  may  not  be  able  to  have  children, 
they  may  desire  to  have  as  many  children  as  possible,  or 
they  may  desire  to  have  a  certain  number  of  children,  and 
then  no  more. 

Statistics  show  that  the  majority  of  divorces  are  sought 
by  childless  couples,  therefore  we  may  infer  that  the 
presence  of  children  tends  to  convey  permanence  to  the 
institution  of  marriage.  Statistics,  however,  also  show 
that  the  greatest  number  of  desertions  occur  in  families 
where  the  number  of  children  exceeds  the  earning  power  of 
the  father,  therefore  we  may  infer  that  too  many  children 
tend  to  disrupt  the  family,  and  to  break  up  the  home. 
Almost  all  prostitutes  testify  that  the  bulk  of  their  sub- 
stantial trade  comes  from  middle-aged  married  men. 

From  this  brief  glance  at  the  facts,  monogamous  mar- 
riage appears  to  be  based  upon  love,  children  and  the 
home,  but  as  an  institution  to  suffer  when  there  are  no 
children  at  all,  or  when  there  are  too  many  children  for 
the  family  to  support.  It  is  obvious  that  the  common  joy 
and  responsibility  involved  in  offspring  must  act  to  cement 
wedlock  ;  why  then  do  too  many  children  tend  to  invali- 
date the  institution  ?  First,  because  love  is  one  of  its 
essential  bases,  and  love  in  marriage  normally  expresses 
itself  in  sex  relations.  Second,  because  when  the  wife 
fears  pregnancy,  she  tends  to  deny  her  husband  the  natural 
means  of  expressing  his  affection  for  her.  Third,  because 
the  expression  of  an  emotion  tends  to  confirm  it,  and  true 
sexual  sympathy  acts  to  overcome  transitory  disagree- 
ments. Fourth,  because  the  intimacy  of  married  life 
stimulates  sexual  desire,  which  when  unsatisfied,  often 
leads  to  illicit  relations,  divorce  or  separation.  Those  who 
would  maintain  that  the  wife  falls  to  the  level  of  the 
prostitute  when  she  satisfies  her  husband's  sexual  passion, 
irrespective  of  procreation,  fail  to  comprehend  the  signi- 
ficance of  love  in  the  relation  of  human  beings. 

Through  their  caresses  the  man  and  the  woman  are 
brought  closer  together,  they  express  their  affection 
without  the  paltry  medium  of  words,  and  the  troth  being 
again  plighted,  they  recognise  one  another  once  more  as 
mates,  and  their  spiritual  and  physical  being  is  satisfied. 


110   FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

If,  on  the  contrary,  sexual  expression  is  denied,  the  hunger 
remains,  and  unworthy  objects  take  on  an  unreal  lure 
potent  in  precise  relation  to  the  emotional  repression. 
For  the  wife  to  permit  her  husband  to  express  his  genuine 
affection  for  her  through  sex  is  not  in  any  wise  to  degrade 
herself  to  the  level  of  the  prostitute,  for  she  accepts  a  real 
emotion,  spiritual  as  well  as  physical,  the  essence  of  which 
is  altogether  lacking  in  the  other  instance. 

Sex  between  married  people  is  a  communion  of  the  body 
and  spirit  as  one,  the  denial  of  which  is  in  the  end  the 
repudiation  of  love  itself.  With  sex  relations  barred  when 
there  must  be  no  more  children,  the  husband  and  wife 
become  farther  and  farther  apart,  the  ordinary  friction  of 
daily  life  is  never  compensated,  they  are  in  the  deep  sense 
no  longer  mates  at  all,  and  disharmony  and  disillusion 
follow.  Sexual  abstinence  in  married  life  is,  therefore, 
seen  to  be  a  disintegrating  force  ;  it  tends  to  separate 
husband  and  wife,  and  to  eliminate  the  natural  bond  of 
monogamous  marriage. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  average  individual  is  so 
ignorant  of  the  small  compass  of  monogamy  at  the  present 
time.  The  very  great  majority  of  men,  probably  90  per 
cent.,  are  unchaste  before  marriage,  and  afterwards  an 
enormous  number  revert  to  their  promiscuous  habits.  As 
a  vehicle  for  the  sex  life  of  the  race,  promiscuity  and  not 
monogamy  to-day  is  numerically  the  more  important 
institution.  More  civilised  people  are  actually  promiscuous 
than  monogamous  at  the  present  time.  This  may  seem 
an  exaggerated  statement,  but  it  is  backed  up  by  the  facts. 
Venereal  disease  gives  additional  testimony.  When  we 
realise  that  only  through  monogamous  marriage  can  the 
racial  life  be  assured  a  maximum  opportunity  for  full 
development,  the  importance  of  extending  the  sphere  of 
this  institution  becomes  apparent.  The  great  number  of 
celibate  teachers,  trained  nurses  and  women  workers  in 
various  fields,  the  large  groups  of  unmarried  men  and  the 
ranks  of  prostitution  itself,  might  be  vastly  reduced  if 
marriage  did  not  necessarily  involve  unlimited  pro- 
creation. 

A  complete  sex  life  rightly  lived,  is  of  untold  develop- 
mental significance  to  the  individual,  yet  many  persons  of 
both  sexes  are  denied  the  happiness  of  marriage  merely 
because  their  economic  status  is  not  such  as  to  permit 
large  families.     The  sex  impulse  in  humanity  is  too  potent 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  111 

and  too  vital  a  force  to  be  dammed  back  by  prejudice  and 
prurience  ;  if  its  natural  channel,  monogamous  marriage, 
is  closed,  by  restrictive  laws  against  divorce  and  Birth 
Control,  it  will  break  through,  inundating  the  world  with 
vice  and  venereal  disease.  If  humanity  would  but  look 
deeply  into  the  facts  with  an  impartial  mind,  it  would  see 
that  evolution  itself  demands  the  full  recognition  of  Birth 
Control.  Marriage  is  essential  to  the  ultimate  creation  of  the 
superman,  but  marriage  is  an  untenable  institution  for  the 
majority  of  people  when  it  is  divorced  from  Birth  Control. 

Those  who  call  themselves  idealists  and  who  contend 
that  the  expression  of  sex  should  be  restricted  solely  to 
procreation  do  not  comprehend  the  significance  of  love  in 
human  life.  They  overlook  its  creative  power  in  the 
spiritual  world,  and  reduce  the  relation  of  men  and  women 
to  a  species  of  prostitution,  for  which  the  price  paid  is  the 
child.  Mankind  must  remake  its  ideals  in  this  sphere  to 
the  end  that  love  may  shine  forth  as  the  pure  and  lofty 
guardian  of  sex.  Where  the  union  between  a  man  and  a 
woman  is  blessed  by  love,  there  need  be  no  fear  that  its 
natural  expression  will  result  in  degradation. 

Life  and  love  are  one,  and  the  welfare  of  both  the 
individual  and  the  race  will  be  best  conserved  when  this 
fundamental  truth  is  recognised.  The  problem  of  sex 
will  never  be  solved  by  vain  repression.  Sex  is  affirma- 
tive, not  negative,  so  far  as  humanity  is  concerned.  Un- 
restricted procreation  is  an  impediment  to  evolution,  a 
menace  to  monogamous  marriage,  and  an  unnecessary 
handicap  to  man's  happiness  through  self-expression. 

Stupidity,  prejudice  and  misconception  still  block 
Nature's  path,  but  the  power  of  love  will  one  day  overcome 
these  obstacles.  The  divine  experiment  must  be  com- 
pleted, and  love,  fully  expressed,  offers  the  only  medium 
for  this  achievement. 

CONTRACEPTION  IS  NECESSARY  FOR  THE 
ELIMINATION  OF  POVERTY,  AND  IS  THERE- 
FORE MORAL. 

By  B.  Dunlop,  M.B. 

There  is  a  proportion  of  religious  people  who  will  demur 
to  the  view  that  contraception  would  be  moral  if  it  could 
be  proved  to  be  absolutely  necessary  for  the  elimination 


112    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

of  poverty,  maintaining  that  the  use  of  contraceptives  is 
sinful,  whatever  the  consequences  may  be.  I  believe, 
however,  that  the  majority  of  religious  people  would  say  : 
"If  it  were  proved  that  contraception  is  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  elimination  of  poverty,  we  should  regard 
it  as  moral ;  for  we  cannot  believe  that  God  wishes 
poverty  to  continue  if,  by  using  the  intelligence  and  know- 
ledge He  has  given  us,  we  can  eliminate  it."  I,  therefore, 
wish  to  submit  to  you  my  economic  argument  for  the 
contention  that  contraception  is  absolutely  necessary  for 
the  elimination  of  poverty. 

(1)  Even  in  the  relatively  prosperous  decades  immediately 
before  1914  the  world's  food  supply  was  only  being  increased 
at  the  rate  of  10,  or  less,  per  thousand  a  year.  This  state- 
ment is  supported  by  such  estimates  as  are  available  of 
the  world's  food  supply  in  different  years.  I  prefer, 
however,  to  base  it  entiiely  on  the  fact  that  before  1914 
the  world's  population  was  increasing  at  the  rate  of  only 
10,  or  less,  per  thousand  a  year.  I  frankly  admit  that 
this  contention  rests  upon  a  Malthusian  assumption  that 
the  survival  rate  (i.e.,  the  natural  increase  of  population, 
or  the  birth  rate  minus  the  death  rate),  still  generally 
represents  the  rate  at  which  the  food  supply  of  a  country 
is  being  increased.  To  me  the  survival  rate  certainly 
represents  (see  my  paper  in  the  Medical  Section)  the 
food  increase  rate  of  a  country,  if  that  country  still  has 
many  underfed  people  in  it,  and  also  if  it  does  not  have 
its  population  increased  by  immigration.  To  the  world 
as  a  whole  this  applies  much  more  obviously.  When  one 
considers  the  poverty  and  struggle  of  the  vast  majority 
of  the  world's  inhabitants,  one  has  to  admit  that  there 
must  be  quite  a  negligible  waste  of  food  in  the  world,  and 
that  the  world's  survival  rate  must  be  a  fairly  accurate 
measure  of  its  food  increase  rate.  Moreover,  according 
to  at  least  one  well-known  estimate,  the  world's  population 
was  only  increasing  at  a  rate  of  about  5  per  thousand 
a  year,  and  I  believe  it  to  be  the  true  one.  So  my  "  10, 
or  less  "  allows  a  large  margin  for  any  increasing  waste, 
and  for  errors  of  estimation.  It  might  be  added  that  the 
was  has  greatly  reduced  the  world's  food  production,  but 
this  effect  of  the  war  may  pass  off  quickly. 

(2)  There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  the  world's  food  supply 
will  ever  be  increased  any  faster  than  it  ivas  being  increased 
in  the  decades  immediately  before  1914.     Indeed,  there  is 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  113 

considerable  reason  to  believe  that  the  world's  food  supply- 
will  soon  cease  to  be  increased  at  all.  The  late  Sir 
William  Crookes  predicted  a  coming  decline  of  food  pro- 
duction in  the  world  unless  nitrates  to  replenish  the  soil 
were  manufactured  from  the  nitrogen  in  the  atmosphere, 
which  is  generally  a  very  costly  process  ;  and  Professor 
Henry  E.  Armstrong,  F.R.S.,  stated  in  The  Times  of 
January  6th  that  the  world's  food  supply  would  now 
diminish  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  phosphates  in  the  world, 
and  cited  many  large  tracts,  including  the  wonderful 
first  wheat  lands  of  Canada,  which  were  becoming  rela- 
tively infertile  from  the  exhaustion  of  the  phosphates  in 
the  soil. 

(3)  Without  contraception,  the  world's  birth  rate  could  not 
be  reduced  below  28-5  per  thousand  a  year.  What  was  the 
lowest  birth  rate  before  1877,  the  year  when  contraception 
began  to  spread  rapidly  in  Europe  and  started  the  falling 
birth-rate  movement  ?  Except  for  France,  Belgium, 
Ireland  and  Norway,  there  had  not  been  a  country  whose 
birth  rate  was  not  well  over  30  per  thousand  a  year, 
as  the  world's  birth  rate  still  is  to-day.  France,  and 
presumably  Belgium,  had  already  adopted  contraception. 
Ireland  had  a  low  birth  rate  because  always  so  many  of 
her  young  men  and  women  emigrated  and  had  their  large, 
poverty-causing  families  in  other  countries.  The  case  of 
Norway  impressed  me  when  I  read  Malthus.  He  found 
that  Norway  had  an  extraordinarily  low  birth  rate  about 
the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  because  the  men 
were  not  allowed  to  marry  until  they  had  passed  through 
the  army,  because  even  then  very  many  of  them  could  not 
marry  until  their  parents  or  others  died  and  vacated  their 
farms,  and  because  Norway  was  a  small  and  purely  agri- 
cultural community  where  the  need  for  parental  prudence 
was  unusually  obvious  and  appreciated.  And  how  low  did 
the  Norwegians  then  keep  their  birth  rate  with  that 
unique  amount  of  sex  repression  ?  Or  rather,  as  we  may 
be  certain  that  there  was  as  widespread  an  amount  of 
a uto -eroticism  among  them  as  prevails  in  all  countries 
where  late  marriage  is  the  rule,  one  should  ask  :  How  low 
did  the  Norwegians  keep  their  birth  rate  with  that  unique 
amount  of  abstention  from  sexual  intercourse  ?  They 
only  kept  their  birth  rate  down  to  28-5  per  thousand  a 
year ! 

(4)  There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  the  so-called  "  safe 


114    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

period  "  method  of  Birth  Control  {now  allowed  by  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church)  would  alone  keep  the  birth  rate  down  below 
28*5  per  thousand  a  year.  Here  I  wish  to  draw  your  very 
special  attention  to  the  gradual  and  immensely  significant 
advance  which  has  been  taking  place  in  the  attitude  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  to  Birth  Control.  Only 
about  ten  years  ago  a  pamphlet  on  marriage,  by  Father 
Keating,  could  be  bought  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral 
of  Westminster  which  upheld  the  old  Roman  Catholic 
doctrine  that  married  couples  must  not  limit  their  families 
even  by  complete  abstention,  and  not  even  if  it  were 
probable  that  mentally  defective  children  would  be  born ! 
Next,  complete  abstention  was  allowed.  A  few  years 
later  the  Right  Rev.  Monsignor  Browne  made  a  pronounce- 
ment (see  p.  393  of  the  First  Birth  Rate  Commission 
Report)  that  the  intermenstrual  or  tempus  ageneseus  or 
so-called  "  safe  period  "  method  of  Birth  Control  was 
permissible  under  certain  circumstances.  After  this,  one 
often  heard  Roman  Catholics  saying  that  this  method  was 
"  moral  restraint,"  and  was  allowed  by  their  Church  ;  and 
in  the  last  few  days  we  have  had  Father  Degen  and 
Father  Mahoney  stating  publicly  and  explicitly  that  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  allows  it.  However,  it  is  so 
irksome  and  unsatisfactory  a  method  of  Birth  Control 
that  no  large  proportion  of  married  couples  would  adhere 
to  it,  and  it  is  so  uncertain  a  method  that  even  if  all  the 
couples  in  the  world  were  to  adopt  and  adhere  to  it,  the 
birth  rate  could  probably  not  be  reduced  below  28*5  per 
thousand  by  it  alone.  It  might  be  added  here  that  there 
is  the  beginning  of  a  movement  among  Roman  Catholics 
in  favour  of  sterilisation  of  the  unfit — sterilisation  being, 
not  castration,  but  a  very  satisfactory  method  of  per- 
manent contraception.  The  Roman  Catholics  have  had 
to  yield  to  the  Birth  Control  movement,  and  now  confine 
their  opposition  to  contraception  by  mechanical  or 
chemical  methods  and  by  onanism. 

(5)  A  birth  rate  of  28*5  per  thousand  a  year  means  that 
the  population  is  trying  to  increase  at  a  rate  of  over  18 
per  thousand  a  year.  This  is  so  because  a  population  with 
a  birth  rate  of  28  per  thousand  a  year  would  have  a  death 
rate  of  10  per  thousand,  i.e.,  would  have  an  average  dura- 
tion of  life  of  55-5  years,  if  there  were  ample  good  food 
for  all  (see  my  paper  in  the  Medical  Section). 

(6)  Therefore,  if  the  world's  inhabitants  even  managed  by 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  115 

"  moral  restraint  "  alone  to  keep  their  birth  rate  down  to  28-5 
per  thousand  a  year,  as  the  Norwegians  did,  they  would  still 
be  trying  to  increase  at  about  double  the  rate  at  which  the 
world's  food  supply  was  being  increased  before  1914.  This 
means  that  they  would  be  trying  the  impossible,  and 
would  merely  be  perpetuating  serious  food  shortage,  i.e., 
poverty. 

(7)  Therefore,  without  a  world  birth  rate  far  below  28*5 
per  thousand  a  year,  i.e.,  without  contraception,  poverty 
cannot  be  eliminated.  I  think  I  have  proved  that,  as  I 
have  often  argued  with  Christian  friends  :  "If  God  dis- 
approves of  contraception,  He  must  approve  of  poverty." 

CONTROL  OF  PARENTHOOD  AS  A  MORAL  PROB- 
LEM :  THE  CASE  FOR  AND  AGAINST  BIRTH 
CONTROL. 

By  Sidney  E.  Goldstein  (Free  Synagogue,  New  York). 

Birth  Control,  or  the  control  of  parenthood,  is  a  scientific 
problem  ;  it  is  a  legal  problem  ;  it  is  also  a  moral  problem. 
Because  it  is  as  much  a  matter  of  morals  as  of  economics 
and  law  and  science  it  comes  within  the  range  of  religious 
discussion,  and  must  concern  all  ministers  and  every  man 
interested  in  the  establishment  of  ethical  standards  and  the 
development  of  their  implications.  No  one  of  us  can 
escape  the  duty  to  study  a  programme  so  world-wide  in 
its  sweep,  and  to  declare  ourselves  upon  a  movement  so 
elemental  in  its  appeal,  a  movement  that  some  men 
welcome  with  hope  in  their  hearts,  and  others  condemn  as 
a  menace  to  our  social  and  spiritual  welfare. 

Doubt  comes  not  when  we  discuss  the  defective  ;  but 
when  we  turn  to  Birth  Control  among  those  who  are  physi- 
cally, mentally  and  morally  fit  to  become  parents.  Before 
we  consider  the  case  for  and  against  Birth  Control,  however, 
let  us  acknowledge  what  we  know  to  be  the  truth  :  that 
large  sections  of  society  are  everywhere  consciously  and 
deliberately  limiting  the  birth  rate.  This  is  not  a  matter  of 
personal  opinion  ;  it  is  a  statement  based  upon  close 
observation,  special  investigations,  and  a  study  of  the  vital 
statistics  of  civilised  countries.  These  statistics  prove 
that  the  birth  rate  in  England  has  dropped  from  36  per 
thousand  in  1877  to  less  than  25  just  before  the  war  ;  and 
in  the  fact  that  a  similar  story  is  told  in  almost  every  State 

I   2 


116    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

in  Europe  and  in  America.  The  question  to-day  is  not : 
Shall  we  control  the  birth  rate  ?  The  question  now  must 
be  framed  in  this  way  :  Is  the  control  of  parenthood  wise 
and  right  ?  Shall  the  knowledge  that  is  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  some  sections  of  society  be  extended  to  all  ?  By 
"  extended  "  I  do  not  mean,  let  me  emphasise,  indiscri- 
minate and  promiscuous  distribution  of  information.  I 
mean  the  scientific  instruction  and  education  of  men  and 
women,  married  or  about  to  be  married,  by  licensed  and 
expert  physicians  and  nurses. 

The  arguments  against  Birth  Control  sum  themselves  up 
in  four  sentences.  First,  Birth  Control  leads  to  race 
suicide  ;  second,  Birth  Control  is  contrary  to  the  law  of  the 
State ;  third,  Birth  Control  encourages  immorality  ; 
fourth,  Birth  Control  violates  the  commandments  of  God. 
What  validity  and  value  have  these  arguments  ?  Do  they 
rest  upon  the  solid  foundation  of  fact  ?  Those  who  speak 
of  race  suicide  point,  as  a  rule,  to  the  large  number  of 
wealthy  women  who  are  without  children.  It  is  true  that 
many  women  of  the  wealthy  classes  do  not  have  children ; 
but  it  is  also  true  that  these  women  are  more  conspicuous 
than  representative  of  womankind  and  that  their  child- 
lessness is  not  altogether  a  matter  of  regret. 

The  second  argument  is  that  Birth  Control  is  contrary  to 
the  laws  of  the  State.  This  is  true  of  a  majority  of  our 
States,  but  not  universally  true,  even  in  America,  and  the 
arguments  based  on  such  laws  can  be  disregarded  in  a 
paper  presented  to  an  International  Conference. 

No  legal  tradition  can  be  allowed  to  curb  or  cripple  a 
movement  that  means  improvement  and  progress  of  the 
human  race. 

The  third  argument  is  that  Birth  Control  encourages 
immorality  and  desecrates  marriage.  The  burden  of  proof 
rests  upon  those  who  advance  this  argument.  It  is  for 
them  to  prove  that  there  is  more  immorality  and  a  lower 
standard  in  married  life  in  America  and  England  and 
Holland  to-day  than  there  was  forty  or  fifty  years  ago. 
Nowhere  have  I  found  even  an  attempt  to  prove  this  con- 
tention. To  say  that  Birth  Control  leads  to  immorality 
among  the  unmarried  means  only  one  thing.  It  means 
that  the  morality  and  chastity  of  women  is  based  upon 
fear.  No  fouler  indictment  could  be  framed  against  the 
virtue  of  womanhood.  Women  are  virtuous  not  because 
they   fear   the   consequences   of   sin,    but   because   they 


MORAL  AND   RELIGIOUS  117 

reverence  the  right.  No  knowledge  that  we  can  place  in 
their  hands  will  shake  the  foundation  upon  which  their 
ethical  life  is  built.  To  say  that  Birth  Control  leads  to  a 
desecration  of  marriage  is  to  assume  that  there  is  more 
immorality  and  lower  standards  in  small  families  than  in 
large  families.  I  have  taken  considerable  pains  to  study 
the  moral  standards  in  families  both  large  and  small,  and  I 
do  not  find  that  the  standards  in  small  families  are  lower 
than  those  in  large  families.  On  the  contrary,  I  frequently 
find  that  in  families  in  which  there  are  many  children,  all 
of  them  are  herded  into  a  small  home  ;  there  is  neither  the 
time  nor  the  room  nor  the  privacy  that  is  necessary  for  the 
cultivation  of  the  finer  sentiments,  and  the  sanctities  that 
we  associate  with  married  life.  The  holiness  of  marriage 
does  not  depend  upon  conception  ;  it  does  not  depend 
upon  contraception  ;  it  depends  upon  the  sense  of  conse- 
cration that  a  man  and  woman  feel  who  come  together  to 
live  in  the  spirit  of  an  exalted  ideal  of  love.  When  this 
sense  of  consecration  is  present,  no  shadow  of  immorality 
can  enter  the  temple  of  married  life  ;  when  it  is  absent, 
nothing  can  save  us  from  destruction. 

The  fourth  argument — the  one  that  is  expected  to  silence 
all  opposition — is  that  Birth  Control  violates  the  command- 
ments of  God.  There  are  some  ministers  of  religion,  I 
know,  who  speak  as  if  they  had  received  a  special  and 
privileged  Divine  communication.  No  such  message  has 
come  to  me,  nor  have  I  ever  seen  a  message  that  bears 
within  itself  the  evidence  of  being  an  authentic  mandate 
from  the  Deity  on  the  subject  of  Birth  Control. 

What  now,  is  the  case  for  Birth  Control,  what  are  the 
arguments  that  have  convinced  so  many  men  and  women 
that  Birth  Control  is  a  legitimate  and  necessary  social 
movement,  with  deeper  moral  and  spiritual  implications  ? 
The  first  argument  is  the  child.  No  one  can  study  child 
life  in  large  families  and  not  realise  the  danger  to  childhood. 
The  statistics  gathered  by  the  Children's  Bureau  at 
Washington  show  that  the  death  rate  among  children  in 
families  in  which  there  are  eight  children  and  more  is 
two  and  a  half  times  that  in  families  in  which  there  are 
four  children  or  less.  In  large  families,  moreover,  it  is 
impossible  for  each  child  to  get  the  tender  care  and 
thoughtful  supervision  needed  if  they  are  to  be  equipped 
for  a  serviceable  career  in  the  complex  life  that  is  ours 
to-day.     How  often  older  boys  and  girls  in  trouble  tell  us 


118    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

the  same  story  :  "I  did  not  get  much  care  when  I  was 
little,  how  could  I  ?  There  were  too  many  of  us."  Fathers 
and  mothers  do  not  mean  to  neglect  their  children  ;  but 
when  they  have  too  many  crowded  about  them  in  their 
home  they  cannot  give  to  each  child  the  study  and  the 
stimulation  and  the  guidance  that  each  one  requires.  It 
is  because  we  love  little  children  that  we  want  to  guard 
them  against  the  dangers  that  develop  in  large  families, 
and  that  make  tenderness  and  devotion  and  fulness  of  love 
on  the  part  of  parents  almost  impossible. 

The  second  argument  is  the  mother.  No  one  outside 
doctors  and  nurses  and  those  associated  with  hospitals  can 
know  the  terrible  price  that  women  pay  for  their  own 
ignorance  and  our  indifference.  Too  many  and  too 
frequent  confinements  undermine  the  strength  and  health 
of  mothers,  and  lead  too  often  to  premature  and  pre- 
ventable death. 

Woman  is  no  longer  either  the  property  or  the  sport  of 
man.  She  has  freed  herself  from  the  serfdom  of  centuries. 
She  has  won  for  herself  many  rights,  and  one  of  the  most 
sacred  is  the  right  of  voluntary  maternity.  Women  have 
every  reason  to  rejoice  in  this  right,  for  voluntary  mater- 
nity means  a  longer  life  for  mothers  ;  it  means  a  continu- 
ance of  the  precious  influence  of  the  mother  in  the  life  of 
her  children  ;  it  means  that  the  mother  will  have  the  time 
and  strength  to  cultivate  those  powers  that  are  pecu- 
liarly her  own,  and  that,  when  cultivated,  introduce  into 
the  world  a  richness  and  fragrance  and  beauty  with- 
out which  we  would  be  deprived  of  some  of  our  rarest 
treasures. 

The  third  argument  is  social  welfare.  Twenty  years 
and  more  in  social  service  teach  me  that  families  often 
become  a  liability  and  a  burden  solely  because  they  grow 
too  large  and  increase  too  rapidly.  My  studies  show  that 
many  and  many  a  family  slips  down  to  the  line  of  need 
and  destitution  for  the  simple  reason  that  too  many 
children  are  born  to  parents  who  have  a  very  limited 
working  and  earning  capacity.  The  great  mass  of 
workers  the  world  over  will  free  themselves  much 
more  speedily  when  they  come  to  see  that  ignorant 
and  irresponsible  procreation  only  impedes  their  own 
advance. 

The  fourth  argument  is  national  and  international  peace. 
It  is  difficult  to  study  the  history  of  India  and  China  and 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  119 

not  come  to  the  conclusion  that  much  of  the  misery  of 
these  unhappy  countries  is  the  result  of  centuries  of 
uncontrolled  breeding  of  children.  Excessive  increase  of 
population  means  periodic  visitation  of  famine  and  plague, 
and  the  horrible  custom  of  infanticide.  It  is  difficult  to 
study  world-history  and  escape  the  conviction  that  over- 
population is  often  the  cause  and  more  frequently  an 
excuse  for  war.  In  1914,  Germany  demanded  more 
territory  to  accommodate  her  people.  To-day  Japan  is 
seeking  a  section  of  China  and  Siberia  in  order  to  care  for 
the  Japanese  who  overflow  the  island  empire. 

The  final  argument  is  that  Birth  Control  vouchsafes  us 
some  measure  of  control  over  the  future.  We  have  not 
hesitated  to  extend  our  control  over  nature ;  we  do 
our  utmost  to  bend  nature  to  our  use.  We  have  not 
hesitated  to  extend  our  control  over  vegetation  ;  for 
decades  we  have  been  experimenting  with  seeds  and 
plants  and  flowers.  We  have  not  hesitated  to  extend 
our  control  over  the  animal  kingdom  ;  for  centuries  we 
have  watched  the  breeding  of  sheep  and  cattle  and 
horses,  and  within  recent  years  we  have  turned  breeding 
into  a  science. 

It  is  possible  through  Birth  Control  to  relieve  ourselves 
and  society  of  many  imperfections  ;  it  is  possible  through 
Birth  Control  to  free  ourselves  for  the  realisation  of  those 
splendid  visions  that  summon  us  from  time  to  time  to 
vaster  enterprises  and  loftier  levels  of  spiritual  culture. 
Those  who  feel  a  passion  for  finer  realms  of  thought  and 
conduct  and  comradeship  find  in  Birth  Control  an 
instrument  of  exceeding  promise  and  power. 

No  movement  that  can  do  these  things ;  no  movement 
that  can  guard  the  child,  preserve  the  mother,  relieve 
the  extent  and  pressure  of  social  distress,  remove  one  of 
the  excuses  and  causes  of  war,  no  movement  that  can 
invest  us  with  the  power  to  determine  to  some  degree  the 
character  of  posterity,  that  can  teach  us  to  so  control  our 
creative  instincts  that  we  shall  create  not  suffering  and 
sorrow,  but  joy  and  beauty,  a  world  in  which  each  baby 
will  be  wanted  and  welcomed  and  cherished,  can  be 
anything  but  moral. 


120    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

THE  LEGITIMACY  OF  EARLY  MARRIAGE 
AND  BIRTH  CONTROL. 

By  M.  R.  Samey,  M.A.,  M.D.,  D.P.H. 

(Ex-District  Health  Officer  of  Tippera). 

At  the  prompting  of  my  friend  Professor  Gopalji 
Ahluwalia,  founder  of  the  Indian  Birth  Control  Society, 
Delhi,  I  write  this  paper  for  the  Fifth  International  neo- 
Malthusian  and  Birth  Control  Conference.  I  do  not 
essay  to  be  exhaustive  or  ex  cathedra  in  this,  but  merely 
attempt  at  making  heard  the  voice  of  the  315  odd  millions 
of  this  sub-continent  in  the  council  of  the  world.  It  is 
always  pleasant  to  get  out  of  the  meshes  of  parochial 
interest  and,  unhampered  by  racial  considerations  actuated 
by  political  expediency,  to  speak  out  and  give  a  bit  of  our 
minds  in  the  halls  where  is  articulated  a  babel  of  thoughts 
and  tongues. 

It  is  coming  to  be  recognised  that  the  larger  interests  of 
humanity  cannot  be  carried  away  in  the  ring  fence  of  little 
national  interests.  Science  has  deserted  the  cloister  and 
has  set  out  on  excursion  with  a  vengeance  to  the  hearths  of 
the  million. 

The  efforts  of  the  Malthusian  League  to  bring  home  to 
the  multitude  the  heavy  responsibilities  of  unlimited 
parentage  and  place  at  their  disposal  preventative  measures 
are  indeed  praiseworthy,  especially  in  view  of  its  being  a 
thankless  task. 

Men  are  separated  by  their  opinions.  But  Pascal  has 
said  they  will  never  be  strong  enough  to  do  without 
compassion.  This  sentiment  of  compassion  is  at  the 
foundation  of  all  great  movements,  and  the  Birth-Control 
Movement  is  one  of  such  magnificent  magnitude. 

Bacon  says,  "  In  youth  wives  are  our  mistresses,  com- 
panions in  middle  age,  and  nurses  when  we  get  old,  so  that 
a  man  has  always  reasons  in  favour  of  matrimony." 
Hufeland  considered  that  the  married  state  is  an  indispen- 
sable requisite  for  the  moral  perfection  of  mankind.  He 
contended  that  it  prevents  debilitating  dissipation  on  the 
one  hand,  and  cold  and  unnatural  indifference  on  the 
other;  that  it  moderates  and  regulates  enjoyment, 
whilst  it  promotes  domestic  joy,  which  is  the  purest,  the 
most  uniform  and  the  least  wasting  of  any,  the  best 
suited  to  physical  as  well  as  moral  health.     Statistics 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  121 

show  that  married  people  live  longer  than  single.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  bachelors  take  less  care  of  their  health 
than  married  men,  having  no  partner  in  life  to  keep,  so  to 
speak,  a  strict  eye  upon  them.  They  also,  generally 
speaking,  have  no  one  with  whom  they  can  share  their 
trials  and  sorrows,  so  making  the  burden  of  them  greater 
to  bear. 

No  less  a  philosopher  than  Bacon  holding  his  brief  for 
matrimony  at  all  times,  held  that  the  protagonists  of 
celibacy  and  belated  marriages  on  economic  grounds  miss 
much  grist  for  their  mills.  Marriage  must,  then,  be  accepted 
as  the  only  course  of  wisdom  for  an  even  tenor  of  life. 

Then,  matrimony  being  inevitable,  why  not  early  to 
avoid  sowing  wild  oats  in  youth.  The  office  of  a  parent 
is  an  exalted  one,  no  doubt,  and  a  period  of  apprenticeship 
is  to  be  served  to  discharge  the  onerous  duties  of  the  high 
office.  The  bewildered  youth  asks  how  to  shoulder  the 
consequences  of  half  a  century  of  wedlock  ?  What  about 
the  baker's  dozen  of  children  that  must  be  the  upshot  of 
the  union  ? 

I  concede  that  it  is  most  wicked  to  usher  immortals  into 
existence,  and  then  leave  them  to  suffer  for  the  necessaries 
of  life,  and,  above  all,  to  let  them  grow  up  ignorant  and 
depraved.  The  higher  we  can  carry  those  in  the  scale  of 
improvement  who  owe  their  existence  to  us,  the  more 
perfectly  we  fulfil  our  duties  to  them,  and  obey  the  com- 
mands of  God,  uttered  through  the  institutes  of  nature. 
The  remedy  lies  in  their  own  hands.  The  Malthusian 
League  places  in  their  hands  effective  measures  of  contra- 
ception, quite  harmless  and  safe. 

The  Hindu  shastras  were  fully  alive  to  the  pernicious 
effects  of  prolific  progeny  and  placed  so  many  safeguards 
and  effective  checks  on  copulation  in  wedlock  by  way  of 
astral  and  calendary  restrictions  as  to  admit  of  hardly  a 
couple  of  days  in  the  month.  Then  the  practice  of 
knowing  one's  wife  from  motives  of  passion  was  sternly 
discountenanced  and  progeny  was  the  prime  motive  of 
legalised  wedlock.  Only  the  first-born  son  was  known  as 
such  (putra),  and  the  rest  kamajas,  or  "  passion  products." 
The  highest  meritorious  ritual  was  the  practice  of  "  man 
and  wife  "  sharing  the  same  bed  yet  avoiding  carnal 
pleasure,  and  known  as  the  "Great  Asidhara."  Promis- 
cuous intercourse  was  abhorred  and  debarred,  and  Varna 
Sankara,  Jathi  Sankara  were  sedulously  guarded  against. 


122    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

The  eugenic  idea  which  Sir  Francis  Galton  perfected  to 
a  science  is  thoroughly  portrayed  in  the  "  Mahabharuta 
the  Great,"  The  Illiad  of  India.  The  Great  Vyasa,  the 
author  of  the  above,  procreated  from  the  Dowager  Con- 
sorts Royal  of  Santanu,  Amba,  Ambica  and  Ambalica 
the  Great  Pandu,  Dhritarasthra  and  Vidura  the  Good. 
The  first-born  Dhritarasthra  was  blind,  owing  to  his 
mother  having  embraced  Vyasa  in  disgust  with  eyes 
blindfolded.  Pandu  was  the  victim  of  nervous  tremor, 
the  teleolopy  of  his  mother  having  quaked  in  embrace, 
and  Vidura,  born  of  a  substitute  Sudra  woman,  was  the 
very  emblem  of  purity,  reverence  and  knowledge. 

These  instances  are  of  the  past,  and  this  country  is 
content  to  rest  on  its  oars.  But  what  do  we  see  to-day 
in  India  ?  Poverty,  stark,  naked,  undisguisable,  stinks 
in  the  nostrils  with  an  abominable  stench  tenaciously. 

Compulsory  marriage  of  girls  at  their  pre-puberty  stage 
only  saddles  girl-wives  to  boy-husbands.  With  a  mill- 
stone around  their  neck,  these  boys  plod  on  in  the 
wonderful  Indian  'Varsities  to  come  out  fully  emasculated 
for  the  burdens,  trials  and  temptations  of  life. 

A  horde  of  children  of  cheap- jack  appearance  throng 
their  hearths  and  as  a  positive  nuisance  a  female  progeny 
has  come  to  be  looked  upon.  They  must  marry  their 
daughters,  and  match-making  is  tying  a  Gordian  knot. 

The  collegiate  parvenu  sitting  in  the  hired  purlieu  keeps 
his  head  in  the  very  stars,  and  the  poor  father  of  a  girl  has 
to  "  kowtow  "  seven  times  before  this  lord  of  the  celestial 
empire — for  is  not  terrestrial  empire  already  lost  to  him, 
a  helot  in  his  own  land  ? — deigns  to  speak. 

His  Majesty  consents  to  marriage.  What  follows  ? 
kitchen  drudgery. 

Dockers  being  paid  better  than  doctors,  and  miners 
better  than  masters  of  arts,  these  sorry  specimens  of 
humanity  throng  the  office  purlieus  to  be  hooted  out  neck 
and  all  in  these  days  of  Inchcape  Committees  and  vigorous 
application  of  the  retrenchment  rod. 

The  wrong  side  of  the  Government  ledger  is  swelled  by 
a  crushing  military  budget,  and  the  Indian  literatti  who, 
like  the  Portuguese  in  Europe,  depend  on  jobs,  however 
poorly  paid,  are  on  the  verge  of  extinction  by  starvation. 
Dr.  Nansen,  when  he  is  speaking  of  the  Russian  Famine, 
gives  vivid  pictures  of  famine-stricken  areas  of  Russia, 
and  how  we  wish  that  some  high-souled  Indian  Nansen 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  123 

would  go  out  and  portray  the  eternal  poverty  of  the 
Indian  population  before  well-fed  countries  ! 

Any  measure  that  essays  to  grapple  with  the  "  poverty 
problem  "  must  be  hailed  with  delight  in  India,  and  scien- 
tific Birth  Control  is  a  legitimate  step  in  this  direction. 
China  and  India  belie  the  doctrine  of  strength  of  numbers. 
The  multiplication  of  helots  in  the  Empire  is  condemned 
by  the  ultra-politician  Gandhi  Mahatma. 

Human  life  cheapens  in  value,  and  the  labour  market 
is  glutted  by  this  unrestricted  procreation  of  species. 
The  formation  of  the  Indian  Birth  Control  Society 
comes  as  a  harbinger  of  relief,  and  is  better  late  than 
never. 

Like  the  Devil,  the  conservatives  quote  the  Bible  against 
these  artificial  limitations  of  family,  and  much  spade  work 
is  to  be  done  before  Indian  Zoilism  is  levelled  to  the 
ground  by  the  handful  of  neo-Malthusian  enthusiasts. 

But  the  logic  of  facts  is  eloquent,  and  the  Indian  middle 
class  which  is  hard  hit  by  the  present  economic  slump  will 
readily  take  to  anything  that  holds  out  a  way  of  relief 
from  the  thraldom  of  poverty.  The  might  of  thew  and 
sinew  that  neo-Malthusian  measures  impart  to  the  helpless 
middle  classes  will  be  hailed  with  delight. 

With  the  words  of  James  Allen  I  conclude  : — 

Hail  to  thee,  Man  Divine,  the  conqueror 
Of  sin  and  shame  and  sorrow  ;  no  more  weak, 
Wormlike  and  grovelling  art  thou ;  no  more 
Wilt  thou  again  bow  down  to  things  that  wreak 
Scourgings  and  death  upon  thee  ;  Thou  dost  rise, 
Triumphant  in  thy  strength  ;  good,  pure  and  wise. 

Resolution. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  session  the  following  resolution 
was  put  to  the  meeting  : — 

"  The  Fifth  International  Neo-Malthusian  and 
Birth  Control  Conference  desires  to  point  out  that  the 
practice  of  Birth  Control  is  not  contrary  to  the  dic- 
tates or  spirit  of  Christianity,  but  has  been  advocated 
from  motives  of  the  deepest  compassion  for  the  poor 
and  suffering,  and  as  the  only  practicable  means  of 
securing  the  highest  ideal  of  marriage  and  sexual 
purity.  It  claims  that  this  ideal  can  only  be  secured 
by  making  it  generally  known  that  young  people  can 
marry  without  the  fear  of  unlimited  families,  and  that 
universal  early  marriage  affords  the  only  possibility  of 


124    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

eliminating  sexual  irregularities.  It  further  points 
out  that  the  spread  of  contraceptive  knowledge  can 
be  and  has  been  carried  out  through  the  medical 
profession  and  by  means  of  sealed  booklets  issued 
against  suitable  declarations  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
prevent  its  dissemination  among  young  unmarried 
persons,  and  calls  upon  the  Church  and  all  those  who 
have  human  welfare  and  public  morality  at  heart  to 
join  in  the  provision  of  such  instruction  on  these  lines, 
and  to  supplement  it  with  such  moral  sexual  instruc- 
tion as  will  help  to  guard  it  against  abuse." 

Carried,  with  two  dissentients. 

(Signed)  Gordon  Lang, 

President  of  the  Section. 


Thursday,  July  13/A. — Morning  Session. 

EUGENIC  SECTION 

President     .     Professor  E.  W.  MacBride,  D.Sc.,  M.A., 

LL.D.,  F.R.S. 

The  President,  in  opening  the  session,  delivered  an 
address  on  : — 

BIRTH  CONTROL  AND  BIOLOGICAL  LAW. 

In  discussing  the  subject  of  Birth  Control  a  zoologist 
has  several  great  advantages  to  start  with.  He  knows 
that  the  life  of  man  is  governed  by  the  same  laws  as 
those  which  control  the  existence  of  the  lower  animals, 
and  that  if  those  laws  are  violated  disaster  will  overtake 
us  as  surely  as  if  we  were  a  race  of  rats  or  birds  ;  and  we 
therefore  believe  that  from  the  study  of  the  lives  of  our 
animal  relatives  valuable  light  is  thrown  on  the  probable 
result  of  human  tendencies. 

We  know  that  every  species  of  animal  and  plant,  if 
allowed  to  exercise  unchecked  its  natural  powers  of 
reproduction,  would  in  a  few  years  completely  overrun  the 
earth  and  crush  out  every  other  form  of  life.  The  reason 
that  this  catastrophe  does  not  occur  is  the  terrific  death 
rate,  which  falls  principally  on  the  young.  The  average 
frog  begins  to  breed  at  the  age  of  five  years,  and  produces 
about  4,000  eggs  in  the  season.  If  we  assume  that  a 
female  frog  lives  to  the  age  of  seven  years  (a  most  modest 
assumption),  and  breeds  three  times,  it  will  in  the  course 
of  its  life  give  birth  to  12,000  young,  and  of  these,  on  an 
average,  only  two  survive  to  reach  maturity.  That 
represents  an  infant  death  rate  which  beggars  all  human 
comparison. 

Death  may  be  due  to  starvation,  overcrowding,  and 
consequent  poisoning  by  excreta,  desiccation,  and  so  on. 
But  under  ordinary  conditions  the  most  frequent  cause 
of  death  is  through  the  young  one  falling  a  prey  to  some 
predatory  animal. 


126    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

Under  ordinary  stable  conditions,  however,  the  propor- 
tion of  one  species  to  another  does  not  vary  much  from 
year  to  year.  It  is  true  that  amongst  fish,  one  year  may 
be  so  favourable  for  the  survival  of  fry  as  to  produce  a 
population  of  adult  fish  which  will  stock  the  seas  for  years. 
But  on  the  whole,  the  herring  population,  for  instance,  does 
not  vary  very  much  if  we  compare  not  years,  but  decades, 
with  each  other.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  the  repro- 
ductive powers  of  each  species  are  just  sufficient  to  balance 
the  ravages  made  on  its  numbers  by  external  foes. 

What  I  have  said  is,  of  course,  common  knowledge  to 
every  well -instructed  student  of  zoology,  and  the  same 
general  balance  between  reproductive  capacity  and 
chances  of  survival  has  prevailed  in  the  past  with  regard 
to  man.  If  we,  however,  cast  a  glance  backwards  over 
human  history,  we  must  concede  that  the  human  race 
as  a  whole  has  been  steadily  increasing  in  numbers  as  the 
ages  have  rolled  on,  and  as  man's  power  to  produce  food 
has  increased.  Anthopologists  would  not  estimate  the 
population  of  the  vast  territory  which  now  constitutes 
Canada,  in  pre-Columbian  days,  at  more  than  500,000  ; 
the  population  at  present  is  nine  millions.  The  popula- 
tion of  England,  as  computed  from  the  entries  in  Domesday 
Book,  was  about  two  and  a  half  millions  in  a.d.  1100  ; 
to-day  (excluding  Wales)  it  is  35  millions. 

If,  through  any  cause  the  power  of  producing  food  in 
any  region  falls  off,  the  population  inevitably  declines, 
either  by  emigration  or  famine.  In  Central  Turkestan 
deserted  cities  are  unearthed  half  buried  in  sand,  situated 
in  places  where  the  surrounding  country  certainly  would 
not  now  provide  food  for  any  considerable  population. 
Northern  Africa  once  was  the  granary  of  the  Roman 
Empire  ;  now  the  desert  in  many  places  reaches  almost  to 
the  Mediterranean,  and  the  country  supports  only  a  scanty 
population  of  Arabs. 

Now,  from  very  early  times  in  human  history,  as  soon 
as  the  tribe  with  its  common  interests  had  been  evolved, 
the  problem  of  preventing  the  multiplication  of  the 
population  beyond  the  capacity  of  the  food  supply  had  to 
be  faced  and  dealt  with.  Hence,  some  form  of  Birth 
Control,  or  more  properly  speaking,  survival  control,  is 
found  amongst  all  primitive  peoples.  Amongst  the  native 
Australians  the  penis  was  split  lengthwise  so  as  to  allow  of 
the  loss  of  the  spermatozoa.      In  certain  of  the  Pacific 


EUGENIC  127 

Islands  all  children  in  a  family  above  two  were  drowned 
outside  the  reef.  As  all  classical  students  know,  in  Greek 
and  Roman  times  there  existed  the  practice,  sanctioned 
by  custom  of  exposing  all  unwanted  children  in  jars,  so 
that  they  died  of  exposure.  As  Professor  Myers  has 
pointed  out,  there  came  a  period  in  the  development  of 
Greek  civilisation  when  the  known  (Mediterranean)  world 
had  been  thoroughly  exploited  by  the  Greek  colonists,  and 
no  further  expansion  was  possible,  with  the  then  known 
modes  of  food  production.  When  this  limit  was  reached 
severe  Birth  Control  was  inculcated.  The  conquests  of 
Alexander  opened  up  new  fields  and  fresh  colonisation, 
and  so  permitted  a  further  expansion  of  the  Greek  race. 

The  triumph  of  Christianity  put  an  end  to  the  practice 
of  infanticide,  and  so  ushered  in  a  time  of  unrestricted 
propagation.  Infanticide  to  excess  and  the  avoidance  of 
the  marital  tie  with  its  responsibilities  were  potent  causes 
in  bringing  about  that  decay  of  virility  which  led  to  the 
downfall  of  the  Roman  Empire.  The  baby  crop  failed  ; 
the  hard-working  Latin  peasantry  with  their  small  farms 
disappeared,  and  were  replaced  by  herdsmen  who  looked 
after  pasture.  When,  about  a.d.  400,  Italy  was  threatened 
by  a  Hun  invasion,  Stilicho,  the  Roman  general,  had  the 
greatest  difficulty  in  raising  a  sufficient  army  to  repel  it. 
His  whole  campaign  was  hampered  by  the  knowledge  that 
if  his  army  was  defeated  there  were  no  reserves  available. 

When  Greece,  in  the  reign  of  Nero,  received  the  grant  of 
full  automony  from  that  Emperor,  he  expressed  his  regret 
that  such  a  small  remnant  of  the  original  population  must 
be  sacrificed,  partly  at  any  rate  to  the  fundamental  aridity 
of  Greece,  and  the  opportunities  for  Greek  migration  and 
overseas  prosperity  which  existed  under  the  Roman 
Empire. 

The  opponents  of  Birth  Control  will  now  maintain  that 
since  the  times  of  the  Roman  Empire  and  the  triumph  of 
Christianity  in  Western  Europe,  things  have  righted  them- 
selves without  Birth  Control.  It  devolves  on  those,  who 
like  myself,  regard  Birth  Control  as  an  urgent  question  of 
to-day,  to  show  that  there  is  something  unprecedented  and 
menacing  in  the  present  situation  which  was  not  so  pro- 
minent in  the  past.  I  think  that  it  is  quite  possible  to  do 
this — and  the  two  new  factors  may  be  summed  up  in  the 
phrases,  industrialism  and  humanitarianism,  or,  put  more 
simply,  factories  and  factory  legislation. 


128    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

Up  till  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  England 
was,  so  far  as  food  was  concerned,  practically  a  self- 
supporting  country  ;  nay,  more,  each  district  was  largely 
self-supporting.  The  people  of  Devon,  for  instance,  lived 
principally  on  the  produce  of  Devon.  The  majority  of  the 
people  were  engaged  in  agriculture,  and  though  peasant 
proprietors  were  few  the  position  of  the  majority  of  the 
tenant  farmers  was  in  many  ways  equal,  if  not  preferable 
to  that  of  peasant  proprietors.  Farms  were  passed  on 
from  father  to  son,  and  when  a  former  bursar  of  Trinity 
College,  Cambridge,  took  office,  he  discovered  that  certain 
families  had  been  tenants  of  College  farms  for  a  longer  period 
than  the  College  had  existed,  and  it  was  founded  in  1550. 
During  this  long  period  the  population  of  England  had  only 
slowly  increased,  and  yet,  so  far  as  we  know,  early  mar- 
riages and  large  families  were  the  rule,  and  no  form  of  Birth 
Control  existed.  The  population  and  the  food  supply, 
therefore,  must  have  been  adjusted  to  each  other  by  some 
form  of  natural  selection.  I  think  a  little  consideration 
will  show  how  this  selection  worked.  Travel  facilities  were 
few  and  utilised  only  by  the  rich,  so  that  the  people  of 
each  locality  were  largely  confined  to  it  and  all  their 
interests  centred  in  it.  When,  therefore,  the  renewal  of 
leases  was  considered,  or  the  tenancy  of  cottages  deter- 
mined, the  worthless  and  incapable  were  not  considered, 
and  in  a  small  community  every  one  knew  who  these  were, 
and  so  undesirables  could  not  marry  and  found  families. 
Then  the  death  rate  from  disease  was  appalling.  A  historian 
has  said  :  "In  the  good  old  days  people  died  in  the 
country  as  quickly  as  they  now  die  in  the  slums  of  cities, 
as  quickly  as  white  people  now  die  on  the  coast  of  Guinea." 

Dean  Inge  has  calculated  that  the  Black  Death  wiped 
out  between  two-thirds  and  three-fourths  of  the  population 
of  England,  and  he  further  states  that  the  condition  of  the 
agricultural  labourers  in  the  succeeding  century  in  conse- 
quence of  this  diminution  in  their  numbers  was  better  than 
it  had  been  for  centuries  before  or  than  it  was  for  centuries 
after  this  time. 

A  similar  visitation  traversed  England  in  1666,  and  must 
have  thinned  the  population  tremendously.  The  inspec- 
tion of  old  parish  registers  in  Norfolk  throws  a  lurid  light 
on  the  awful  death  rate  that  attended  the  plague.  It  is 
worthy  of  note,  then,  when  natural  checks  fail  to  prevent 
the  growth  of  animal  populations,  their  numbers,  like 


EUGENIC  129 

those  of  human  races,  are  every  now  and  then  reduced  by 
an  epidemic  of  disease.  This  is  stated  to  happen  every 
few  years  to  the  "  Jack  Rabbit  "  populations  which  inhabit 
the  Mackenzie  Basin  in  Canada.  The  ravages  of  "  rinder- 
pest "  amongst  the  wild  Ungulate  population  of  South 
Africa  may  also  be  cited  as  an  example. 

The  Irish  famine  of  1846  and  the  Russian  famine  of 
to-day  are  also  instances  of  natural  correctives  to  unduly 
expanded  population. 

But  the  position  in  England  became  radically  altered 
when  we  became  a  manufacturing  population.  Then  our 
food  supply  began  to  come  in  necessary  quantities  from 
abroad,  and  our  capacity  to  support  a  population  was 
measured  by  our  ability  to  exchange  the  products  of  our 
manufactures  for  food  produced  elsewhere.  Under  these 
circumstances  the  population  of  England  increased  300  per 
cent,  between  the  years  1800  and  1900.  Large  families 
were  the  rule,  and  in  the  'seventies  the  birth  rate  touched 
36  per  thousand,  which  was  the  pre-war  birth  rate  of 
Russia.  But  the  infant  death  rate  was  appalling,  so  that 
the  population  probably  did  not  increase  faster  than  the 
food  purchasing  capacity. 

Since  1890,  however,  the  public  began  to  take  the  infant 
death  rate  to  heart,  and  legislative  and  voluntary  assist- 
ance was  accorded  to  poor  mothers,  and  the  infant  death 
rate  has  begun  to  go  down.  Free  education,  free  school 
meals,  and  free  medical  attendance  have  followed  in  rapid 
succession,  and  all  these  benefits  have  been  provided  by 
taxing  the  thrifty  and  saving  members  of  the  community, 
who  have,  in  consequence,  limited  their  families.  Thirty 
years  ago  the  clergy  used  to  be  reckoned  as  amongst  the 
most  prolific  members  of  the  community,  and  they  are 
rightly  regarded  as  breeders  of  talent,  on  account  of  the 
number  of  their  children  who  rose  to  distinction  in  science, 
literature,  and  public  service.  To-day,  clerical  families 
consist  of  one  or  two ;  and  the  same  is  true  of  doctors' 
families.  Whilst,  however,  the  birth  rate  as  a  whole  has 
fallen,  the  birth  rate  of  the  lowest  strata  of  the  community 
has  not  appreciably  diminished.  Road  sweepers,  dock 
labourers,  and  people  of  that  class  still  indulge  in  large 
families,  and  one  of  the  Labour  Members  of  Parliament 
was  congratulated  a  short  time  ago  on  the  birth  of  his 
thirteenth  child.  The  consequence,  therefore,  of  our 
baby-saving  campaign  is  to  alter  the  composition  of  the 

B.C.  « 


130    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

population — to  increase  the  proportion  of  the  poorer 
strains,  and  to  diminish  the  proportion  of  the  better 
strain. 

To  this  conclusion  it  may  be  objected  that  intrinsically 
the  children  of  the  poor  are  just  as  good  material  as  the 
children  of  the  better  classes,  and  that  so  long  as  the  baby 
crop  is  good,  it  does  not  matter  in  the  national  interest 
what  social  stratum  it  comes  from.  But  this  position 
will  not  bear  investigation.  Great  progress  has  been  made 
with  the  effort  to  measure  mental  ability,  and  the  validity 
of  the  Simon  and  Binet  scale  is  now  generally  accepted 
by  psychologists.  This  scale  was  evolved  as  the  outcome 
of  thousands  of  mental  tests  applied  to  the  school  children 
of  Paris.  These  tests  were  selected  so  as  to  be  entirely 
independent  of  the  substance  of  what  the  children  were 
taught.  It  transpired  that  a  standard  of  mental  capacity 
could  be  determined  which  should  be  reached  by  a  normal 
child  at  each  year  of  its  existence  up  till  the  age  of  fifteen. 
Backward  children  take  longer  to  reach  these  standards, 
and  forward  children  reach  them  earlier,  but,  generally 
speaking,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  mental  capacity  is  fully 
evolved,  although  mental  attainment  naturally  depends 
on  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  education  provided. 

Now  there  exist  numbers  of  defective  children  whose 
mental  capacity  never  expands  beyond  that  normal  to 
children  of  certain  ages.  They  may  live  to  be  old  men 
and  women,  nevertheless  they  remain  mentally  children. 
They  are  divided  into  groups  of  different  "  mental  ages," 
according  to  the  age  attained  by  the  normal  child  when 
it  reaches  the  standard  which  they  never  pass.  People 
of  the  mental  ages  of  one,  two  and  three  are  classed  as 
idiots,  they  are  unable  to  feed  or  dress  themselves,  and 
are  consequently  locked  up  in  asylums,  as  otherwise  they 
would  perish. 

Those  of  the  ages  four,  five  and  six  can  feed  and  dress 
themselves,  and  do  simple  tasks  under  skilled  direction, 
but  as  they  are  unable  to  maintain  themselves  in  the  world, 
are  also  looked  after  in  charitable  institutions,  and  are 
termed  imbeciles.  But  those  who  attain  the  mental 
ages  of  seven,  eight  and  nine  are  just  able  to  maintain 
themselves,  in  the  most  unskilled,  lowest  paid  occupations  ; 
they  are  termed  in  England  "  feeble  minded,"  in  America, 
"  morons,"  and  they  constitute  a  fertile  source  of  addition 
to  our  population,  and  an  ever  present  source  of  con- 


EUGENIC  131 

tamination  to  society.     The  justification  for  this  indict- 
ment we  must  now  consider. 

First,  this  mental  defect  is  hereditary.  This,  in  my 
opinion,  is  one  of  the  most  important  results  achieved  by 
the  study  of  heredity.  The  proof  of  this  conclusion  has 
been  worked  out  in  America  as  the  result  of  the  most 
painstaking  research,  the  credit  for  which  is  due  to 
Dr.  Goddard,  of  the  Vineland  Institute,  New  Jersey. 
This  is  an  institution  which  receives,  cares  for,  and  strives 
to  educate  mentally  defective  children.  Now  Dr.  Goddard 
established  a  service  of  field  workers.  These  were 
educated  men  and  women  who  spent  some  time  in  Vine- 
land  in  order  to  study  the  children :  to  see  their  peculiarities 
and  to  learn  how  the  mental  tests  were  applied.  Then 
they  were  sent  to  visit  the  relatives  of  the  children,  osten- 
sibly to  carry  tidings  of  the  health  and  progress  of  par- 
ticular inmates,  for  which  the  relatives  who  had  been 
relieved  of  the  care  of  these  persons  were  very  thankful, 
but  in  reality  to  discover  in  friendly  conversation  all  they 
could  about  the  family  history  of  the  inmates,  and  to 
draw  up  a  chart  of  the  family  tree  of  every  child  in  the 
institution.  Where  the  workers  were  convinced  that  a 
certain  relative  had  been  a  defective,  a  black  dot  was  placed 
on  the  chart ;  where  it  was  clear  the  relative  was  normal, 
the  letter  N  was  inserted ;  where  the  evidence  was  insuffi- 
cient to  give  a  decision,  a  blank  space  or  circle  was  marked. 
The  same  chart  was  worked  over  at  intervals  of  years  by 
quite  different  field  workers  as  the  result  of  independent 
investigations  ;  the  result  was  clearly  that  the  chart  was 
blackened  as  more  evidence  became  available. 

The  most  important  results  obtained  were  as  follows  : 
when  two  mentally  defective  people  marry,  all  the  children 
are  defective.  To  this  rule,  out  of  400  cases  examined, 
there  were  only  one  or  two  exceptions,  and  these  excep- 
tions can  justly  be  attributed  to  adultery  on  the  part  of 
the  female  parent.  In  one  case  mentioned  by  Goddard, 
two  defective  white  people  had  a  family  of  eleven  children, 
of  whom  nine  were  defective  and  two  normal,  but  these 
two  normal  were  black. 

Incidentally  this  case  shows  that  mental  defect  being 
a  Mendelian  recessive,  is  of  a  totally  different  nature  from 
the  characters  which  distinguish  natural  races  from  one 
another.  The  negro  is  in  many  ways  of  a  lower  mental 
calibre  than  the  white  man,  but  this  difference  in  level  is 

K    2 


132    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

quite  distinct  from  the  steps  of  mental  defect,  and  so 
negro  fatherhood  is  able  to  raise  defective  motherhood  to 
a  normal  level. 

Goddard  further  showed  that  neither  syphilitic  disease 
or  excessive  alcoholism  can  be  regarded  as  the  causes  of 
mental  defect.  Certainly,  defective  children  occur  amongst 
the  offspring  of  syphilitics  and  alcoholics,  but  just  as  many 
defectives  spring  from  stocks  which  are  free  from  these 
taints.  If  we  could  explain  how  and  why  Mendelian 
recessives  turn  up  in  other  strains,  such  as  albino  mice,  we 
might  be  on  the  way  to  discover  the  origin  of  human 
defectives,  but  this  we  cannot  do  as  yet. 

The  Americans  have,  where  opportunity  offered, 
applied  the  Simon-Binet  tests  to  delinquents  detained  in 
prisons  and  asylums,  and  have  made  the  extraordinary 
discovery  that  a  large  proportion  of  these,  a  proportion 
varying  from  30  to  50  per  cent.,  can  be  shown  to  be  defec- 
tives. This  includes  criminals  and  prostitutes  and 
habitual  drunkards.  Goddard  emphasises  the  fact  that 
defective  self  control  is  at  the  bottom  of  most  of  these 
defects.  Even  expert  criminals  are  brought  to  justice  by 
the  commission  of  some  appalling  piece  of  folly  which 
seems  quite  out  of  keeping  with  their  cleverness  in  other 
directions.  Again,  he  says  that  there  are  two  kinds 
of  drunkards — normally  minded  and  mentally  defective. 
The  first  kind,  under  the  impulse  of  a  great  shock,  are 
capable  of  pulling  themselves  up  and  throwing  off  com- 
pletely the  drink  habit ;  the  second  variety  will  repent 
with  tears  and  sign  the  pledge  any  number  of  times,  and 
yet  within  a  week  after  each  repentance  will  be  submersed 
in  drink  again. 

Now  our  health  authorities  have  never  had  the  courage 
to  institute  similar  enquiries  in  this  country.  Our  policy 
for  years  before  the  war  was  a  weakly  sentimental  yielding 
to  the  prejudices  of  the  unselected  mob.  We  have  a 
Board  of  Control  for  the  feeble-minded,  which  could  easily 
start  some  researches  such  as  these.  A  valued  member  of 
the  Eugenics  Education  Society,  Mr.  Lidbetter,  has 
devoted  years  of  study  to  the  investigation  of  parish 
records  in  the  London  area.  He  has  shown  that  the  same 
families,  generation  after  generation,  have  contributed 
their  quota  of  wastrels,  criminals  and  paupers  to  the 
population,  and  the  spread  of  education  does  not  seem  to 
have  altered  the  incidence  of  these.     In  fact,  as  Dean  Inge 


EUGENIC  133 

has  pointed  out,  if  we  compare  the  first  half  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  during  which  there  was  no  State-provided 
education,  with  the  second  half,  during  which  elementary 
education  was  universal,  we  find  in  the  first  period  fewer 
people  who  emerged  into  destruction  from  a  working  class 
origin  than  in  the  second. 

It  seems  clear,  therefore,  that  in  the  slums  we  are 
engaged  in  propagating  an  inferior  class  of  people,  and  in 
endeavouring  to  lower  their  death  rate  and  preserve  all 
their  children  alive  we  are  imposing  such  a  burden  on  the 
well-to-do  classes  as  to  cause  them  to  limit  their  families 
to  one  or  two  members  so  as  to  cease  to  be  self -perpetuating. 

But  some  people  point  to  our  empty  Dominions  as 
receptacles  for  our  slum-bred  population,  and  talk  of  the 
English  race  overspreading  the  world.  Apart  from  the 
fact  that  were  this  really  so  the  English  race  would  be 
represented  by  very  poor  material  in  other  countries, 
the  fundamental  fact  is  forgotten  that  the  Dominions 
are  self-governing  communities,  and  resolutely  refuse  to 
accept  these  people  at  all. 

To  put  the  matter  in  another  way,  our  colonies  want 
immigrants  of  courage,  initiative  and  adaptability,  and 
these  qualities  are  certainly  not  to  be  found  amongst  our 
lower  classes.  In  Canada  the  only  classes  desired  are 
domestic  servants  and  people  prepared  to  do  rough 
pioneer  farming.  In  Australia  the  same  is  true.  In 
South  Africa,  in  addition  the  immigrant  must  be  possessed 
of  considerable  capital.  None  of  these  Dominions  desire 
any  addition  to  their  town  dwelling  population.  Now  we 
have  a  superabundance  of  town-dwellers  and  rather  a 
scarcity  of  agricultural  labourers.  All  talk  of  emigration 
as  an  escape  from  the  necessity  of  regulating  our  population 
is  thus  seen  to  be  futile. 

What,  therefore,  is  to  be  done  ?  Surely  the  only  answer 
is  that  the  birth  rate  amongst  the  prolific  classes  must  be 
regulated  and  lowered.  How  is  this  to  be  enforced  ? 
The  answer  is  (first)  by  spreading  the  knowledge  of  how 
to  prevent  conception,  (second)  by  enforcing  parental 
responsibility  for  the  maintenance  of  children. 

Numerous  objections  are  raised  by  all  sorts  of  people, 
especially  ecclesiastical,  to  the  first  of  these  devices. 
In  my  opinion,  all  of  these  objections  are  founded  on  pure 
hypocrisy.  All  students  of  social  affairs  are  agreed  that 
methods  of  restricting  or  preventing  conception  are  in 


134    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

almost  universal  use  amongst  members  of  the  middle  and 
upper  classes,  and  one  is  at  a  loss  to  know  why  the  critics, 
who  belong  to  these  classes,  should  wish  to  deny  to  the 
poorer  classes  this  knowledge.  As  it  is,  some  measure  of 
Birth  Control  is  already  practised  by  these,  often  by  the 
most  dangerous  methods.  Dr.  Marie  Stopes  relates  the 
case  of  a  girl  about  twenty  who  came  to  her  clinic  with  the 
request  to  be  relieved  of  an  illegitimate  pregnancy.  This 
girl  had  had  six  previous  pregnancies,  and  in  every  case 
she  had  been  relieved  by  her  mother,  who  had  procured 
abortion  for  her. 

Then  it  is  urged  that  if  a  woman  is  prevented  from 
developing  her  natural  fertility  she  becomes  neurasthenic. 
If  this  were  true  we  should  find  the  vast  majority  of  well- 
bred  educated  women  neurasthenic,  which  is  farcical. 
But  even  if  it  were  true  that  some  few  women  would  run 
the  risk  of  neurasthenia  if  they  were  prevented  from  having 
many  children,  would  that  not  be  a  minor  evil  compared 
with  the  heart-breaking  misery  engendered  by  the  endea- 
vour to  support  a  large  family  on  inadequate  means  ? 
Surely  if  we  regard  the  welfare  of  the  children  alone  there 
is  no  comparison  between  the  two  risks  run. 

The  others  urge  that  a  knowledge  of  Birth  Control  would 
let  loose  a  flood  of  immorality.  No  one  is  compelled  to 
become  immoral  because  he  or  she  knows  how  to  prevent 
conception  ;  and  what  is  the  greater  risk,  that  some  people 
should  indulge  in  illicit  sterile  embraces  or  that  children 
should  be  born  into  the  world  with  the  enormous  handicap 
of  illegitimacy  ? 

It  may  be  added,  finally,  that  the  experiment  of  the 
State  aiding,  instead  of  preventing,  the  knowledge  of  anti- 
conceptional  method  has  been  actually  tried  in  Holland. 
The  results  have  been  magnificent :  poverty,  disease  and 
infantile  mortality  have  decreased  in  a  remarkable  degree, 
the  nutrition  of  children  is  so  much  improved  that  the 
stature  of  the  Dutch  conscripts  has  been  increased  by  at 
least  four  inches. 

Of  course  it  is  true  that  there  will  always  be  a  residuum 
of  people  so  utterly  careless  of  the  welfare  of  the  State  or 
of  their  prosperity  as  to  breed  reckless,  and  look  to  the 
State,  i.e.,  to  their  thrifty  neighbours,  to  support  their 
children.  The  only  remedy  for  such  conduct  is  sterilisa- 
tion ;  this  can  be  done  either  by  X-rays  or  a  slight  super- 
ficial surgical   operation.     If  the  practice  of  voluntary 


EUGENIC  135 

Birth  Control  became  more  widespread,  then  an  en- 
lightened public  opinion  would  be  found  which  would  sup- 
port measures  of  compulsory  sterilisation  against  those 
who  persist  in  having  families  at  the  public  expense. 

We  may,  perhaps,  notice  finally  the  argument  against 
Birth  Control  based  on  the  necessity  for  an  abundant 
supply  of  cannon  fodder  for  future  wars.  To  this  answer 
two  replies  may  be  given  :  first,  it  is  physically  impossible 
to  support  a  much  larger  population  on  these  islands  than 
at  present  exists,  and,  second,  the  late  war  and  the  fate 
of  the  Russian  armies  demonstrates  the  impotence  of  mere 
cannon  fodder.  We  want  as  many  healthy,  independent, 
well-bred  men  as  we  can  support,  and  when  we  attain  this 
limit  we  shall  have  the  material  for  an  army  which  will 
protect  us  against  any  possible  foe. 

THE  PROBLEM  OF  THE  UNFIT. 

By  Horatio  M.  Pollock,  Ph.D. 

(Statistician,  New  York  State  Hospital  Commission). 

The  diverse  elements  comprising  human  society  have 
been  roughly  placed  into  two  groups,  namely,  "  life- 
givers  "  and  "  life-takers."  To  the  former  group  belong 
the  intelligent,  industrious,  thrifty  and  generous  people 
who  do  the  work  of  the  world  and  carry  its  burdens  ;  to 
the  latter  group  belong  those  who  fail  to  a  greater  or  less 
degree  in  meeting  their  responsibilities  and  become 
dependent  in  part,  at  least,  on  the  former  group.  Life- 
givers  are  the  promoters  and  upbuilders  of  civilisation  ; 
life-takers  block  the  wheels  of  progress  and  undermine  the 
foundations  laid  by  the  life-givers. 

Life-givers  may  be  rich  or  poor,  or  of  high  or  low  rank. 
It  is  not  their  possessions  or  their  position  or  station  that 
counts,  but  rather  their  personal  contribution  to  human 
welfare.  An  autocrat  who  lives  in  luxury  and  rules 
unwisely  and  unjustly  is  a  life-taker  of  the  grossest  sort, 
while  a  humble  artisan  who  does  useful  work  in  skilful  way 
is  a  life -giver  and  is  entitled  to  the  respect  and  gratitude 
of  his  fellow  men.  Life-givers  of  genius,  like  Jesus  and 
Buddha,  who  are  able  to  work  out  universal  principles 
governing  human  relations,  or  like  Pasteur  and  Edison, 
who  search  out  the  secrets  of  nature,  represent  mankind 
at  its  highest  and  best.     Through  their  efforts  the  whole 


136    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

human  race  of  the  present  and  future  is  made  richer  and 
happier. 

The  life-takers  are  not  a  homogeneous  group,  but  are 
composed  of  many  types.  Some  are  intelligent  and  well 
educated,  but  lack  tact  and  adaptability ;  some  are 
temperate,  but  also  lazy  and  shiftless  ;  some  are  rich 
through  inheritance,  but  useless  and  vicious ;  some  are 
religious,  but  lack  capacity  and  initiative  ;  many  others 
are  alcoholic,  feeble-minded,  psychopathic  or  delinquent. 
All  are  parasitic  to  some  degree,  and  therefore  are  to  be 
counted  as  unfit  for  independent  existence.  A  consi- 
derable part  of  the  life-takers  might  become  useful  by 
proper  treatment  ;  the  others  constitute  a  hopeless  assort- 
ment of  wrecks.  The  latter  group  of  defectives  and  incur- 
ables are  the  big  problem  with  which  we  must  deal. 
Destroy  them  we  must  not ;  reform  them  we  cannot ;  care 
for  them  we  must,  whether  we  like  it  or  not. 

With  the  influx  of  the  population  into  cities  the  care  of 
the  mentally  defective  and  the  insane  in  homes  has  become 
less  practicable,  and  consequently  institution  care  is  fast 
displacing  home  care.  The  burden  of  support  of  these 
classes  is  also  being  rapidly  shifted  from  the  family  to  the 
State.  In  States  and  countries  where  a  high  standard  of 
institution  care  has  been  provided,  the  rate  of  increase  of 
insane  in  institutions  has  far  exceeded  the  rate  of  increase 
of  population.  Most  State  hospitals  in  America  are  now 
crowded  far  beyond  their  capacity.  State  care  of  mental 
defectives  is  usually  limited  to  the  lowest  grades,  and 
there  are  always  more  applicants  for  admission  than  can 
be  accommodated.  Apparently  the  burden  of  both  the 
chronic  insane  and  the  mentally  defective  is  continually 
becoming  heavier. 

Is  the  problem  then  hopeless  ?  Must  we  go  on  building 
institutions  to  house  a  continually  increasing  number  of 
the  unfit  ?  Must  the  products  of  the  thrifty  and  in- 
dustrious be  for  ever  depleted  to  supply  the  non-pro- 
ductive ?  Must  the  general  level  of  society  always  be 
kept  down  by  the  admixture  of  disintegrating  elements  ? 

Many  measures  for  temporary  relief  are  being  advocated. 
Among  the  more  promising  of  these  may  be  mentioned 
the  careful  study  and  supervision  of  school  children,  the 
organisation  of  special  classes  for  abnormal  pupils, 
systematic  vocational  guidance  for  children  who  leave 
school  early,  mental  clinics,  and  psychopathic  hospitals 


EUGENIC  137 

for  the  early  treatment  of  incipient  mental  disorders, 
special  institutions  for  defective  delinquents,  colonies  for 
high-grade  mental  defectives  where  they  may  become  self- 
supporting,  and  occupational  therapy  along  productive 
lines  for  the  mentally  and  physically  sick. 

These,  with  better  laws  regulating  the  production  and 
distribution  of  wealth,  should  do  much  to  improve  con- 
ditions, but  I  see  no  hope  for  permanent  relief  unless 
society  awakens  to  a  full  realisation  of  the  situation  and 
becomes  willing  to  cast  aside  some  of  the  prevailing  rules 
and  regulations  relative  to  the  procreation  of  the  race.  It 
is  commonly  observed  that  at  the  present  time  much  more 
intelligence  and  wisdom  are  exercised  in  breeding  domestic 
animals  and  plants  than  in  propagating  the  human  species. 
The  latter  is  very  largely  a  haphazard  matter.  Under 
our  present  marriage  laws  there  is  no  opportunity  to 
conserve  in  large  measure  for  the  benefit  of  the  race  the 
capacity,  vigour  and  moral  and  physical  beauty  of 
specially  gifted  men  and  women.  On  the  other  hand, 
practically  nothing  can  now  be  done  to  check  the  rapid 
multiplication  of  inferior  stocks. 

In  spite  of  the  rapid  advancement  of  science  and 
practical  arts  of  the  past  half  century,  in  spite  of  the 
general  extension  of  institutions  of  learning,  in  spite  of  the 
higher  standards  of  living  and  the  improved  conservation 
of  life,  there  is  practically  no  evidence  that  the  human  race 
is  improving  physically,  mentally  or  morally.  How  could 
it  improve  under  present  methods  of  propagation  ?  The 
few  eugenic  marriages  of  recent  years  are  more  than  offset 
by  the  many  matings  of  defectives.  We  have  no  racial 
ideals,  no  standards  of  selection.  We  know  enough  of  the 
laws  of  heredity  to  give  us  a  basis  for  definite  measures  for 
race  improvement,  but  apathy  and  social  and  religious 
customs  have  thus  far  prevented  any  concerted  action  in 
this  direction. 

As  we  sow  so  shall  we  reap,  was  a  common  observation 
many  thousands  of  years  ago.  This  great  biological  prin- 
ciple has  been  used  with  marked  success  in  the  raising  of 
grains  and  vegetables,  cows  and  horses,  but  practically 
not  at  all  in  the  raising  of  men. 

What  does  it  profit  us  to  advance  in  the  arts  of  civilisa- 
tion if  the  human  race  is  to  deteriorate  ?  What  avails 
physics  and  chemistry  if  their  discoveries  are  to  be  used 
for  destructive  purposes  ?     Advanced  civilisation  demands 


138    FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

highly-developed  men  and  women  with  strong  moral 
purposes.     Without  these  it  cannot  endure. 

What  we  need  is  both  positive  and  negative  Birth 
Control  ;  positive  Birth  Control  to  insure  the  reproduction 
of  men  and  women  with  superior  gifts,  and  negative  Birth 
Control  to  prevent  the  reproduction  of  the  unfit. 

It  is  time  to  cast  aside  precedents,  prejudices  and  laws 
that  stand  in  the  way  of  racial  progress,  and  to  take  a 
decided  stand  for  race  improvement.  Mental  defectives 
and  psychopaths  should  not  be  permitted  to  procreate, 
and  negative  Birth  Control  should  be  encouraged  among 
inferior  stocks.  Society  is  fully  justified  in  using  close 
supervision,  segregation  or  sterilisation  whenever  neces- 
sary to  prevent  reproduction  among  the  markedly  unfit. 
Aggressive  measures  will  be  necessary  to  accomplish 
desired  results. 

We  can  never  expect  to  be  entirely  free  from  the  burden 
of  the  unfit,  but  by  taking  thought  we  can  lighten  the 
burden  for  ourselves  and  future  generations.  The  em- 
phasis must  be  continually  placed  on  the  prevention  of 
disease  and  defect.  The  laws  of  physical  and  mental 
hygiene  must  become  common  knowledge  and  must  be 
observed  in  the  rearing  and  training  of  children.  Venereal 
diseases  must  be  stamped  out.  Sentiments  that  stand  in 
the  way  of  health  and  social  safety  must  be  disregarded. 
The  knowledge  of  how  to  live  that  has  been  gained  through 
many  years  of  study  must  be  diligently  applied  for  the 
benefit  of  the  race. 


BIRTH  RATE  AND  NATURAL  INCREASE  OF 
WHITES  AND  NEGROES  IN  THE  UNITED 
STATES. 

By  Professor  W.  F.  Willcox 

(Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  U.S.A.). 

By  natural  increase  or  decrease  of  a  population  is  meant 
the  increase  or  decrease  resulting  from  the  balance  between 
the  natural  or  biological  processes  of  birth  and  death. 
The  increase  or  decrease  in  the  population  of  the  earth  in 
course  of  time  is  the  only  perfect  example  of  a  purely 
natural  increase  or  decrease  ;  the  increase  or  decrease  in 
the  population  living  on  any  definite  part  of  the  earth,  like 
the  United  States,  is  a  resultant  of  accessions  partly  by 
birth  and  partly  by  immigration,  and  of  losses  partly  by 


EUGENIC 


139 


death  and  partly  by  emigration.  In  many  countries  it  is 
difficult  to  distinguish  between  natural  increase  and  what 
I  may  venture  to  call  migratory  increase  ;  in  the  United 
States  this  difficulty  is  well-nigh  insurmountable.  If  it 
be  asked  :  How  many  births  occurred  in  the  United  States 
in  1920  ?  The  answer  is,  the  number  is  unknown.  If  it 
be  asked  how  many  deaths  occurred  in  the  United  States 
in  1920,  the  answer  is  the  same.  The  number  of  immi- 
grants, that  is,  citizens  of  other  countries  arriving  in  the 
United  States  with  the  intention  of  making  it  their  place 
of  permanent  residence,  is  known  with  close  accuracy. 
But  the  number  of  emigrants,  that  is,  native  or  naturalised 
citizens  of  the  United  States  leaving  the  country  with  the 
intention  of  establishing  a  permanent  residence  elsewhere, 
is  not  known,  for  the  Bureau  of  Immigration  has  no 
information  about  whether  departing  American  citizens 
intend  or  do  not  intend  to  surrender  their  citizenship. 
The  material  for  studying  the  natural  increase  of  the 
population  of  the  United  States,  and  of  its  two  main  races, 
then  is  meagre  and  unsatisfactory.  But  the  question  is 
an  important  one,  and  perhaps  a  good  way  to  get  better 
information  about  it  is  to  use  what  we  have  and,  in  doing 
so,  suggest  how  it  might  and  should  be  bettered. 

Total  Increase  of  the  Two  Races. 
As  the  natural  increase  of  the  two  main  races  in  the 
United  States  is  unknown,  the  total  increase  may  be 
considered,  and  for  that  purpose  the  increase  in  each  of 
the  six  twenty -year  periods  between  1800  and  1920  is 
shown  below  : — 


Period. 

Continental  U.S. 
Per  cent,  of  Increase  of 

Ratio  for 
Negroes  com- 
pared with  that 

Whites. 

Negroes. 

for  Whites  = 
100. 

1800—1820 

82-7 

76-8 

93 

1820—1840 

80-5 

62-2 

77 

1840—1860 

89-7 

54-6 

61 

1860—1880 

61-2 

48-2 

79 

1880—1900 

53-9 

34-2 

64 

1900—1920 

41-9 

18-4 

44 

140    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

These  figures  show  that  in  the  early  part  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  the  increase  of  the  Negroes  was  nearly 
as  rapid  as  that  of  the  whites,  but  in  the  early  part  of 
the  twentieth  century  it  was  less  than  half  as  rapid. 
Some  of  this  difference  was  due,  no  doubt,  to  the 
ending  of  the  lawful  importation  of  slaves  in  1808,  after 
which  date  the  whites  were  steadily  and  increasingly 
reinforced  by  immigration,  while  the  Negroes  were  restricted 
almost  entirely  to  increase  by  excess  of  births  over 
deaths. 

To  allow  as  best  we  can  for  this  difference,  the  figures 
may  be  confined  to  those  for  the  Southern  States,  a  section 
entered  by  few  white  immigrants  and  left  by  relatively 
few  Negro  emigrants  : — 


Period. 

Southern  States 
Per  cent,  of  Increase  of 

Rate  for 
Negroes  com- 
pared with  that 

Whites. 

Negroes. 

for  Whites  = 
100. 

1800—1820 
1820—1840 
1840—1860 
1860—1880 
1880—1900 
1900—1920 

630 
55-2 
63-2 
501 
565 
46-2 

78-9 
60-8 
551 
45-3 
331 
12-5 

125 
110 
87 
90 
59 
27 

In  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  Southern 
Negroes  increased  about  one-fourth  faster  than  Southern 
whites  ;  in  the  early  part  of  the  twentieth  century  they 
increased  only  about  one-fourth  as  fast.  From  the 
middle  of  the  last  century  on  for  eight  decades,  with  but 
one  exception  (1870-80)  and  that  probably  only  an 
apparent  one,  the  Southern  whites  have  increased  faster 
than  Southern  Negroes,  and  the  difference  between  the 
two  has  become  greater.  In  the  decade  1890 — 1900,  the 
increase  of  Southern  Negroes  was  about  two-thirds  (68) 
that  of  Southern  whites  ;  in  the  following  decade  it  was 
about  two-fifths  (43  per  cent.)  ;  and  in  the  decade  1910 — 
1920,  it  was  only  one-ninth  (11  per  cent.).  No  doubt  the 
change  in  the  last  decade  was  abnormal,  but  it  seems 


EUGENIC  141 

doubtful  whether  the  increase  of  Southern  Negroes  in  the 
next  few  decades  will  be  at  or  above  half  the  rate  of 
Southern  whites. 

Between  1790  and  1840  the  proportion  of  Negroes  in 
the  population  of  the  Southern  States  increased  slowly 
from  35  to  38  per  cent.  ;  in  the  next  forty  years  it 
dropped  with  equal  sluggishness  to  36  per  cent,  in 
1880.  But  after  1880,  it  dropped  steadily  and  much 
more  rapidly  to  34  per  cent,  in  1890  ;  32  per  cent,  in 
1900  ;  30  per  cent,  in  1910;  and  27  per  cent,  in  1920  ; 
an  average  decennial  decrease  of  2-7  per  cent.  If  the 
decrease  should  continue  at  approximately  the  same 
rate,  then  by  the  end  of  the  century  less  than  one- 
tenth  of  the  population  in  the  Southern  States  will  be 
Negro. 


The  Birth  Rates  op  Whites  and  Negroes. 

Although  these  birth  rates  are  unknown,  a  tolerable 
substitute  may  be  found  by  comparing  the  number  of 
white  and  coloured*  children  under  five  years  of  age  at 
successive  censuses  with  the  number  of  white  and  coloured 
women  of  child-bearing  age,  the  potential  mothers. 
Figures  of  this  description  can  be  had  for  the  seventy 
years  between  1850  and  1920.     (See  table  on  p.  142.) 

If  the  figures  are  confined  to  Negroes  and  whites,  as 
they  can  be  for  the  latter  part  of  the  seventy-year 
period,  the  correction  makes  little  change.  In  1920, 
for  example,  the  number  of  children  among  Negroes 
alone  is  98*5  per  cent,  of  that  among  Indians,  Mongo- 
lians and  Negroes.  The  figures  may  be  accepted,  there- 
fore, as  showing  the  general  trend  of  change  in  the 
proportions  of  children  of  the  two  races.  The  figures 
show  irregular  changes  for  each  race  before  1880,  but 
after  that  date  a  steady  decrease  in  the  proportion  of 
children  for  each  race.  It  is  well  to  keep  in  mind  that 
the  period  of  Civil  War  and  reconstruction  ended  about 
1877,  when  Federal  troops  were  withdrawn  from  the 
South. 


*  In  American  usage  "  coloured  "  is  a  generic  name  for  all  dark  races 
In  this  case  it  includes  a  small  proportion  of  Indians,  Chinese,  and  Japanese 
with  Negroes,  for  at  earlier  censuses  these  divisions  of  the  coloured  were 
not  distinguished. 


142    FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 


Children  under  Five  Years  of  Age  to  1,000  Women,  Fifteen 
to  Forty-nine  Years  of  Age,  in  Continental  United  States. 


Date. 

Among  Whites. 

Among  Negroes, 
Indians  and 
Mongolians. 

Excess  among 
Negroes,  Indians 
and  Mongolians. 

1850 

613 

694 

81 

1860 

627 

675 

48 

1870 

562 

641 

79 

1880 

537 

706 

169 

1890 

473 

574 

101 

1900 

465 

543 

78 

1910 

440 

487 

47 

1920 

425 

402 

-23 

Accepting  the  proportion  among  whites  as  a  standard 
of  reference,  the  proportion  among  Negroes  in  continental 
United  States  differed  from  it  at  various  dates  in  the  last 
forty  years  as  follows  : — 


1880 
1890 
1900 
1910 
1920 


+  315  per  cent. 

+  21-4 

+  16-8         „ 

+  10-7 

-    54 


J5 


In  1880  the  proportion  of  Negro  children  exceeded  that 
of  whites  by  three-tenths  ;  forty  years  later  it  fell  below 
that  of  whites  by  nearly  one-twentieth,  and  in  no  previous 
decade  had  the  change  in  relative  fecundity  been  as  great 
as  between  1910  and  1920. 

To  this  comparison  between  the  proportion  of  children 
of  the  two  races  it  might  be  objected  that  the  proportion 
of  white  children  was  probably  raised,  or  its  decrease 
checked,  by  the  streams  of  white  immigrants  which  have 
been  flowing  into  the  United  States  in  increasing  volume, 
and  which  are  characterised  by  a  high  birth  rate.  These 
immigrants  reside  mainly  in  the  Northern  and  Western 
States  ;  the  Negroes  reside  mainly  in  the  South.  It  is 
better,  therefore,  to  limit  the  comparison  to  the  Southern 
States.     The  results  are  as  follows  : — 


EUGENIC 


143 


Children  under  Five  Years  of  Age  to  1,000  Women,  Fifteen 
to  Forty-nine  Years  of  Age,  in  the  Southern  States. 


Date. 

Among  Whites. 

Among  Negroes, 
Indians  and 
Mongolians. 

Excess  among 
Negroes,  Indians 
and  Mongolians. 

1850 

695 

705 

10 

1860 

682 

688 

6 

1870 

601 

661 

60 

1880 

656 

737 

81 

1890 

580 

601 

21 

1900 

581 

577 

-  4 

1910 

570 

518 

-52 

1920 

499 

433 

-66 

These  figures  show,  like  those  for  the  whole  country,  but 
more  conclusively,  that  the  higher  proportion  of  Negro 
children  reached  a  maximum  in  1880,  disappeared  at  the 
end  of  the  century,  and  by  1920  had  been  replaced  by  a 
marked  excess  of  white  children.  In  those  forty  years  the 
proportion  of  white  children  in  the  South  decreased  by 
24  per  cent.,  that  of  Negro  children  by  41  per  cent.  In 
1880  the  proportion  of  Negro  children  in  the  South  was 
greater  by  one-eighth,  in  1920  it  was  less  by  one-eighth 
than  the  proportion  of  white  children. 

The  younger  the  wife,  other  things  equal,  the  more  likely 
is  the  occurrence  of  a  birth.  This  rapid  decrease  in  the 
proportion  of  children  might  be  due  in  part  at  least  to  a 
change  in  the  proportion  of  women  fifteen  to  forty-nine 
years  of  age  who  are  in  the  younger  age  groups  of  that 
thirty -five  year  period.  But  a  study  of  the  figures  for  the 
two  races  in  1880  and  1920  shows  that  among  the  coloured 
women  of  child-bearing  age  there  has  been  no  decrease  in 
the  proportion  at  the  early  age  periods,  and  that  the 
decrease  among  the  white  women  has  been  too  slight  to 
have  been  largely  responsible  for  the  change  revealed  in 
the  figures. 

How  is  this  change  in  the  relative  increase  of  Negroes, 
both  in  the  United  States  as  a  whole,  and  especially  in  the 
Southern  States,  to  be  explained  ?  What  differences 
between   conditions   before    1880   and   those   after    1880 


144    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

explained  the  sudden  alteration  in  the  comparative  ratio 
of  growth  of  the  two  races  at  that  time  ?  What  further 
differences  between  1910  and  1920  accelerated  the  change 
which  began  about  1880  ? 

The  second  question  is  the  easier  to  answer,  and  may  be 
disposed  of  in  a  few  words.  During  the  decade,  1910-1920, 
there  was  an  unprecedented  emigration  of  Negroes  from 
the  Southern  States  to  the  North  and  West.  This  was 
largely,  if  not  wholly  due,  to  the  increased  demand  for 
unskilled  or  semi-skilled  labour  outside  of  the  South  and 
the  damming  of  the  currents  of  immigration  from  Europe 
which  had  previously  satisfied  that  demand.  During  the 
last  decade  the  number  of  Negroes  in  the  North  increased 
43  per  cent.,  the  number  in  the  West  increased  55  per  cent., 
while  the  number  in  the  South  increased  less  than  2  per 
cent.  Under  ordinary  conditions  when  the  demand  for 
labour  is  brisk  and  wages  are  high,  births  are  more 
numerous  and  deaths  less  numerous.  But  in  the  present 
instance  the  migration  of  Negroes  was  largely  an  individual 
migration,  breaking  up  families  and  lowering  rather  than 
raising  the  birth  rate. 

On  this  point  we  are  not  left  to  our  conjectures.  Begin- 
ning with  1915  records  of  birth  in  various  American  States 
have  been  gathered  and  published  by  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment. One  State  after  another  has  been  added  to  those 
whose  records  are  deemed  satisfactory.  Thus  we  have 
figures  for  one  or  more  of  the  six  years,  1915-1920,  showing 
the  births  and  deaths  of  Negroes  in  various  States,  most  of 
them  lying  in  the  North  and  West,  but  some  in  the  South. 
There  are  nineteen  States  outside  of  the  South  for  which 
the  facts  are  known,  and  in  every  one  of  them  the  Negro 
deaths  were  more  numerous  than  Negro  births.  The  main 
cause  for  the  sharp  fall  in  the  increase  of  Negroes  between 
1910  and  1920,  then,  was  the  increased  emigration  of 
individual  Negroes  from  the  South  and  the  consequent 
reduction  of  the  birth  rate.  This  was  reinforced  by  the 
increased  migration  of  country  negroes  into  Southern 
cities,  for  in  those  few  southern  cities  for  which  the  facts 
are  known  the  deaths  of  Negroes  outnumber  the  births. 
In  the  Northern  and  Western  States,  for  which  the  facts 
are  known  for  1915-1920,  there  were  14,253  more  negro 
deaths  than  births,  that  is  115  deaths  to  100  births.  In 
the  Southern  cities  for  which  the  facts  are  known,  1915- 
1919,  there  were  11,326  more  Negro  deaths  than  births,  or 


EUGENIC  145 

127  deaths  to  100  births.  The  increased  northward  and 
cityward  migration  of  Negroes  between  1910  and  1920 
must  be  deemed  the  main  reason  for  the  check  upon  the 
relative  growth  of  that  race  in  the  United  States  during 
the  decade. 

This  unprecedented  emigration  of  Negroes  between 
1910  and  1920  from  the  rural  districts  of  the  South  partly 
to  Southern  cities,  but  more  largely  to  the  urban  and 
industrial  districts  of  the  North  and  West  has  been  mainly 
responsible  for  the  unprecedented  decrease  in  the  birth  rate 
of  Negroes.  The  proportion  of  children  under  five  years 
of  age  to  1,000  between  fifteen  to  forty -nine  years  of  age 
among  Negroes  in  rural  districts  in  1910  was  7  per  cent, 
above,  and  in  1920  it  was  4  per  cent,  below  the  corre- 
sponding proportion  among  the  whites.  But  in  cities  of 
2,500  the  proportion  of  Negro  children  in  1910  was  28  per 
cent,  below,  and  in  1920  it  was  37  per  cent,  below  the 
proportion  among  white.  In  view  of  this  very  wide 
difference  between  the  effective  birth  rates  of  the  two  races 
under  urban  conditions  and  the  approximate  equality  of 
them  under  rural  conditions,  the  sudden  transfer  of  great 
numbers  of  Negroes  from  rural  to  urban  life  between  1910 
and  1920  was  closely  connected  with  the  sharp  fall  in  the 
birth  rate  of  that  race. 

There  is  much  uncertainty  surrounding  the  question 
whether  this  northward  and  westward  migration  of 
American  Negroes  and  their  progressive  urbanisation  will 
continue,  or  whether  the  current  will  be  stayed  or  turned 
back.  Contradictory  assertions  on  this  point  are  confi- 
dently made,  and  I  do  not  see  how  the  facts  for  the  country 
can  be  ascertained  until  the  next  American  census  is  taken. 

Let  us  now  examine  the  change  in  the  proportions  of  the 
races  in  the  South  which  began  about  1880  and  has  con- 
tinued unabated,  if  not  accelerated,  through  a  period  of 
forty  years.  The  best  clue  by  which  to  explain  this  change 
is  to  be  found  probably  in  a  study  of  the  figures  for  occupa- 
tions. Unfortunately  the  detailed  racial  classification  of 
the  persons  engaged  in  gainful  occupations,  or  "  bread- 
winners," did  not  begin  until  1880,  when  it  was  made  easy 
by  the  introduction  of  mechanical  methods.  Unfortu- 
nately, too,  the  classification  for  1920  was  not  completed 
when  I  left  the  United  States,  as  I  hoped  it  would  be  when 
somewhat  rashly  I  agreed  to  submit  a  paper  on  the  subject. 
Consequently  we  are  limited  for  the  present  to  the  twenty- 

B.C.  ti 


146    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

year  period  1890-1910.  Another  drawback  is  even  more 
serious.  At  the  census  of  1910  radical  improvements  were 
made  in  the  classification  of  occupations,  and  these 
improvements  put  almost  insurmountable  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  comparing  the  later  with  the  earlier  figures. 

The  predominance  of  agriculture  among  the  occupations 
followed  by  Negroes  is  apparent  in  the  fact  that  of  all  the 
persons  reported  as  agricultural  labourers  in  1890,  1900, 
and  1910,  the  Negroes  were  31  or  32  per  cent.,  three  times 
the  proportion  of  Negroes  in  the  general  population.  Of 
male  agricultural  labour  more  than  one -fifth  (21  or  22  per 
cent.)  were  Negroes,  twice  the  proportion  of  Negroes  in  the 
general  population.  Of  female  agricultural  labour  from 
three-fifths  to  three-fourths  (60  to  76  per  cent.)  were  Negro. 
Of  the  farmers,  planters,  and  overseers,  the  proportion  of 
Negroes  increased  in  twenty  years  from  10- 2  per  cent,  in 
1890  to  14-7  per  cent,  in  1910,  suggesting  a  steady  improve- 
ment in  the  industrial  positions  of  Negroes  within  this 
staple  industry.  Negroes  constitute  about  one-third  of 
the  class  of  servants  and  waiters,  about  the  same  propor- 
tion as  they  do  of  agricultural  labourers,  but  with  one 
noteworthy  exception.  Their  importance  in  this  occupa- 
tion has  risen  steadily  in  the  twenty  years  from  27*6  per 
cent,  in  1880  to  32*4  per  cent,  in  1910.  For  other  leading 
occupations  I  can  add  little  to  the  following  paragraphs, 
printed  nearly  twenty  years  ago,*  and  still  true  in  their 
main  lines. 

"  The  American  Negro,  after  the  turmoil  of  Civil  War  and 
reconstruction,  found  himself  thrown  on  his  own  resources 
as  he  had  never  been  before.  This  occurred  at  the 
beginning  of  a  period  of  rapid,  almost  revolutionary, 
industrial  change  in  the  South,  a  change  which  did  not  at 
first  affect  seriously  the  staple  crops  upon  which  most  of 
the  Negro's  labour  as  a  slave  had  been  spent,  but  which 
apparently  is  beginning  to  affect  even  those.  In  seeking 
other  avenues  of  self-support  than  agriculture  and  domestic 
service,  he  is  seriously  handicapped  by  unfamiliarity  with 
such  work,  a  lack  of  native  aptitude  for  it,  so  it  is  alleged, 
absence  of  the  capital  often  requisite,  and  a  preference  on 
the  part  of  most  of  the  whites,  even  when  other  things  are 
equal,  as  they  seldom  are,  to  employ  members  of  their 
own  race.     In  the  industrial  competition  thus  begun,  the 

*  See  A.  H.  Stone,  "Studies  in  the  American  Race  Problem,"  pp.  493-495. 


EUGENIC  147 

Negro  seems  during  the  decade,  1890-1900,  to  have 
slightly  lost  ground  in  most  of  those  higher  occupations  in 
which  the  services  are  rendered  largely  to  whites.  He  has 
gained  in  the  two  so-called  learned  professions  of  teachers 
and  clergymen.  He  has  gained  in  the  two  skilled  occupa- 
tions of  miner  or  quarryman  and  iron  or  steel  worker. 
He  has  gained  in  the  occupations,  somewhat  ill-defined,  so 
far  as  the  degree  of  skill  required  is  indicated,  of  sawing- 
mill  or  planing-mill  employee,  and  nurse  or  midwife.  He 
has  gained  in  the  class  of  servants  and  waiters.  On  the 
other  side  of  the  balance  sheet  he  has  lost  ground  in  the 
South  as  a  whole  in  the  following  skilled  occupations  : 
carpenter,  barber,  tobacco  and  cigar  factory  operative, 
fisherman,  engineer  or  fireman  (not  locomotive),  and 
probably  blacksmith.  He  has  lost  ground  also  in  the 
following  industries  in  which  the  degree  of  skill  implied 
seems  somewhat  uncertain  :  laundry  work,  hackman  or 
teamster,  steam  railroad  employee,  housekeeper  or 
steward.  The  balance  seems  not  favourable.  It  suggests 
that  in  the  competition  with  white  labour  to  which  the 
Negro  is  being  subjected  he  has  not  quite  held  his  own." 

These  figures  of  occupations  seem  to  me  to  furnish  the 
best  statistical  clue  yet  obtained  for  an  understanding  of 
the  industrial  and  social  changes  affecting  this  question  in 
the  South.  My  interpretation  of  their  meaning  might  be 
criticised  on  the  ground  that  when  the  Negroes  are  in- 
creasing more  slowly  than  the  whites,  as  they  are  at 
present  in  the  South,  it  should  not  be  expected  thttt  they 
would  increase  as  fast  as  whites  in  the  skilled  occupations. 
This  objection  seems  to  me  to  invert  the  true  order  of 
causation,  to  put  the  cart  before  the  horse.  Should  we 
not  rather  say  that  Southern  Negroes  are  increasing  at  the 
present  time  only  two-thirds  as  fast  as  Southern  whites,* 
while  from  1800  to  1840  they  increased  faster,  and  from 
1840  to  1880  nearly  as  fast,  because  they  are  not  succeeding 
in  entering  new  occupations  or  prospering  as  well  in  their 
old  as  the  competing  race  is  doing  ? 

If  this  view  of  the  process  is  correct,  then  one  may  add 
in  closing  that,  as  these  occupation  figures  throw  much 
light  upon  the  causes,  so  the  figures  of  an  almost  stationary 
death  rate  for  Negroes  compared  with  a  rapidly  decreasing 
death  rate  for  whites,  and  an  apparently  declining  birth 

*  In  the  decade,  1910-1920,  only  one-ninth  as  fast. 

i.  2 


148    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

rate  for  Negroes  compared  with  an  actually  increasing 
birth  rate  for  Southern  whites,  are  the  best  statistical  keys 
to  its  effects. 


THE  COST  TO  THE  STATE  OF  THE  SOCIALLY 
HANDICAPPED  AND  THE  SOCIALLY  UNFIT. 

By  Miss  Mary  Winsor. 

When  the  American  Birth  Control  League  invited  me 
to  write  a  paper  for  this  illustrious  Congress,  "  The  Cost 
to  the  State  of  Unlimited  Motherhood  "  was  suggested  as 
the  title.  But  it  seemed  better  to  call  it  "  The  Socially 
Handicapped  and  the  Socially  Unfit."  It  is  impossible  to 
estimate  what  proportion  of  the  unfit  is  due  to  unlimited 
parenthood  ;  how  many  are  born  unfit,  and  how  many 
have  achieved  this  during  the  course  of  their  lives. 

It  can  be  confidently  said  that  the  unfit  exist  in  great 
numbers  at  vast  expense  to  the  community.  It  is  worth 
while  to  draw  attention,  even  inadequately,  to  these  facts 
in  order  to  arouse  sympathy  for  our  cause  among  the 
influential  and  wealthy.  They  are  indifferent,  owing  to 
the  ease  with  which  they  can  obtain  contraceptive  informa- 
tion for  themselves.  The  problems  of  poverty  and  a  large 
family  do  not  trouble  them,  except  as  taxpayers  and 
contributors  to  philanthropic  organisations.  We  need 
their  support.  It  is  all  very  well  to  say,  "  Set  up  Birth 
Control  clinics  among  the  poor."  But  heretofore,  a  few — 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Drysdale,  for  instance — have  borne  the 
financial  burden  of  such  undertakings,  and  it  is  now  time 
that  we  turned  to  the  rich. 

Much  pity  has  been  lavished  on  the  unwilling  mother, 
but  very  little  on  the  unwilling  taxpayer.  Yet  it  is 
proverbial  in  American  reform  circles  that  the  only  way  to 
make  the  average  comfortable  citizen  move  is  to  touch 
the  "  pocket  nerve."  An  experienced  social  worker  who 
was  kind  enough  to  assist  me  in  gathering  data  for  this 
paper  says  that  the  American  business  man,  who  pays 
heavy  taxes  and  contributes  generously  to  charity,  has  no 
idea  how  his  money  is  being  wasted.  Let  us  all,  in  our 
several  communities,  gather  information  to  enlighten  him. 

Being  a  Socialist,  I  am  not  one  of  those  who  grudge 
State  aid.  Public  funds  given  to  the  public  schools,  to 
parks,    playgrounds,    baby    clinics,    milk    stations,    and 


EUGENIC  149 

mothers'  pensions,  may  be  well  invested.  But  it  behoves 
all  of  us,  especially  those  who  hold  this  point  of  view,  to 
look  sharply  into  the  question  of  how  our  money  is  being 
spent ;  whether  we  are  getting  first-rate  human  material 
in  return  or  "  damaged  goods." 

I  had  intended  to  base  this  paper  entirely  on  studies 
made  in  my  native  State — Pennsylvania — the  second  most 
powerful  and  influential  State  in  the  Union.  Many  of  the 
large  American  fortunes  are  made  in  Pennsylvania,  in  the 
steel  mills  or  the  coal  mines.  Opposed  to  this  colossal 
wealth  is  poverty  on  a  huge  scale.  And  in  this  great 
industrial  community,  so  much  in  need  of  Birth  Control, 
we  have  in  addition  to  the  Federal  law  which  prevents  the 
sending  of  contraceptive  information  through  the  mails,  a 
State  law  which  makes  it  impossible  even  for  a  physician 
to  give  such  information  even  to  a  diseased  woman.  It 
may  throw  an  interesting  light  on  American  politics  if  I 
tell  you  that  the  Pennsylvania  State  Department  of 
Charities  during  five  years  did  not  make  a  report  of  any 
kind.*  So  you  see  in  America  it  is  not  the  way  of  the 
transgressor  that  is  hard,  but  the  way  of  the  investigator 
and  the  social  reformer.  I  hope  that  this  may  partly 
explain  and  excuse  some  of  the  deficiencies  in  this  paper. 

Let  us  begin  by  looking  at  some  facts  and  statistics 
supplied  us  by  the  Federal  Government,  specifically  by 
the  War  Department,  as  to  the  defects  found  in  drafted 
men.  "  Statistical  Information  compiled  from  the  Draft 
Records,  showing  the  Physical  Condition  of  the  Men 
Registered  and  Examined  in  Pursuance  of  the  Selective 
Service  Act"  (1920).  Here  we  learn  that  of  the  hypo- 
thetical number  of  2,753,922  men  who  were  examined  to 
furnish  the  statistics  discussed,  there  were  found  468 
defective  men  per  thousand  examined.  It  may  be 
regarded  as  surprising  that  not  more  defects  were  detected. 
Probably  they  would  have  been  had  the  examinations 
been  less  expeditiously  conducted.  On  the  other  hand, 
many  of  the  defects  are  obviously  only  such  from  a  military 
standpoint.     So  it  is  about  "fifty-fifty." 

Defects  of  a  mechanical  sort,  involving  bones,  joints 
and  the  appendages  of  the  hands  and  feet,  and  weak  feet, 
were  commonest,  and  constituted  about  39  per  cent,  of 
all.     Defects  of  the  sense  organs  about   12  per  cent.  ; 

*  An  eminent  Philadelphia  physician  who  has  recently  been  appointed 
to  head  this  department  is  trying  to  bring  order  out  of  chaos. 


150    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

tuberculosis  and  venereal  diseases  together  about  11  per 
cent. 

I  have  no  statistics  with  regard  to  tuberculosis,  but  the 
United  States  Interdepartmental  Social  Hygiene  Board, 
through  its  executive  secretary,  Dr.  Valeria  H.  Parker, 
sends  the  following:  "The  American  Social  Hygiene 
Association  estimates  the  cost  of  venereal  disease  in 
Illinois  to  be  $188,000,000  a  year.  The  cost  of  venereal 
disease  in  Ohio  has  been  placed  at  $100,000,000.  The 
cost  to  the  army  during  the  World  War  was  placed  at 
$72,000,000.  In  1919  venereal  disease  cost  the  United 
States  army  $15,000,000  ;  in  1920,  $5,500,000  ;  in  1921, 
$4,400,000. 

"  I  am  sending  you  under  cover  a  copy  of  the  Annual 
Report  of  the  Board  for  fiscal  year  ending  June  30th, 
1921.  You  will  note  in  this  report  certain  figures  with 
reference  to  cost  of  venereal  disease.  The  estimated 
wage  loss  due  to  venereal  disease  is  $54,000,000  a  year, 
based  upon  an  average  daily  wage  of  $12.00.  At  the 
present  time  the  average  period  during  which  a  soldier  is 
incapacitated  with  venereal  disease  is  thirty-seven  days, 
or  the  cost  of  handling  a  case  of  venereal  disease  in  the 
army  is  approximately  $7.80  a  day.  On  the  thirty-seven 
day  basis,  the  wage  loss  is  $162,000,000." 

Now  let  us  turn  to  something  which  at  first  sight  seems 
more  cheerful  than  venereal  disease,  i.e.,  day  nurseries. 
The  Philadelphia  Association  of  Day  Nurseries,  through 
its  executive  secretary,  Miss  Frances  Colbourne,  sends  us 
the  following  :  "  There  are  sixty -two  nurseries  in  Penn- 
sylvania, but  I  am  unable  to  state  the  specific  cost.  Some  of 
the  Catholic  and  many  of  the  poorer  standard  nurseries  fail 
to  issue  any  annual  report.  ...  I  can  only  give  you  a 
rough  estimate  for  the  cost  of  day  nurseries,  as  they  vary 
considerably  according  to  size  and  standards  of  service. 
Even  in  our  Association  we  range  from  $2,400  to  $8,600. 

"  An  average,  based  on  experience  plus  actual  statis- 
tics, suggests  $5,000  per  year  as  the  approximate  cost. 
As  there  are  610  nurseries  in  the  country,  this  would 
mean  a  total  expenditure  of  $5,500,000  per  year.  Of 
course  the  parents  pay  a  small  fee,  but  I  think  this  sum 
could  be  disregarded,  as  I  consider  the  figure  I  have  given 
you  to  be  a  minimum  total  estimate." 

As  I  said,  at  first  sight  this  may  seem  to  be  a  worth 
while  expenditure.     But  let  us  hear  the  opinion  of  an 


EUGENIC  151 

expert.  Dr.  Amelia  A.  Dranga,  of  Pittsburgh,  who  has 
done  us  the  honour  to  go  on  the  board  of  our  newly- 
organised  Pennsylvania  branch  of  the  American  Birth 
Control  League,  writes  as  follows  :  "I  am  the  medical 
director  of  the  Pittsburgh  and  Alleghany  Milk  and  Ice 
Association,  and  every  Tuesday  and  Saturday  morning 
our  two  secretaries  and  I  have  large  clinics  of  seventy  to 
a  hundred  and  more,  mothers  with  their  babies  ;  we 
weigh  the  babies,  look  them  over,  we  doctor  both  mothers 
and  babies,  and  we  furnish  them  milk,  and  we  teach  the 
mothers  how  to  care  for  and  feed  their  babies  ;  and  we 
often  find  mothers  nursing  a  baby  fourteen,  sixteen 
months,  and  up  to  two  years  old,  because  the  poor  mothers 
are  determined  they  will  have  no  more  babies,  and  that 
is  the  only  way  they  know  how  tc  prevent  it.  In  fact, 
it  is  the  only  Birth  Control  they  know.  I  have  picked 
out  a  few  cases  which  sadly  show  the  need  of  Birth  Control 
just  in  our  own  little  group.  I  am  sending  you  a  copy, 
because  these  cases  illustrate  so  many  phases  of  this  great 
subject : — 

'  Baker.  Coloured  family.  Have  8  children,  ranging 
from  11  years  to  7  months.  Is  likely  pregnant  again. 
Children  are  all  rachitic,  oldest  child  is  T.B.  (tubercular). 
Man  likely  syphilitic.  Two  of  the  children  are  patients 
of  the  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital  for  eye  trouble. 

"  '  Berwick.  Family  consists  of  man,  wife  and  4 
children,  oldest  being  7  years  of  age.     Man  is  a  drunkard. 

1  talked  to  woman  about  having  a  big  family,  and  she 
remarked,  mother  of  man  had  14  children  and  her  husband 
was  a  drunkard,  and  all  the  sons  are  of  the  same  type. 

"  '  De  Cicco.  Italian  family.  Have  5  children, 
youngest  baby  13  months  old.  Woman  has  had  2  abor- 
tions since  birth  of  last  child. 

"  '  Draper.  Man  is  a  drunkard.  Have  6  children  ; 
among  them  twins,  one  of  which  has  since  died.  Twins 
were  likely  syphilitic.  Another  child  born  since  the  twins 
is  a  good-looking  baby. 

"  '  Dubee.  Family  consists  of  man,  wife  and  6  children. 
Man  is  T.B.  and  2  of  the  children  are  T.B.  Are  otherwise 
very  good  type  family  ;  man  is  anxious  to  work,  when  able, 
and  woman  is  a  splendid  housekeeper. 

"  '  Davis.     Wife  is  feeble-minded  and  syphilitic.     Has 

2  children  by  a  legitimate  husband.  Man  deserted  several 
years  ago,  and  woman  has  had  2  illegitimate  children  since 


152    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

1919.  Baby  is  a  wretched-looking  case.  Is  now  having 
hospital  care. 

"  '  Ford.  Coloured  family,  who  have  needed  the  sup- 
port of  many  different  agencies.  Have  6  living  children, 
oldest  one  being  15  years  old.  Woman  has  had  6  mis- 
carriages.    Children  not  healthy  looking. 

"  '  Graff.  Woman  aged  28.  Has  been  married  11  years 
and  has  had  10  pregnancies,  4  living  children.  Man  works 
when  he  has  a  job,  and  woman  takes  good  care  of  family. 

"  '  McGrath.  Man,  wife  and  9  children,  oldest  being 
13  years,  baby  2  months.  Married  14  years  ;  woman 
32  years  old. 

"  '  McMillen.  Woman  is  feeble-minded  and  in  need 
of  aid  from  different  agencies.  Man  deserted,  leaving  her 
with  3  children.  Poor-looking  children.  Woman  is 
wretched  housekeeper,  and  takes  poor  care  of  baby. 

"  '  Pervado.  Family  consists  of  man,  who  is  syphilitic 
and  works  only  at  times  ;  woman,  who  is  a  poor  house- 
keeper, and  not  very  intelligent.  Woman,  aged  30  years, 
has  had  9  children,  5  living.  Woman  married  at  15  years 
of  age.     Has  been  a  public  charge  all  her  married  life. 

"  '  Parker.  Family  have  3  children.  Man  spent  some 
time  in  gaol  for  abusing  wife.  Woman  and  baby  both 
active  syphilitics.  Woman  is  now  having  treatment. 
Man  has  since  deserted  again. 

"  '  Pelusso.  Family  have  6  children.  Man  is  a  drug 
addict,  using  morphine.  Woman  has  been  in  hospital 
under  treatment  for  gonorrhceal  infection.  Man  has  been 
to  several  institutions  for  treatment.  Woman  has  had 
2  children  since  his  return. 

"  '  Perkins.  Coloured  family.  Man  is  almost  blind 
and  not  able  to  do  very  much  work.  Have  7  children, 
and  another  one  is  expected.  Have  been  under  the  care 
of  many  agencies.  Children  rachitic.  Woman  very  poor 
housekeeper. 

"  '  Savietik.  Polish  family  of  a  fairly  good  type.  Man 
is  T.B.,  but  at  present  is  doing  light  work.  Have  7  children 
under  1 1  years  of  age.  Children  are  all  very  thin  and  deli- 
cate-looking. Woman  is  very  industrious,  as  is  man. 
Have  needed  some  assistance. 

"  '  Scott.  Coloured  family.  Been  married  15  years. 
Woman  has  had  1 1  pregnancies,  and  has  4  living  children. 

"  '  Gatto.  Italian  family.  Woman,  aged  25  years,  has 
had  9  pregnancies,  having  4  living  children.     Is  below  the 


EUGENIC  153 

average  in  intelligence,  and  is  quite  careless  in  the  care  of 
children. 

"  '  Supra.  Italian  family.  Woman  has  had  10  preg- 
nancies in  9  years.  Has  5  living  children,  and  is  pregnant 
again.  Three  younger  children  are  not  able  to  walk, 
2  of  them  having  been  to  hospital  having  braces  adjusted. 
Woman  is  a  poor  housekeeper.  Man  does  not  look  after 
his  family  as  he  should.     Woman  is  about  28  years  old. 

"  '  Rozzo.  Italian  family.  Have  10  living  children, 
woman  not  having  had  any  miscarriages.  Man  is  not 
strong  and  works  very  irregularly.  Oldest  child  is  15 
years  old.'  " 

It  scarcely  seems  worth  while,  does  it  ?  But  in  Phila- 
delphia 25,000  children  are  being  supported  in  private 
agencies  at  a  cost  of  $7,000,000  a  year. 

The  Pennsylvania  Legislature  in  1919  made  an  appro- 
priation of  upwards  of  $2,708,635,  to  cover  for  two  years 
the  cost  of  four  institutions  for  the  feeble-minded.  The 
Preliminary  Report  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Public 
Charities  for  1921-1923  states  that  the  Legislature  of  1919 
appropriated  for  the  indigent  insane  $4,390,000,  and  the 
amount  recommended  to  cover  the  period  from  June  1st, 
1921,  to  May  31st,  1923,  was  $5,000,000;  and  that  the 
total  of  appropriations  for  the  care  and  treatment  of  the 
indigent  insane  from  1885  to  1921  was  $40,688,966.  The 
National  Committee  for  Mental  Hygiene,  370,  Seventh 
Avenue,  New  York  City,  in  a  pamphlet  entitled  "  Com- 
parative Statistics  for  State  Hospitals  for  Mental  Diseases," 
by  Horatio  M.  Pollock,  Ph.D.,  and  Edith  M.  Furbush, 
says  that  the  expenditure  for  maintenance  for  seven 
Pennsylvania  State  Hospitals  for  Mental  Diseases  in  1920 
amounted  to  upward  of  $2,586,089. 

This  is,  of  course,  public  money,  and  quite  independent 
of  private  expenditures. 

We  feel  the  impulse  to  cry  out  that  far  too  much  is 
being  given  for  such  purposes.  Alas  !  under  our  present 
social  system  we  are  not  giving  too  much,  but  far  too  little. 
The  National  Committee  for  Mental  Hygiene,  in  a 
pamphlet  called  "A  National  Deficit"  (1920),  says: 
"No  State  (U.S.A.)  has  provided  adequately  for  more 
than  10  per  cent,  of  its  mental  defectives.  What  of  the 
other  90  per  cent.  ?  "  What,  indeed  !  I  know  that  in 
my  own  Pennsylvania,  less  than  ten  years  ago,  there 
were  over  10,000  feeble-minded  women  of  child-bearing 


154    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

age  roaming  around  over  the  State,  the  vast  majority 
of  them  presenting  the  community  with  a  child  every 
year. 

The  Pennsylvania  Department  of  Public  Welfare,  in  a 
letter  dated  June  14th,  1922,  says  the  cost  of  operating 
the  penitentiaries  and  reformatories  is  upward  of 
$2,433,180,  and  the  cost  of  forty  county  jails  is  upward 
of  §2,676,174,  totalling  $5,109,354. 

I  have  not  time  or  space  to  tell  of  the  institutions  for 
friendless  children,  homes,  refuges,  orphan  asylums,  to 
provide  for  those  to  whom  the  bitter  words  of  Heine 
might  be  applied,  "  Am  besten  war  es,  nie  geboren  sein  " 
(it  is  significant  that  many  of  these  institutions  belong 
to  our  opponents  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church) ;  nor  of 
the  deaf  and  dumb,  the  blind,  the  cripples,  drink  and  drug 
addicts,  nor  the  hospitals  sheltering  vast  numbers  of  the 
unfit.  To  maintain  these,  the  pockets  of  the  fit  are  being 
picked  and  their  resources  drained.  It  would  be  out  of 
the  question  for  me  to  do  justice  to  this  subject.  But  I 
hope  this  paper  may  inspire  others,  more  capable  than  I 
am,  to  prepare  similar  studies  for  distribution  in  their  own 
communities  which  will  rouse  up  the  rich  and  influential 
to  a  sense  of  their  responsibilities  towards  this  pressing 
problem. 

In  conclusion,  let  me  express  my  thanks  to  those  who 
organised  this  Congress  for  the  privilege  of  taking  part  in 
its  deliberations  and  assure  them  that,  armed  with  the 
prestige  of  having  been  part  of  such  an  epoch-making 
gathering,  we  shall  return  to  our  respective  countries 
strengthened  for  the  magnificent  work  before  us. 

THE  RELATION  OF  RECENT  ADVANCES  IN 
GENETICS  TO  BIRTH  CONTROL. 

By  Professor  P.  W.  Whiting 

(Research  Associate  Professor  of  Eugenics,  State 

University  of  Iowa). 

Three  fundamentally  different  methods  of  evolution 
have  been  postulated  by  speculative  biologists  in  the  past. 
Lamarck  (1809)  supposed  that  the  hereditary  nature  of 
an  individual  could  be  changed  to  some  extent  by  the 
direct  effect  of  environment  or  by  the  striving  of  the 
organism  to  adapt  itself  to  changes  in  its  circumstances. 


EUGENIC  155 

Individually  acquired  modifications  left  their  imprint  upon 
posterity.  Lamarck's  theory  is  perhaps  the  most  natural 
and  naive  theory  of  evolution. 

Darwin  (1859),  on  the  other  hand,  believed  that  there 
was  an  innate  tendency  toward  gradual  hereditary  change, 
and  that  environment  acted  in  a  selective  way,  eliminating 
those  least  fitted  to  survive  and  favouring  the  more 
adaptable.  Mendel  (1866)  showed  by  actual  experiment 
that  certain  characteristics  are  inherited  as  distinct, 
widely  different  units  ;  and  de  Vries  (1901)  proclaimed 
his  mutation  theory  according  to  which  evolution  pro- 
gresses by  wide  jumps,  new  species  arising  suddenly 
without  the  occurrence  of  intermediate  forms.  Weismann 
(1883)  emphasised  that  the  germ  plasm  was  independent 
of  any  influences  brought  to  bear  upon  the  body  of  the 
individual. 

According  to  the  speculations  and  findings  of  Darwin, 
Mendel,  de  Vries,  and  Weismann,  the  effective  agent  in 
hereditary  or  genetic  change  is  therefore  selection,  whether 
variation  be  slight  or  extreme,  continuous  or  discontinuous,. 

A  third  method  of  evolution  is  emphasised  by  certain 
palaeontologists,  who  suppose  that  there  is  an  innate 
tendency  of  organisms  to  vary  in  certain  definite  directions. 
Evolution  "  in  a  straight  line,"  or  orthogenesis,  is  assumed 
by  many  to  be  due  to  this  innate  tendency  ;  but  other 
investigators,  recognising  the  fact  of  orthogenesis,  are 
quite  ready  to  admit  that  its  cause  may  be  external,  due 
to  the  selective  action  of  environment,  for  example. 

The  great  increase  in  genetic  research  during  the  last 
two  decades  has  caused  attention  to  be  turned  toward 
the  exact  results  of  experiment  whenever  questions  of 
evolution  are  debated.  The  various  logical  possibilities 
of  genetic  change  pointed  out  by  earlier  thinkers  have 
been  unequally  supported  by  recent  results. 

The  selectionists  seem  to  have  been  favoured  most,  for 
it  has  been  demonstrated  again  and  again,  not  only  by 
recent  geneticists,  but  by  earlier  plant  and  animal  breeders, 
that  selection  is  effective  in  modifying  types.  The  dis- 
continuous variation  of  Mendel  and  de  Vries  has  recently 
been  shown  to  be  not  fundamentally  different  from  the 
continuous  variation  of  Darwin.  Underlying  continuous 
variation  are  discontinuous  hereditary  units.  Apparent 
continuity  is  due  to  multiple  units  affecting  the  same 
characters,  as  well  as  to  modifications  of  expression  of 


156    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

hereditary  by  environmental  effects  and  chance  conditions 
of  growth.  Although  the  mutations  of  de  Vries  have 
been  shown  to  be  caused  by  complicated  systems  of 
assortment  of  units  already  present,  the  mutation  theory 
has  been  well  established  in  simpler  types  of  heredity  with 
more  convenient  organisms.  We  now  understand  by  the 
term  mutation,  a  fundamental  change  in  a  hereditary  unit, 
not  a  reassortment  of  pre-existing  units. 

By  a  careful  study  of  mutations,  it  has  been  found  that 
hereditary  units  tend  to  vary  in  certain  definite  directions, 
thus  giving  some  basis,  however  slight,  to  the  theory  of 
innate  orthogenetic  tendencies.  Research  in  this  line 
will  have  to  be  carried  much  farther  before  there  can  be 
any  application  to  the  theory  of  evolution. 

Modification  of  the  germ  plasm  has  been  attempted  by 
numerous  investigators.  Definite  results,  however,  have 
been  very  meagre,  probably  in  part  because  the  agents 
used  were  not  suitable,  but  chiefly  because  the  germ 
plasm  upon  which  experiment  was  attempted  had  not 
been  previously  analysed.  Variations  have  been  obtained, 
it  is  true,  but  whether  these  variations  were  due  to  the 
experimental  agent  or  not,  is  questionable.  Recently, 
however,  experiments  with  alcohol,  performed  by  Stockard, 
Pearl,  and  MacDowell,  have  shown  results  of  much 
interest,  and  still  more  recently  a  very  promising  line  of 
investigation  has  been  pursued  by  Guyer  by  means  of 
serological  reactions.  The  latter  work  may  be  of  much 
value  in  the  future  in  dealing  with  hereditary  resistance  to 
disease,  and  the  study  of  protein  reactions  in  general. 

So  promising  and  important  have  investigations  in 
genetics  become  that  they  deserve  the  greatest  encourage- 
ment and  support. 

Let  us  now  attempt  to  appraise  these  theories  and 
results  from  the  point  of  view  of  their  bearing  upon  the 
eugenic  programme  as  affected  by  Birth  Control. 

The  theory  of  an  innate  orthogenetic  tendency  seems 
too  uncertain,  and,  in  any  case,  too  intangible  to  consider 
as  yet.  It  may  be,  however,  that  future  genetic  research 
will  disclose  facts  of  practical  value  corroborating  innate 
orthogenesis. 

Direct  modification  of  the  germ  plasm  by  means  of 
alcohol  or  of  bacterial  toxins,  foreign  proteins,  etc.,  is  of 
great  interest  and  value.  Does  alcohol  affect  the  germ 
plasm  injuriously,  producing  hereditary  defects,  or  does 


EUGENIC  157 

it  have  a  selective  effect,  as  some  have  held,  killing  off  the 
weaker  germ  cells  and  allowing  only  the  better  to  survive  ? 
In  the  former  case  it  would  be  dysgenic  ;  in  the  latter, 
eugenic.  Hence,  is  a  reformed  drunkard  more  eugenic  or 
less  so  than  a  man  who  has  always  been  a  total  abstainer  ? 
Are  individuals  who  have  been  immunised  against  diseases 
— typhoid,  diphtheria,  small-pox,  etc. — more  eugenic  than 
they  would  have  been  without  the  treatment  ?  Is  the 
medical  profession  saving  the  individual  at  the  expense  of 
the  race  when  it  treats  people  for  tuberculosis  and  other 
diseases  ?  Are  those  who  have  been  cured  of  a  disease 
really  inferior  because  they  had  the  weakness  to  become 
infected  while  others  escaped  through  greater  resistance, 
or  are  they  superior  by  virtue  of  having  developed  resist- 
ance and  recovered  ?  I  am  well  aware  that  the  naive  will 
be  able  to  answer  any  or  all  of  these  questions  ;  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  many  scientists  may  even  smile  at  the 
possibility  of  considering  such  things. 

I  am  not  at  all  prepared  to  answer  these  questions 
myself  ;  but  I  believe  that  the  future  will  answer  them, 
and  they  will  be  answered  the  sooner,  the  more  actively 
the  sciences  of  genetics  and  eugenics,  in  collaboration  with 
physiological  and  pathological  studies,  are  supported  and 
pursued.  In  any  case,  when  these  questions  are  answered, 
women  should  have  the  power  consciously  to  control  the 
paternity  of  their  offspring.  A  knowledge  of  Birth  Control 
will  help  much  to  give  them  this  power. 

There  can  be  no  question  that  thus  far  the  selectionists 
have  the  strongest  evidence  in  their  favour.  Natural 
selection,  if  not  of  prime  importance  in  species  formation, 
is  at  least  of  great  value  in  keeping  organic  forms  from 
rapid  degeneration.  Were  it  possible  for  all  the  freaks 
and  abnormalities  which  are  produced  to  survive  and  pro- 
create equally  with  the  best,  there  would  be  very  rapid 
racial  deterioration.  While  natural  selection  may  be  slow 
to  effect  improvement,  it  is  at  least  all-important  in  pre- 
venting extreme  degeneracy.  Conscious  artificial  selec- 
tion, on  the  other  hand,  can  very  rapidly  attain  a  desired 
end,  provided  only  the  genetic  factors  are  present  in  the 
race. 

It  may  seem  that  the  various  domestic  animals  and 
plants  have  been  obtained  in  a  period  of  time  very  short 
relative  to  that  required  by  blind,  unconscious  nature. 
How  much  more  rapidly  can  we  obtain  results,  now  that 


158    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

the  principles  of  heredity  are  understood,  and  the  ground 
has  been  cleared  of  impeding  superstitions. 

Genetic  factors  for  fine  physique,  keen  intellect,  and 
emotional  stability  are  present  in  the  human  race,  as  well 
as  factors  for  all  sorts  of  defects.  Is  it  not  a  cause  for 
regret  that  the  latter  should  be  continued  when  the  world 
might  be  filled  instead  with  healthy  and  happy  people  ?  A 
knowledge  of  methods  of  Birth  Control,  together  with 
education  in  genetic  and  eugenic  principles,  will  give  to 
women,  who  care  for  the  character  and  welfare  of  their 
children,  the  power  to  refuse  to  have  them  by  any  but 
the  most  admirable  types  of  men. 

Even  if  many  men  are  indifferent  to  the  eugenic 
qualities  of  their  mates,  and  fail  to  have  regard  for  pos- 
terity, is  it  right  that  women  who  are  to  bear  and  care 
for  the  children  should  be  denied  the  privilege  of  deter- 
mining the  hereditary  character  of  their  offspring  ?  Every 
woman  who  believes  that  like  begets  like  should  ask 
herself  this  question. 

The  writer  believes  that  man  has  attained  his  present 
stage  of  development  as  the  result  of  the  reactions  of 
evolutionary  forces  that  were  blind  to  the  end  toward 
which  they  were  tending.  Man  may  attain  even  greater 
heights  without  conscious  direction  or  eugenic  knowledge. 
The  complexities  of  modern  life  are  undoubtedly  having  a 
very  drastic  selective  effect,  and  perhaps  a  superior  race 
will  arise  from  the  industrial  struggle.  But  in  so  far  as 
conscious  direction  is  applied,  not  only  will  man's  environ- 
mental conditions  improve,  but  his  hereditary  nature 
will  be  changed  as  well. 

Birth  Control  is  at  least  one  very  important  means  both 
of  euthenic  and  of  eugenic  improvement. 


DIFFERENTIAL  FECUNDITY   IN  IOWA. 

By  Hornell  Hart,  Ph.D. 
(Head  of  the  Sociological  Division,  Iowa  Child  Welfare 

Research  Station). 

The  precipitate  fall  of  the  birth  rate  in  all  civilised 
countries  during  the  past  century,  and  the  fact  that  the 
decline  in  child-bearing  has  affected  chiefly  the  successful, 
well-educated,  well-to-do  classes,  have  in  recent  years 
become  matters  of  common  knowledge.     Birth  Control, 


EUGENIC  159 

through  the  rapid  spread  of  knowledge  as  to  methods  of 
contraception  among  the  better  informed  and  more 
intelligent  classes,  is  quite  generally  conceded  by  students 
of  the  problem  as  having  been  a  dominant  factor  in  pro- 
ducing this  selective  decline  in  fecundity.  Accurate 
knowledge  of  the  facts  about  differential  fecundity  thus 
is  a  matter  of  prime  concern  to  those  interested  in  Birth 
Control. 

The  investigations  of  the  relative  rates  of  reproduction 
among  various  social  classes  have  been  confined  chiefly 
to  the  great  cities,  and  to  studies  of  the  rates  of  reproduc- 
tion of  special  classes,  such  as  scientists  and  college 
graduates.  The  most  notable  study  of  differential 
fecundity  in  rural  and  urban  populations  combined,  is 
James  Dunlop's  article  on  the  Fertility  of  Marriage  in 
Scotland,  in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Statistical  Society, 
1914  and  1915.  This  study  presents  the  relative  birth 
rate  among  persons  of  various  occupations  in  Scotland, 
and  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  the  birth  rates  tend  to 
be  highest,  both  in  the  city  and  in  the  country,  among 
the  occupations  involving  the  least  skill  and  the  lowest 
economic  status. 

With  a  view  to  exploring  further  the  facts  as  to  diffe- 
rential fecundity  in  rural  areas,  I  have  carried  out  an 
analysis  of  available  data  on  this  subject  for  the  State  of 
Iowa.  Located  in  the  north  central  part  of  the  United 
States,  having  as  its  largest  city  Des  Moines,  with  a 
population  of  about  100,000,  Iowa  is  fairly  typical  of  the 
fully  settled,  rural  areas  of  the  northern  half  of  this  country. 
The  State  census  for  1915  provides,  for  each  of  the  ninety- 
nine  counties  of  the  State,  data  as  to  age,  occupation, 
home  ownership,  school  attendance,  past  education, 
nativity,  church  membership,  and  other  social  and 
economic  conditions.  These  data  I  undertook  to  analyse 
by  the  method  of  partial  correlation  and  regression. 

A  precedent  for  this  procedure  is  afforded  by  David 
Heron's  monograph  on  the  "  Relation  of  Fertility  in  Man 
to  Social  Status,"  published  in  1906.  In  his  study  Heron 
applied  correlation  methods  to  the  determination  of  what 
social  characteristics  were  associated  with  high  and  with 
low  birth  rates  in  twenty-seven  districts  in  London  in 
1901.  Without  attempting  to  go  into  statistical  details 
it  will  suffice  to  say  that  the  Iowa  study  is  based  on 
ninety -nine   counties  instead  of   twenty-seven   districts, 


160    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

thus  greatly  increasing  the  reliability  of  the  results,  and 
that  the  Iowa  study  carries  much  further  than  Heron 
attempted  to  do  the  method  of  partial  correlations. 

The  index  of  fecundity  used  in  the  Iowa  study  is  the 
number  of  children  under  five  years  of  age  per  1,000 
women  twenty-one  to  forty -four  years  of  age.  This  index 
is  preferable  to  the  birth  rate,  because  it  more  nearly 
represents  the  number  of  children  who  will  survive  infancy, 
and  hence  is  not  open  to  the  objection  that  high  infant 
death  rates  among  the  poor  tend  to  compensate  for  high 
birth  rates.  The  decline  in  fecundity  in  Iowa  is  shown 
startlingly  by  the  fact  that  the  number  of  children  per 
1,000  women  of  child-bearing  age  had  dropped  in  1915  to 
40  per  cent,  of  what  it  was  in  1840.  This  would  not  be  a 
matter  for  lament  if  the  most  desirable  classes  were 
producing  most  rapidly  ;  indeed,  the  present  fecundity 
rate  still  keeps  up  the  population  in  spite  of  heavy  emi- 
gration. The  subject  for  investigation  was  :  What 
differences  in  fecundity  exist  in  desirable  and  undesirable 
types  ? 

The  first  outstanding  contrast  was  found  to  be  between 
city  and  country.  Roughly  speaking,  there  are  twice  as 
many  young  children  per  1,000  women  of  child-bearing 
age  in  rural  districts  as  in  cities.  This,  in  itself,  is  an 
unfavourable  condition  from  a  eugenic  standpoint,  for 
selective  migration  from  the  country  to  the  city  is  con- 
stantly draining  the  more  intelligent  and  energetic  rural 
youths  to  the  urban  centres,  leaving  the  relatively  less 
desirable  types  behind  to  repopulate  the  State.  From  an 
environmental  standpoint,  while  the  country  is  a  safer 
place  for  a  very  young  baby  than  the  city  is,  the  urban 
environment  is  preferable  from  an  educational  and  even 
from  a  health  standpoint,  for  growing  children.  While 
the  causes  for  the  difference  between  rural  and  urban 
fecundity  rates  are  complex,  it  seems  probable  that  wider 
diffusion  of  information  as  to  methods  of  contraception, 
and  readier  access  to  the  means  to  practise  it,  are  at  least 
partly  responsible  for  lower  birth  rates  in  the  cities. 

A  second  contrast  is  between  farm  tenants  and  farm 
owners.  The  data  prove  that  in  rural  counties  with  large 
percentages  of  farm  tenants  the  fecundity  is  radically 
greater  than  in  counties  with  large  percentages  of  farm 
owners.  Since  the  areas  where  farm  tenants  predominate 
are  the  areas  of  rural  poverty,  this  difference  means  that 


EUGENIC  161 

in  the  country  as  well  as  in  the  city,  high  fecundities  go 
with  poverty,  and  low  fecundities  with  economic  success. 

Even  more  striking  are  the  relationships  between 
fecundity  and  education.  In  the  counties  where  large 
percentages  of  the  young  people  of  high-school  age  are 
attending  high  school,  fecundities  are  low,  while  in  coun- 
ties where  the  young  people  do  not  attend  high  school  the 
fecundities  are  high.  This  is  not  due  to  the  fact  that  high- 
school  attendance  is  more  prevalent  in  cities  than  in 
rural  districts.  If  rural  areas  are  compared  with  rural, 
and  urban  with  urban,  the  contrast  is  still  marked.  In 
districts  where  parents  are  able  and  anxious  to  give  their 
children  a  higher  education,  there  fewer  children  are 
reared  than  in  districts  where  the  parents  cannot,  or  do  not 
want  to,  send  their  children  to  high  school,  or  where  the 
level  of  intelligence  is  so  low  as  to  discourage  a  high-school 
education. 

The  same  contrast  appears  when  the  education  of  the 
parents  is  considered.  Where  large  proportions  of  the 
persons  over  school  age  have  had  eight  or  more  years  of 
schooling,  fecundity  is  low  ;  where  few  adults  have  been 
in  school  eight  years  or  over,  fecundity  is  high.  Here, 
again,  the  contrast  holds  independently  of  the  contrast 
between  city  and  country.  Ignorance  and  high  birth 
rates  are  thus  clearly  and  strongly  associated  in  Iowa. 
The  contrast  may  be  summarised  by  saying  that  in  a 
community  in  which  all  children  of  high-school  age 
attended  high  school,  and  in  which  all  persons  over  school 
age  reported  eight  years  or  more  of  schooling,  the  number 
of  children  would  tend  to  be  about  400  lower  per  1,000 
women  than  in  a  community  where  the  percentage  of 
urban  population,  and  the  percentage  of  women  married, 
were  similar,  and  where  none  of  the  children  attended  high 
school  and  none  of  the  adults  had  had  eight  years  of  school- 
ing. In  Iowa,  as  elsewhere  in  the  world,  ignorance  far 
outstrips  intelligence  in  child-bearing. 

On  two  points  the  results  of  this  study  are  contrary  to 
generally  prevalent  opinion.  Counties  with  large  percen- 
tages of  foreign-born  residents  have  high  fecundities,  but 
if  these  counties  are  compared  with  counties  similar  in 
economic  status  and  education,  the  difference  disappears. 
Foreigners  are  usually  poor  and  ignorant,  and  like  other 
poor  and  ignorant  people,  they  have  many  children. 

As  relates  to  the  fecundity  of  Catholics,  also,  the  Iowa 

B.C.  M 


162    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

findings  contradict  usual  impressions.  Counties  with  high 
percentages  of  Catholic  Church  members  do  not  have  any 
marked  tendency  toward  higher  fecundities  than  other 
counties.  Married  Catholics  do  appear  to  have  more 
children  than  married  non-Catholics,  but  this  tendency  is 
offset  by  a  tendency  toward  late  marriage  in  highly 
Catholic  counties.  Even  married  Catholics  do  not,  how- 
ever, show  any  tendency  toward  higher  fecundities  than 
non-Catholics  of  similar  economic  and  educational  status. 
Religion,  as  such,  apparently  has  very  little  influence  upon 
fecundity  in  Iowa. 

A  significant  feature  of  the  investigation  is  the  high 
correlation  which  appeared  between  fecundity  and  the  age 
distribution  of  the  women.  Differences  in  the  average  age 
of  the  women  in  the  various  counties  were  too  slight  to 
have  any  appreciable  effect  upon  their  average  ability  to 
have  children,  but  in  counties  where  old  women  were 
scarce  as  compared  with  young  women,  fecundities  were 
markedly  higher  than  where  old  women  predominated. 
The  explanation  seems  to  be  as  follows  :  In  counties  where 
poverty  prevails,  both  birth  and  death  rates  are  high. 
This  produces  a  steep  age  distribution  with  few  old  people 
and  many  young  people.  The  poor  have  neither  the 
average  intelligence  nor  the  financial  resources  for  higher 
education  and  for  the  acquisition  of  property.  Hence  it 
appears  that  fecundity  is  inversely  correlated  with 
property  ownership  and  education.  Age  distribution, 
although  affected  somewhat  by  migration,  seems  to  be  the 
best  available  single  index  of  this  condition,  and  might 
well  be  termed  an  index  of  misery. 

So  completely  do  the  three  factors  of  urban-rural 
distribution,  percentage  of  women  married,  and  the  misery 
index,  account  for  differences  in  fecundity  between  Iowa 
counties  that  predictions  of  fecundity  by  means  of  a 
regression  formula  involving  these  three  factors  correlate, 
in  terms  of  the  Pearsonian  coefficient  +  *91  +  -01,  with 
actual  fecundities.  Part  at  least  of  the  difference  between 
this  and  perfect  correlation  is  due  to  imperfections  in  the 
indices  used,  so  that  it  is  safe  to  say  that  factors  indepen- 
dent of  these  three  elements  are  relatively  negligible  in 
determining  differences  in  fecundity  between  counties. 

In  my  opinion,  a  first  step  toward  the  correction  of  this 
socially  and  eugenically  disastrous  differential  fecundity  is 
the  systematic  education  of  married  persons  in  methods 


EUGENIC  163 

of  contraception.  Marriage  is  far  too  complex  and  serious 
a  matter  for  young  people  to  enter  upon  ignorantly.  It 
would  be  highly  desirable  from  a  social  standpoint  if 
every  couple  applying  for  a  marriage  licence  were  required, 
unless  able  to  pass  an  examination  for  marriage,  to  attend 
a  special  school  in  which  household  economics,  methods  of 
child  nurture  and  training,  and  methods  of  voluntary 
limitation  of  parenthood,  were  taught  in  competent 
fashion.  Such  a  course  would  insure  systematic  knowledge 
of  the  safest  and  best  methods  of  contraception,  instead 
of  the  haphazard  and  dangerous  hearsay  so  common  at 
present.  Individuals  with  religious  scruples  against 
family  limitation  would  not  need  to  use  the  information, 
and  persons  who  for  idealistic  reasons  wished  to  rear  a 
family  would  be  able  to  have  their  children  at  the  intervals 
best  calculated  to  insure  their  proper  care. 

A  second  measure  urgently  needed  is  research  with  a 
view  to  the  discovery  of  better  methods  of  contraception. 
Present  methods  are  not  always  certain,  are  often  trouble- 
some in  their  use,  interfere  more  or  less  with  satisfaction, 
and  require  considerable  self-control  for  their  systematic 
application.  As  long  as  this  is  true,  differential  fecundity 
in  favour  of  high  birth  rates  to  the  shiftless,  the  careless, 
the  ignorant  and  the  unintelligent  are  sure  to  persist. 
Certain  scientists  believe  that  it  may  be  possible  to 
develop  a  safe,  reliable  method,  so  simple  in  application 
that  any  one  with  even  a  child's  intelligence  can  avoid 
unintentional  parenthood.  When  such  a  discovery  is 
made  it  will  be  revolutionary  in  its  effects. 

A  third  step  needed  to  correct  differential  fecundity  in 
a  eugenic  direction  is  the  removal  of  the  economic  and 
social  drawbacks  toward  adequate  reproduction  of  the 
highly  fit.  As  a  significant  move  in  this  direction,  some 
private  foundation  adequately  financed  should  establish 
an  honorary  list  of  certified  parents,  and  for  as  large  a 
number  of  couples  as  possible  from  the  top  of  this  list 
should  guarantee  an  income  sufficient  to  offset  the  cost  of 
rearing  their  children.  Such  a  programme  would  have  to 
begin  carefully  and  work  out  its  methods  experimentally, 
but  I  am  convinced  that  immensely  important  results 
could  be  achieved. 

The  study  of  differential  fecundity  in  Iowa,  then, 
supports  the  conclusions  of  previous  studies  by  pointing 
out  that  in  rural  as  well  as  urban  districts,  fecundity  is 

M   2 


164    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

inversely  correlated  with  financial  and  intellectual  status. 
Voluntary  parenthood  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  pro- 
mising methods  of  correcting  this  tendency  to  repopulate 
the  world  from  the  least  fit  classes. 


PSYCHOLOGICAL  FACTORS  IN  BIRTH  CONTROL. 

By  Professor  Knight  Dunlap 

(Professor  of  Experimental  Psychology,  the  Johns 

Hopkins  University). 

The  statement  that  the  common  prejudice  against 
Birth  Control  is  largely  religious  is  true,  but  it  answers 
no  important  question.  Almost  every  type  of  human 
activity,  especially  in  regard  to  matters  of  eating,  drinking, 
and  sex  function  is,  or  has  been,  taboo  in  some  one  or 
other  of  the  religious  systems  of  the  world.  All  forms  of 
behaviour  in  regard  to  which  large  groups  of  people 
entertain  strong  and  emotional  opinions  have  been 
connected  up  with  religious  beliefs  and  religious  systems. 
The  reasons  for  the  existence  of  such  opinions  are  therefore 
to  be  sought  outside  of  the  religions  to  which  they  become 
attached.  Moreover,  the  particular  prejudice  against 
Birth  Control  exists,  in  violent  form,  among  those  also 
who  are  not  counted  as  "  religious  "  in  the  ordinary  sense 
of  the  word,  although  we  might  contend  that  in  a  wider 
sense  the  manner  of  holding  the  opinion  is  religious. 
The  prejudice  is  sometimes  defended  on  the  score  of  the 

'  unnaturalness  '  of  contraception.  It  cannot  be  con- 
ceded, however,  that  any  prejudice  has  ever  arisen  from 
such  considerations.  The  distinctions  between  that  which 
is  "  natural  "  and  that  which  is  "  unnatural  "  has  ever 
been  drawn  solely  on  the  basis  of  that  which  we  approve 
as  against  that  which  we  disapprove.  Of  course,  the 
public  does  not  stop  to  consider  the  fact  that  any  operation 
of  man  or  of  any  other  animal  is  inexorably  in  accord  with 
the  laws  of  nature,  and  hence  "  natural  "  ;  but  it,  never- 
theless, does  apply  the  condemnatory  epithet  "  unnatural  " 
strictly  to  those  acts  and  practices  which  are  believed  to 
be  against  morals,  or  public  interests,  or  the  interests  of 
the  individual ;  and  the  "  unnaturalness  "  is  never  the 
reason  for  the  condemnation,  but  only  the  form  thereof. 
That  the  permission  to  practise  contraception  infringes 

upon  the  rights  of  the  individual  as  such  has  never  been 


EUGENIC  165 

seriously  considered.  It  has  not  been  supposed,  so  far  as 
I  know,  that  the  protagonists  of  Birth  Control  propose  to 
force  any  one  to  practise  that  measure.  On  the  other 
hand,  many  of  the  most  active  opponents  of  Birth  Control 
obviously  practise  it  themselves,  and  some  of  them  even 
urge  the  employment  of  forced  methods  of  Birth  Control, 
such  as  delayed  marriage  and  voluntary  restraint  of 
intercourse,  upon  certain  sections  of  the  population.  The 
actual  objection  of  the  conservatives  is  against  the 
popularisation  of  information  concerning  contraception 
and  means  thereto  among  the  public,  so  that  any  indivi- 
duals may  be  enabled  to  practise  it  freely  if  they  wish  to . 
The  basis  of  the  prejudice  is  obviously  a  social  one,  in  so 
far  as  we  can  distinguish  the  social  from  the  individual. 

The  prejudice  against  Birth  Control,  as  it  exists,  is  an 
expression  of  one  of  the  strongest  tendencies  of  living 
organisms  ;  but  it  is  the  expression  of  the  tendency  as  it 
occurs  in  the  social  group  (social  organism,  if  you  will), 
not  as  a  merely  individual  tendency.  Every  form  of  life 
has  the  primary  tendency  to  perpetuate  itself  ;  and,  in 
the  human  organism,  this  tendency  is  manifested  not 
merely  in  blind  action-tendencies,  but  consciously  in  the 
twin  desires  for  progeny  and  for  sexual  relations  (the 
reproductive  and  amatory  desires).  The  existence  of  the 
social  group  is  tied  up  not  only  with  the  desire  to  per- 
petuate and  expand  the  group,  but  also  with  many 
subsidiary  desires  and  unintelligent  forms  of  reaction 
which  all  tend  towards  the  common  end  of  growth  of  the 
group. 

Nothing  else  so  arouses  the  antagonism  of  the  individual 
as  does  interference  with  the  reproductive  desires  and 
activities,  or  with  the  merely  sexual  activities  and  desires 
which  co-operate  with  the  reproductive.  On  the  social 
plane  also,  interference  with  the  perpetuation,  growth  and 
expansion  of  the  group  arouses  the  antagonism  of  those 
individuals  within  the  group  who  have  the  group -feeling 
strongly  developed,  and  whose  blind  group-desires  are  not 
modified  or  controlled  by  ethical  considerations  which 
subordinate  the  desire  for  mere  magnitude  to  desires  of 
higher  valuation. 

The  opponent  of  Birth  Control  is,  therefore,  not  con- 
cerned about  the  practice  of  contraception  by  himself,  or 
by  any  other  limited  class  in  the  race,  nation,  or  other 
social  group.     His  concern  is  solely  that  there  shall  be  a 


166    FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 


part  of  the  group  unaffected  by  Birth  Control,  and  suffi- 
ciently large  to  provide  for  rapid  multiplication  of  the 
group  as  such.  The  means  he  proposes  to  adopt  to  secure 
this  end,  whether  religious  means,  legal  means,  or  any 
other,  are  secondary  in  their  origin  and  nature,  however 
primary  a  place  they  may  come  to  occupy  in  his  own 
theories.  His  prejudices  are,  in  short,  the  expressions  of 
his  social  reproductive  desire  :  a  desire  which  is  of  high 
value  in  stages  of  society  in  which  a  rapid  increase  of 
society  is  useful,  but  which  becomes  dangerous  when  the 
population  has  reached  a  sufficient  height,  unless  the 
desire  is  controlled  by  understanding  the  actual  conditions 
and  by  eugenic  and  ethical  ideals. 

The  expressions  of  the  group  reproductive  tendency  are 
various.  Fears  that  the  particular  racial  stock  or  parti- 
cular social  class  which  the  individual  represents  will  die 
out  are  frequently  expressed.  Naturally,  the  fear  of  a 
nation's  falling  in  fighting  power  below  the  power  of  rival 
States  is  most  common.  But  in  all  these  fears,  it  is  the 
group  which  is  under  consideration,  not  the  individual, 
and  hence  the  practice  of  birth  limitation  by  an  individual 
is  not  inconsistent  with  his  intense  antagonism  against 
the  practice  by  members  of  the  group  generally.  These 
fears  are  not  by  any  means  idle,  and  the  considerations  on 
which  they  are  based  must  be  fully  met  by  advocates  of 
general  dissemination  of  knowledge  concerning  contra- 
ception. 

Another  form  of  expression  of  the  group  reproductive 
tendency  is  in  the  fear  of  increased  immorality  which 
might  result  from  popular  knowledge  of  contraceptive 
measures.  This  point  is  the  least  important  of  the  lot, 
and  most  easily  disposed  of.  It  may  be  pointed  out 
(1)  that  there  is  no  manifest  evidence  that  those  classes 
which  to-day  possess  contraceptive  knowledge  are  more 
given  to  illicit  intercourse  than  the  ignorant  class  ;  (2)  that 
the  absence  of  means  of  contraception  does  not  serve  as  a 
deterrent  to  immorality. 

Sexual  desire  is  as  readily  controlled  by  habit  as  is  any 
other  human  desire.  Both  in  primitive  and  civilised 
society  the  systematised  habits  known  as  taboos  operate, 
not  by  preventing  the  satisfaction  of  desire,  but  by 
checking  or  preventing  the  arousal  of  desire.  This  is 
illustrated  by  the  incest  convention,  as  well  as  by  the 
convention  against  illicit  intercourse.     Where  such  con- 


EUGENIC  167 

ventions  obtain,  the  individual  refrains  from  incestuous 
relations  because  his  acceptance  of  the  convention  restrains 
him  from  active  desire.  If,  however,  in  spite  of  the 
convention  the  desire  arises,  the  taboo  is  usually  broken 
if  opportunity  offers.  In  the  exceptional  cases,  the 
satisfaction  of  the  desire  is  prevented  by  fear  of  conse- 
quences or  by  internal  conflicts.  That  the  latter  solution 
is  intrinsically  a  bad  one  needs  no  argument.  Where  fear 
operates,  it  operates  not  by  restraining  the  desire,  but  by 
turning  it  into  perverted  channels.  In  this  case  also,  the 
results  are  disastrous. 

The  pathological  cases  of  fear  and  conflict  are  relatively 
few.  In  most  cases,  where  desires  arise  illicitly,  in  spite 
of  conventions,  the  result  is  simply  that  the  conventions 
are  broken.  Sexual  desire,  strongly  aroused,  is  a  flood  of 
emotional  activity  which  it  is  difficult  to  check  without 
bad  consequences.  And  in  the  case  of  illicit  desire,  the 
prevalence  of  illegitimacy  and  abortion  shows  plainly  that 
absence  of  means  of  contraception  is  not  an  effective 
means  of  checking  it.  The  question  of  improving  or 
conserving  sexual  morality  is  one  of  education  specifically, 
of  the  maintaining  of  moral  codes  or  taboos  which  are  so 
early  formed  and  rigorously  maintained  that  the  illicit 
desires  do  not  arise. 

Aside  from  the  matter  of  illicit  sexual  relations,  it  has 
been  alleged  that  the  use  of  contraceptive  measures  is 
detrimental  to  the  individual.  Two  specific  effects  of 
such  practices  have  been  assumed  :  (1)  an  increase  in 
amount  of  sex  activity,  conducing  to  excess  ;  and  (2)  the 
production  of  an  abnormal  emotional  attitude  due  to 
interference  with  the  normal  conditions  and  course  of  sex 
activity.  On  the  first  point  there  seems  to  be  no  con- 
clusive evidence,  and  it  seems  hardly  possible  that  in  the 
case  of  the  common  type  of  married  couple,  the  absence 
of  contraceptive  procedure  diminishes  the  frequency  of 
sexual  intercourse  to  any  significant  degree.  In  general, 
amatory  desire  is  not  inhibited  in  such  ways,  although  it 
may  be  turned  into  channels  of  perversion  ;  and  various 
perverted  forms  of  satisfaction  are,  on  this  account, 
practised  by  both  married  and  unmarried  persons. 

The  second  point  is  more  important.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  all  the  commonly  known  contraceptive 
measures  are  psychologically  objectionable,  and  if  fre- 
quently employed  they  produce  bad  effects  of  greater  or 


168    FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

less  extent.  These  measures  either  modify  essential 
stimulations,  or  interrupt  the  normal  course  of  the  sexual 
passion  and  activities,  and  are  hence  positively  dangerous. 
It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  not  only  the  rise  of  the  sex 
passion,  but  also,  in  the  woman,  its  decline  after  the 
climax  has  a  typical  form  which  cannot  be  interrupted 
with  impunity.  Aside  from  the  production  of  frigidity 
in  the  woman  and  of  chronic  irritation  and  impotency  in 
the  male,  very  serious  psychological  deteriorations  in  the 
more  subtle  emotional  relationships  of  couples,  leading  in 
some  cases  to  disintegration  of  the  family  relationship,  are 
unfortunately  common  results  of  the  usual  contraceptive 
practices. 

These  practices  produce  their  evil  effects  in  illicit  unions 
as  surely  as  they  do  in  the  marriage  state,  although, 
perhaps,  the  effects  are  more  easily  noted  among  married 
couples.  But  contraceptive  measures  are  extensively  used 
in  legal  and  illicit  unions,  and  will  unquestionably  con- 
tinue to  be  used.  The  Birth  Control  problem  of  maximal 
importance  centres,  therefore,  abo:it  the  development  of 
contraceptives  which  shall  be  free  from  the  psychological 
objections.  Based  on  the  opinions  of  a  number  of  com- 
petent medical  men  and  physiologists,  my  conviction  is  that 
such  contraceptives  may  be  developed  if  the  problem  is 
attacked  in  a  serious  and  systematic  way  by  a  group  of 
men  of  adequate  training  in  embryology  and  physiological 
chemistry.  Such  research  ought  by  all  means  to  be 
furthered  at  once  in  European  countries,  since,  on  account 
of  the  hysterical  state  of  the  public  in  America  on  these 
questions,  the  suitable  prosecution  of  this  research  is  at 
present  impossible  there. 

The  problem  of  race  or  group  deterioration  above 
referred  to  is  by  no  means  simple.  Under  present  condi- 
tions, the  more  intelligent  individuals  in  any  group,  and 
the  more  intelligent  races  generally,  practise  contra- 
ception, and  the  very  worst  eugenic  results  are  obtained. 
As  a  merely  negative  means,  extending  the  information 
to  the  lower  races  and  to  the  less  intelligent  members  of 
the  group  would  seem  requisite.  While  this  may  be  a 
simple  matter  in  any  group  or  race  in  which  the  better 
classes  already  practise  contraception,  the  result  of  restor- 
ing the  balance  in  the  higher  races  might  conceivably  be 
that  they  would  eventually  be  crushed  out  by  the  lower 
races,  if  these  do  not  limit  their  rates  of  increase. 


EUGENIC  169 

The  only  solution  to  this  problem  is  an  active  agreement 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth,  by  which  no  nation  shall  be 
allowed  to  commence  aggression  on  other  nations,  from 
which  it  will  result  that  any  nation  which  reaches  the  limit 
of  population  which  its  domain  can  support  will  be  com- 
pelled to  adopt  contraceptive  means.  If,  for  example,  the 
white  races  stand  together,  and  Japan  is  not  allowed  to 
seize  the  lands  of  other  people,  or  to  transfer  its  surplus 
population  into  the  lands  of  other  peoples,  it  must,  of 
necessity,  limit  its  increase  by  adopting  the  means  of  Birth 
Control  which  may  be  offered  it.  Since  Birth  Control  is 
already  practised,  and  will  continue  to  be  practised  by  the 
higher  nations,  this  necessity  is  now  upon  us,  and  a  real 
"  League  of  Nations  "  must  become  an  actuality  if  civili- 
sation is  to  be  maintained. 

On  the  positive  side,  the  effect  of  popularisation  of 
contraceptive  information  raises  some  interesting  ques- 
tions :  (1)  Is  it  not  possible  that  those  individuals  who 
desire  children,  up  to  the  number  which  can  be  adequately 
educated  and  provided  for,  are  intrinsically  representative 
of  better  stocks  than  are  those  whose  reproductive  desires 
are  weaker  ?  We  must,  in  considering  this  question, 
distinguish  the  amatory  desire  from  the  reproductive. 
(2)  Would  not  the  individuals  of  inferior  type  within 
a  given  nation  (feeble-minded,  Negroes,  etc.)  be  more 
inclined,  relatively,  to  practise  contraception  than  are  the 
superior  individuals  ? 

On  neither  of  these  questions  is  there  a  possibility  of 
making  a  decisive  statement.  The  first  question  is  a 
purely  scientific  one,  and  might,  ultimately,  be  solved  by 
scientific  investigation.  The  second  question  is  practical, 
and  is  complicated  by  the  religious  prejudice  deliberately 
inculcated  among  the  lower  classes.  On  the  whole,  how- 
ever, I  decline  to  think  that  although  religious  prejudice 
is  a  great  obstacle  to  the  spread  of  information  on  Birth 
Control,  it  is  not  by  any  means  a  serious  obstacle  to  its 
practice,  on  account  of  the  fact  previously  brought  out 
that  the  real  factor  on  which  the  prejudice  is  based  is 
social  and  not  individual.  I  am,  moreover,  seriously 
inclined  to  believe  that  if  methods  of  contraception,  which 
are  simple,  easily  accessible  and  inexpensive,  were 
brought  within  the  reach  of  the  Negroes  generally  in 
the  United  States,  our  "Negro  problem"  would  be 
solved  in  one  generation.     Although  the  amatory  desire 


170    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

of  the  Negro  is  enormous,  his  reproductive  desire  is  not 
great. 

As  in  the  case  of  every  great  movement,  good  or  bad, 
the  problem  of  Birth  Control  is  primarily  one  of  educa- 
tion ;  a  problem  of  promulgating  ideas.  Hence,  in  con- 
clusion, a  word  concerning  the  psychology  of  propaganda 
is  entirely  pertinent. 

There  is  a  grand  principle  of  propaganda  which  lies  at 
the  basis  of  all  progress,  and  of  all  changes  in  opinion  and 
all  conversation  of  opinion.  All  propaganda  is  planned 
to  bring  about  the  acceptance  of  ideas.  This  is  true  of 
commercial  advertising,  and  it  is  true  of  agitation  for 
reform  or  against  it.  The  first  step  in  the  acceptance  of 
an  idea  is  the  thinking  of  the  idea.  If  you  can  get  your 
man  to  actually  think  your  idea,  the  first  step,  and  the 
absolutely  essential  step,  is  taken.  And  in  accordance 
with  the  general  psychology  of  habit  formation,  the  more 
often  he  thinks  it,  the  nearer  he  is  to  ultimate  acceptance. 
Optimally,  you  should  get  him  to  think  it  without  argument, 
since  argument  tends  to  bring  about  conflicting  thoughts. 
The  idea  must  first  of  all  become  familiar.  But  since 
conflicting  ideas  will  occur,  either  through  association  or 
through  the  efforts  of  rival  propaganda,  reasons  must  be 
presented,  but  with  as  little  wrangling  and  argument  as 
possible.  This  method  has  actually  been  employed  by  the 
opponents  of  Birth  Control  with  great  success.  The  Press, 
and  speakers  having  the  public  ear,  secure  the  adherence 
of  the  public  by  denouncing,  by  ridiculing,  and  in  general 
by  much  talking,  but  avoiding  argument. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  attention  of  the  public  must  be 
secured.  Mere  hearing  or  seeing  is  not  enough  ;  the  ideas 
must  actually  be  thought.  And  nothing  gets  the  public 
ear  like  a  fight.  Woman  suffrage  in  the  United  States 
went  ahead  rapidly  as  soon  as  the  organisations  opposed 
to  suffrage  became  active  and  a  real  fight  was  on.  The 
men  then  sat  up  and  took  notice,  and  the  ideas  did  their 
work.  But  in  a  fight  it  is  never  the  opponents  who  are 
converted,  only  the  onlookers  are  susceptible. 

Apparently,  any  kind  of  an  idea,  good  or  bad,  can  be 
put  over,  if  the  presentation  is  skilful  and  the  opposition 
is  not  at  least  as  skilful.  And  this  is  true,  temporarilyfat 
least.  But  the  idea  which  has  truth  behind  it  has  the 
strong  advantage  in  the  long  run,  because  it  can  be  thought 
in  coherence  with  its  setting,  when  the  setting  is  ultimately 


EUGENIC  171 

presented.  Nevertheless,  the  observance  of  the  psycho- 
logical laws  of  propaganda  helps  amazingly.  And  these 
laws  are  :  have  an  idea,  state  your  idea  and  its  supporting 
reasons  clearly,  and  keep  on  stating  them  without  cessa- 
tion, but  with  the  least  possible  arousal  of  antagonism. 
When  you  do  stage  a  fight,  stage  it  with  those  you  do  not 
hope  to  convert,  for  the  benefit  of  those  whom  you  do. 
Or,  I  might  sum  these  laws  up  in  fewer  words  :  raise  your 
ideal  and  never  stop  talking  about  it ;   but  talk  amiably. 


Resolution. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  session  the  following  resolution 
was  put  to  the  meeting  : — 

"  The  Fifth  International  Neo-Malthusian  and 
Birth  Control  Conference  desires  to  call  the  attention 
of  the  Public  Health  Authorities  of  all  nations  to  the 
serious  consequences  to  the  quality  of  the  race  of  the 
relatively  great  reproduction  of  the  less  successful, 
improvident  and  hereditarily  diseased  sections  of  the 
community,  and  the  consequent  drain  on  the  State 
for  their  maintenance  and  care  :  and  calls  upon  these 
authorities  to  recommend  or  provide  instruction  in 
hygienic  contraceptive  measures  to  married  persons 
at  all  hospitals  or  public  health  centres  to  which  the 
poor  and  unfit  principally  apply  for  relief." 

Carried  with  one  dissentient. 

(Signed)     E.  W.  MacBride, 

President  of  the  Section. 


Thursday,  July  \Zth. — Afternoon  Session. 

NATIONAL  AND  INTERNATIONAL  SECTION 
President         .         .         Harold  Cox,  Esq. 

The  President  formally  opened  the  proceedings, 
saying  :— 

We  have  a  very  full  programme  before  us  this  afternoon, 
and  therefore  I  am  not  going  to  take  up  your  time  with 
a  preliminary  speech.  What  I  propose  to  do  is  to  call 
upon  the  various  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  have  kindly 
prepared  papers  to  read  those  papers  to  you,  either  per- 
sonally or  by  deputy,  and  then  after  that  I  will  take  part 
in  the  general  discussion  to  follow  up  the  lessons  we  learn 
from  their  papers. 

OVER-POPULATION    OF   THE    EARTH    AND    ITS 

DANGERS. 

By  Dr.  Anton  Nystrom  (Stockholm). 

The  earth  would  have  been  over-populated  long  ago 
had  not  various  causes  contributed  to  diminish  the  increase 
of  the  race. 

These  causes  have  been  of  two  kinds  : — 

(1)  Death-bringing,  or  the  premature  annihilation    of 

innumerable  numbers  of  people  ; 

(2)  Preventive,  or  preventive  measures  against  concep- 

tion or  birth. 

Death-bringing  causes  have  been,  for  the  first,  wars 
and  extermination  of  peoples. 

The  very  beginning  of  mankind's  existence  was  marked 
by  a  state  of  warfare.  Originally,  of  course,  all  men  were 
half  animals,  and  killed  each  other  as  other  beasts  of 
prey  do,  without  any  "  human  "  feelings,  and  they  con- 
tinued to  kill  far  into  historic  times — even  to  our  own 
days,  as  a  matter  of  fact.     Many  wars  have  taken  the 


NATIONAL  AND  INTERNATIONAL         173 

form  of  veritable  wars  of  extermination,  and  many  races 
have  disappeared  from  the  face  of  the  earth  as  a  result. 
Suitable  examples  of  wars  and  extermination  of  human 
life  by  the  lower  races  is  offered  by  the  Negroes  of  Africa. 
The  slave  trade  has  been  carried  on  by  the  Negroes  from 
time  immemorial,  and,  from  well-known  facts  in  recent 
times,  the  numbers  killed  in  battles,  or  who  perished 
from  hunger  and  illness  during  the  transports,  an  estimate 
may  be  made  of  the  unheard-of  numbers  of  Negro  slaves 
that  have  perished  by  the  slave  trade  since  the  early  days 
of  history.  They  must  certainly  be  calculated  by  hundreds 
of  millions. 

The  same  fate  has  attended  the  Indians  in  America. 
Numberless  tribes  have  been  decimated  or  utterly  destroyed 
by  internal  wars  and  by  the  white  men's  guns. 

Some  idea  of  the  great  loss  of  human  life  can  be  given 
by  examples  from  the  wars  between  civilised  States 
within  historic  times,  as,  for  instance,  when  the  Assyrian 
Empire  was  destroyed  by  the  Medes  and  Persians,  nearly 
half  of  the  population  perished  ;  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  Germans  were  killed  by  the  Romans  when  they  threat- 
ened the  Roman  Empire  ;  when  Carthage  was  taken  and 
destroyed  by  the  Romans,  the  greater  part  of  its  700,000 
inhabitants  were  killed  ;  the  Crusades  led  to  enormous 
losses  of  human  life  ;  the  same  was  the  case  with  the 
Europeans  in  the  Thirty  Years'  War.  The  witch  trials 
and  the  cruelties  of  the  Inquisition  led  to  the  death  of 
innumerable  persons,  in  total  at  least  1^  million. 

Other  death-bringing  causes  have  been :  natural 
catastrophes,  such  as  volcanic  eruptions,  earthquakes, 
hurricanes  and  inundations ;  violence,  such  as  bodily 
injuries,  drowning,  murder,  etc.  Innumerable  persons 
have  been  killed  by  wild  animals  in  the  tropics. 

We  have  finally  to  consider  the  contagious  diseases,  the 
bacterial  infections.  From  time  immemorial  mankind  has 
been  ravaged  by  murderous  epidemics  of  the  pest  or 
plague,  smallpox,  leprosy,  black  death,  spotted  typhus  and 
typhoid  fever,  influenza,  cholera,  syphilis,  tuberculosis, 
malaria,  etc.,  and  incalculable  millions  of  men  have  been 
killed  by  these  infections. 

During  the  last  half  century,  bacteriology  has  attained 
extraordinary  results,  and  has  led  to  the  introduction  of 
modern  social  hygiene,  of  prophylactic  medical  measures, 
and  to  the  prevention  and  cure  of  infectious  and  con- 


174    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

tagious  diseases,  etc.,  whereby  the  rate  of  mortality  lias 
become  diminished,  and  the  average  length  of  life  increased. 
These  striking  results  are  from  a  certain  point  of  view 
gratifying,  but,  at  the  same  time,  they  are  calculated  to 
give  rise  to  the  very  greatest  fears  that  the  world  will 
become  over  populated.  Contagious  diseases  were,  in 
former  times,  the  cause,  to  an  extraordinary  degree,  of  a 
diminution  of  the  population  ;  nowadays  these  diseases 
are  combated  with  success,  and  in  every  country  the 
number  of  inhabitants  will  increase  without  measure,  unless 
a  limit  be  set  by  the  adoption  of  suitable  means  to 
prevent  it. 

There  have  been,  as  said  above,  also  preventive  causes  of 
diminution  of  population.  These  are  preventive  measures 
against  conception,  and  artificially  provoked  abortion. 

It  seems  that,  from  the  earliest  ages,  most  nations  of 
the  earth  have  employed  all  kinds  of  preventive  measures 
for  the  purpose  of  restricting  the  number  of  the  popula- 
tion. In  general,  the  reason  appears  to  have  been  the 
difficulty  of  providing  for  large  families  of  children. 
Among  savage  races,  the  women,  on  the  whole,  give  birth 
to  afar  smaller  number  of  children  than  do  those  of  civilised 
nations  ;  they  seldom  have  more  than  four  or  five,  and  in 
general,  only  two  or  three.  This  is  by  no  means  caused 
by  less  fertility,  but  is  due  to  several  other  causes — the 
women  live  as  a  rule  under  unfavourable  and  very  trying 
conditions,  the  children  remain  a  long  time  at  the  breast, 
etc.  ;  in  many  places  the  women  employ  contraceptive 
devices  and  bring  about  abortion.  Another  reason  why, 
as  a  rule,  the  families  among  savage  races  have  so  few 
children,  is  that  the  mortality  among  the  children  is  so 
extremely  great. 

The  ancient  Jews  undoubtedly  employed  means  to 
prevent  conception.  In  the  Pentateuch  i.  38,  the  story 
is  told  of  the  employment  of  coitus  interruptus  by  Onan, 
and  this  method  has  undoubtedly  been  in  general  use 
from  time  immemorial  among  many  peoples.  The 
ancient  Greeks  and  Romans  employed  preventive  means, 
and  other  corresponding  measures  were  in  use,  too. 

Provoked  abortion,  too,  has  been  in  use  since  the  most 
ancient  times  in  order  to  restrict  the  number  of  children, 
not  only  among  civilised  and  half-civilised  peoples,  but 
also  in  the  case  of  tribes  living  in  the  most  primitive 
conditions.     The  causes  of  the  existence  of  this  custom 


NATIONAL  AND  INTERNATIONAL         175 

are  the  same  as  those  which  have  led  to  infanticide,  the 
chief  one  being  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  food  for  many- 
children. 

Several  kinds  of  primitive  measures  against  conception 
have  been  employed  for  centuries  among  the  civilised 
peoples  of  Europe.  Faloppia,  the  celebrated  Italian 
physician  and  anatomist,  invented  a  means  of  preventing 
that  dreaded  disease,  syphilis,  viz.,  the  use  of  the  condom, 
which  he  had  made  of  fine  linen  and  which  he  described 
(1564).  His  invention  was  afterwards  improved,  probably 
in  England,  by  employment  of  the  blind-gut  of  certain 
animals.  Just  as  it  has  saved  innumerable  persons  from 
falling  victims  to  venereal  diseases,  it  has,  in  numberless 
cases,  diminished  the  number  of  unwished-for  children. 


In  spite  of  the  multifarious  causes  which,  during  the 
course  of  ages,  have  caused  a  diminution  in  the  numbers 
of  mankind,  over-population  has,  none  the  less,  already 
existed  in  certain  tracts  in  former  ages,  and  in  our  day 
can  be  found,  to  an  alarming  degree,  in  many  countries. 

History  gives  us  many  instructive  lessons  with  regard 
to  the  dangers  of  over -population.  It  was  their  great 
growth  in  numbers  and  the  consequent  difficulty  in  obtain- 
ing food  in  their  native  country,  i.e.,  need,  that  drove  the 
German  barbarians  to  migrate  southwards,  and  overwhelm 
the  Roman  Empire,  especially  Italy's  fruitful  tracts  ;  and 
this  led  to  long  and  devastating  wars.  During  the  whole 
historic  times,  such  migrations  from  Asia  to  Europe's 
farthest  borders  have  taken  place  as  a  result  of  the  too 
great  increase  of  the  population  in  proportion  to  the  food 
supplies. 

The  Colonial  wars  of  later  times  were  caused  by  the 
necessity  of  colonisation  as  a  means  against  need,  caused 
by  over-population.  The  United  States  of  America  were 
originally  colonies,  but,  at  the  present  day,  are  so  thickly 
populated  that  the  authorities  there  endeavour  to  prevent 
the  influx  of  fresh  immigrants  from  Europe,  China  and 
Japan.  In  all  colonies,  the  natives  have  been  more  or 
less  ruthlessly  treated  by  the  usurping  races.  And  the 
European  nations  have  often  carried  on  wars  against  each 
other  for  the  possession  of  these  colonies. 


176    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

That  over -population  exists  already  in  many  countries 
cannot  be  denied,  and  even  if  there  are  immense  territories 
on  the  face  of  the  globe,  such  as  in  Africa,  South  America, 
Australia  and  Siberia,  where  millions  may  yet  find  a  home, 
still  it  is  none  the  less  certain  that  most  civilised  countries 
are  already  so  thickly  populated  that  millions  find  a 
difficulty  in  obtaining  subsistence,  and  that  myriads  of 
people  live  in  a  constant  state  of  great  want.  It  is  clear, 
then,  that  the  steady  increase  in  the  population  of  the 
earth  must  soon  become  a  factor  of  extreme  clanger. 

Although  we  have  no  exact  figures  showing  the  number 
of  the  inhabitants  in  many  countries,  fahly  reliable 
statistics  give  the  present  population  of  the  globe  as  being 
in  round  numbers  : — 


Europe 

Asia 
Africa 
America 
Australia 


468  millions 
895       „ 
136       „ 
204 
8 


5> 


1,711 


As  the  total  population  of  the  world  amounted  in  1870 
to  about  1,400  millions,  and  in  1920  to  about  1,711  millions, 
the  figures  show  an  increase  of  311  millions  in  fifty  years, 
in  spite  of  the  enormous  loss  of  life  caused  by  the  Great 
War  and  the  present  Russian  Revolution,  which  together 
may  probably  be  estimated  at  about  20  millions. 

This  growth,  then,  is  about  62  millions  yearly.  If  we 
suppose  this  rate  of  increase  will  be  maintained,  and  if  con- 
ception continues  unchecked  as  before,  and  even  if  we  take 
into  consideration  the  possibility  of  fresh  years  of  need, 
then,  in  another  half  century,  the  population  of  the  globe 
will  amount  to  somewhat  more  than  2,000  millions. 

This  perspective  is  calculated  to  fill  us  with  dismay, 
even  if  we  remember  that,  as  yet,  Africa,  Australia  and 
America  are  comparatively  thinly  populated,  for,  in  these 
continents,  large  tracts  are  uninhabitable  or  suitable  for 
comparatively  few  settlers.  The  enormous  population, 
dwelling  on  the  comparatively  small  area  of  Europe,  is 
terrifying  in  its  density,  and  the  same  may  be  said  with 
respect  to  India,  China  and  Japan. 

A  hundred  years  ago  the  population  of  India  amounted 


NATIONAL  AND  INTERNATIONAL         177 

to  about  150  millions,  and  now,  in  1920,  it  is  more  than 
twice  that  number,  or  approximately  326  millions. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  China  has  long  been,  an  over- 
populated  country,  in  spite  of  all  diminution  factors, 
earthquakes,  inundations,  famines,  etc.  The  total  number 
of  inhabitants  of  China  is  about  329  millions. 

The  population  of  Japan  amounted  in  1880  to  38 
millions,  in  1920  to  57  millions  ;  it  has  added  800,000— 
900.000  yearly  to  its  numbers,  so  that  in  1930  it  will  reckon 
at  least  65  millions,  if  every  one  stayed  within  the  domi- 
nions. In  order  to  find  space  and  food  for  its  thus  rapidly 
increasing  population,  Japan  has  carried  on  wars  with 
China  and  Russia.  For  Japan,  therefore,  the  question  of 
over -population  has  already  become  the  determining  factor 
in  its  foreign  policy.  The  relatively  poor  country  cannot, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  supply  its  growing  millions  with  the 
necessaries  of  life,  so  that  a  policy  of  expansion  has  become 
of  vital  importance  for  the  island  empire.  But  Japan 
must,  as  soon  as  possible,  take  into  serious  consideration 
the  problem  of  the  prevention  of  an  unrestricted  continuance 
of  the  high  birth  rate,  instead  of  building  upon  a  policy  of 
military  expansion. 

The  population  of  Germany  was  in  1871  41  millions, 
and  in  1919  68  millions.  The  growth  of  the  population 
there  was  for  many  years  about  800,000  annually,  or  in 
round  numbers  8-|  millions  every  decade.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  Germany,  with  68  millions  of  inhabitants,  had  attained 
the  maximum  of  population,  if  its  people  were  to  remain 
prosperous  and  contented,  and  also  that  this  enormous 
growing  of  its  population  was  one  of  the  causes  of  the 
World  War. 

For  a  long  period  German  Chauvinists  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  consider  the  great  increase  in  the  population  of 
Germany  as  a  pleasing  phenomenon,  bearing  witness  to 
the  strength  of  a  nation  which  they  regarded  as  destined 
to  rule  other  peoples  which  did  not  increase  in  the  same 
proportion.  It  was  on  the  enormous  increase  of  the 
German  population  that  the  military  and  colonial  policy  of 
the  Empire  was  based.  But  a  policy  based  on  such  a 
presupposition,  and  which,  consequently,  must  calculate 
on  a  continued  large  growth  in  the  number  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, must  be  prepared  for  the  most  frightful  conflicts 
with  other  nations. 

If  Germany  in  1919  had  only  had  about  50  millions  of 

b.c;  k 


178    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

people  instead  of  68  millions,  there  would  have  been  no 
World  War.  With  such  a  number  of  inhabitants  Germany 
would  have  been  a  happy  country,  and  would  have  been 
in  a  position  to  promote  culture  just  as  well  as  or  better 
than  it  did  with  20  millions  more. 

By  the  losses  in  and  after  the  war,  Germany's  population 
was  reduced  to  about  60  millions  in  1920.  With  an 
estimated  annual  growth  of  population  amounting  to  only 
700,000,  we  shall  find  that  the  number  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Germany  will  amount  in  ten  years,  or  1930,  to  about 
67  millions  ;  in  twenty  years,  or  1940,  to  about  74  millions. 

Unless  such  increase  is  restricted  to  a  very  considerable 
degree,  by  the  adoption  of  preventive  methods,  etc.,  it  is 
easy  to  see  that,  after  a  few  decades,  there  will  exist  the 
danger  of  an  over-population,  extremely  dangerous  for 
Germany,  and  constituting  a  threat  to  the  whole  world. 

The  population  of  the  whole  of  Europe  was  : — 


In  1870 
1890 
1911 
1920 


305  millions. 

363 

452 

468 


The  increase  between  1870  and  1920  was  163  millions, 
or  3-2  millions  yearly,  and  this  in  spite  of  the  losses  caused 
by  the  war. 

If  we  calculate  at  this  rate  of  increase,  then  the  popula- 
tion of  our  continent  will  be  : — 


In  1930 
1940 


500  millions. 
532 


We  shrink  with  terror  from  these  figures,  when  we  think 
what  they  imply  ;  not  wealth  or  property,  but  want, 
hunger,  misery,  and  leading  to  war  with  its  accompani- 
ments of  demoralisation  and  the  annihilation  of  culture. 
And  this  within  a  few  decades  ! 

These  population  figures  should  be  looked  at  in  con- 
nection with  the  approaching  failure  of  fuel  in  the  world. 


What  has  to  be  done  now  is  to  work  everywhere  for  the 
spread  of  the  neo-Malihusian  doctrines  by  means  of 
lectures,  publications,  the  establishment  of  associations, 
etc.,  and  not  to  allow  ourselves  to  be  dismayed  by  the 
external  difficulties.     Great  aims  create  enthusiasm  ! 


NATIONAL  AND  INTERNATIONAL         179 

The  people  of  every  country  must  be  thoroughly  enlightened 
by  means  of  books,  pamphlets,  newspaper  articles,  lectures, 
etc.,  as  to  the  dangers  of  over-population.  Neo-Malthu- 
sian  associations  should  be  established  everywhere  in  the 
world,  so  as  to  organise  a  systematic  propaganda.  This 
work  of  enlightenment  must  be  universal,  so  that  no 
country,  from  ignorance  and  neglect,  shall  continue,  or 
become,  over-populated,  thereby  threatening  the  peace  of 
other  nations. 

Writings  by  investigators  and  resolutions  adopted  by 
associations  respecting  the  dangers  of  a  too  great  birth 
rate  and  of  over-population  should  be  forwarded  to  the 
Governments  in  the  different  countries  and  to  the  League 
of  Nations,  which,  in  their  turn,  should  do  everything  to 
promote  the  great  reform.  This  idea  may  appear  Utopian, 
and  hardly  in  agreement  with  the  old  style  of  political 
appeals  usually  made  to  the  representatives  of  the  Powers. 
But  this  fact  should  not  prevent  its  being  carried  out,  so 
that  it  may  bear  fruit  in  one  way  or  another. 

It  is  to  be  deplored  that  in  all  the  endless  debates  that 
have  been  carried  on  by  statesmen,  international  commis- 
sions, the  leading  journals  and  political  writers,  etc., 
respecting  the  causes  of  the  Great  War  and  the  ways  and 
means  of  remedying  the  prevailing  universal  want  and  of 
reconstructing  the  world,  the  question  of  over-popula- 
tion and  its  decisive  nature  in  these  matters  were  never 
touched  upon,  not,  at  least,  with  the  detail  demanded  by 
factors  of  such  importance. 

It  seems  as  though  there  prevailed  everywhere  a  fear 
of  touching  on  a  subject  of  such  an  intimate  nature  and 
which  is  in  close  connection  with  sexual  matters — matters 
which  few  have  cared  to  consider  thoroughly,  and  which  are 
considered  unsuitable  for  public  discussion,  not  comme  il 
faut.  The  subject  must  be  brought  forward,  however,  for 
it  deals  with  one  of  the  most  essential  factors  in  human 
life. 


BIRTH  CONTROL  THE  SAVING  OF 
CIVILISATION. 

By  Ferdinand  Goldstein,  M.D.  (Berlin). 

Mommsen    says    in    the    concluding    sentence    of    his 
Theme  of  the  Roman  Public  Law  "  :    "  The  Roman 

N  2 


180    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

Empire  of  the  Principate,  as  well  as  the  Roman  Empire 
as  restored  by  Diocletianus,  which  had  still  under  the 
reign  of  Justinianus  military  victories,  perished  not  by 
the  barbarians,  but  by  internal  decay."  This  decay  was 
caused  by  the  wrong  movement  of  the  population.  The 
upper  classes  increased  in  such  a  small  degree  that  the 
Government  published  laws  to  augment  their  fertility. 
But  the  lower  classes  grew  enormously,  especially  because 
there  was  a  great  influx  of  working  people  from  the 
country  to  the  towns.  Hence  the  empire  possessed  many 
large  towns,  but  its  inhabitants  became  more  and  more 
of  the  working  class,  and  when  the  evolution  was  at  its 
height  the  bishops  founded  their  state  of  slavery,  which 
had  as  much  resemblance  to  the  Christian  ideal  as  the 
Soviet  republic  has  to  paradise. 

In  the  modern  countries  the  development  of  the  popu- 
lations is  as  faulty  as  in  the  Roman  Empire.  For  the 
well-to-do  classes  increase  more  slowly  than  the  poor. 
For  instance,  in  Berlin  the  birth  rate  in  1912  in  the  rich 
Tiergarten  quarter  was  13  against  26  in  the  poor  Wed- 
ding quarter.  The  President  of  the  Statistical  Office  in 
Paris,  M.  Bertillon,  published  a  table  showing  that  female 
fertility  in  the  different  quarters  of  towns  depends  on 
the  wealth  of  their  inhabitants.  The  poorest  quarters 
have  the  highest,  and  the  richest  the  lowest,  birth  rate. 
In  London,  for  instance,  1,000  women  of  from  fifteen  to 
fifty  years  bore  in  very  poor  quarters  147  children  per 
annum  ;   in  very  rich  ones  only  sixty -three. 

But  this  difference  is  only  of  small  importance  when 
compared  with  the  influx  of  working  classes  from  the 
country  to  the  towns.  The  cause  of  this  is  the  weight 
of  over-population  always  pressing  on  the  country.  This 
over-population  has  nothing  to  do  with  that  of  Malthus. 
He  contrasted  the  population  with  the  amount  of  their 
food,  but  the  over-population  I  mean  is  caused  by  men 
offering  more  labour  than  is  needed.  An  estate  employing 
twenty  workmen  to-day  will  require  in  twenty  years 
almost  the  same  number,  or  less  if  machinery  to  save 
human  labour  is  used  in  agriculture.  But  the  population 
increases,  and  the  offspring  having  reached  the  usual  age 
for  beginning  work  must  gain  money  by  labour.  But 
work  can  only  be  offered  to  them  when  the  fixed 
number  of  agricultural  workers  has  been  diminished 
by    death ;    all   the   others    are   superfluous,    and   must 


NATIONAL  AND  INTERNATIONAL         181 

seek  labour  abroad.  The  agricultural  population  remains 
almost  the  same.  For  instance,  it  was  in  Germany  (in 
millions)  : — 

1882 18-7 

1895 17-8 

1907 16-9 

The  diminution  has  been  caused  by  increasing  employ- 
ment of  machinery. 

But  in  the  country  not  only  agricultural  labourers  are 
living,  but  also  mechanics,  tradesmen,  doctors,  clergymen, 
and  so  on,  and  these  are  in  the  same  position  as  the 
labourers,  for  there  is  no  free  competition  in  the  country. 
Consequently  not  only  the  agricultural  population,  but 
the  whole  of  the  rural  population,  always  remains  the  same. 
International  statistics,  when  speaking  of  the  country, 
mean  communities  below  2,000  inhabitants  ;  every  com- 
munity above  2,000  inhabitants  is  statistically  a  town. 
They  are  sub -divided  into  small,  middle  and  large  towns. 
The  population  in  communities  below  2,000  inhabitants 
was  (in  millions)  : — 


Belgh 

im. 

Frai 

xce. 

Germ 

any. 

1846   . 

1-7 

1872 

24-8 

1871   . 

26-2 

1856   . 

1-7 

1876 

24-9 

1875 

26-0 

1866 

1-7 

1881 

24-5 

1880 

26-5 

1876 

1-7 

1886 

24-4 

1885 

26-3 

1880 

1-7 

1891 

24-0 

1890 

26-1 

1890 

1-7 

1896 

23-4 

1895 

26-0 

1900 

.   1-6 

1901 

230 

1900 

25-7 

These  figures  give  the  impression  of  the  rural  population 
being  quite  sterile,  but  it  is — at  least  in  Germany — 
extremely  fertile,  more  fertile  than  the  average.  The 
surplus  of  births  was  in  Germany  in  the  years  before  the 
war  14  per  million,  but  in  the  country  17  or  18  per 
million,  and  when  the  whole  offspring  of  the  country  from 
1871  to  1900  is  calculated,  we  get  13  or  14  millions. 
This  huge  crowd  is  driven  away  by  over-population. 

The  superfluous  population  of  the  country  goes  to  the 
towns  to  work  in  the  factories,  or  emigrates.  In  Germany 
many  years  before  the  war,  it  went  chiefly  to  the  towns, 
their  natural  growth  not  being  sufficient  to  provide  the 
factories  with  workmen.     Hence  poverty  arose  from  two 


182    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

sources,  the  first  being  the  great  fertility  of  the  working 
class  in  the  towns,  the  second  the  over-population  of  the 
country.  The  consequence  of  this  rapid  growth  of  poverty 
was  that  Socialism  grew  enormously  with  it.  However, 
Socialism  depends  not  on  poverty  alone,  but  also  on  the 
peculiar  change  of  mind  affecting  the  immigrants  when 
they  become  townsfolk.  Socialism  in  Germany  has  but 
small  influence  in  towns  growing  chiefly  by  their  own 
fertility.  The  English  towns  cannot  grow  on  a  consider- 
able scale  by  immigration  from  the  country  because  the 
rural  population  is  small.  That  is  the  reason  why 
Socialism  in  England  is  without  importance.  The  towns 
of  Switzerland  grow  by  the  surplus  of  births,  by  immi- 
grating Swiss,  and  by  foreigners.  As  the  latter  have  not 
the  right  to  vote,  they  have  no  influence  on  elections. 
When  considering  the  two  other  sources  of  growth  the 
same  can  be  noticed  in  the  towns  of  Switzerland  as  in 
those  of  England  and  Germany.  Zurich  grew  in  a  greater 
degree  by  its  own  fertility  than  by  immigrating  Swiss, 
and  was  an  unfavourable  place  for  Socialists,  whereas  in 
Geneva  the  number  of  immigrating  Swiss  was  greater 
than  the  surplus  of  births,  and  here  Socialists  were  elected. 
It  may  be  permitted  to  add  that  Socialists  and  Commun- 
ists know  their  power  depends  on  poverty,  and  are  in 
consequence  always  against  Birth  Control. 

When  industry  is  not  great  enough  to  employ  entirely 
or  almost  entirely  the  superfluous  population  of  the 
country,  men  are  forced  to  emigrate.  This  is  the  case  in 
Denmark,  Sweden  and  Norway,  in  the  German  Empire  of 
the  first  decades,  in  Hungary,  Ireland,  and  especially  in 
Italy.  In  Italy  the  main  part  of  the  population  is  living 
on  agriculture,  and,  therefore,  the  density  of  the  land 
ought  to  be  small  as  in  the  United  States.  For  the  main 
work  in  agriculture  is  done  by  Nature.  But  Italy  had  in 
1911  a  density  of  121.  In  consequence  the  farms  are  too 
small,  the  peasants  live  in  poverty,  food  has  to  be  im- 
ported because  the  peasants  consume  the  crops  they 
produce,  the  superfluous  population  in  the  country  is 
enormous,  as  also  is  the  emigration.  Italy  had  before  the 
war  the  largest  emigration  of  all  European  countries  ;  for 
instance,  in  1912  it  was  711,000  or  20  per  million  of  the 
population.  Some  of  the  emigrants  return  to  Italy,  but  that 
makes  no  difference  in  considering  the  over-population  of 
the  country.    The  main  body  of  the  emigrants  goes  to  the 


NATIONAL  AND  INTERNATIONAL         183 

United  States,  and  you  may  realise  what  it  means  for 
Italy  when  the  United  States  close  the  door  as  they  have 
done. 

The  emigrants  as  well  as  the  immigrants  consist  chiefly 
of  the  working  classes,  and  as  they  are  poured  in  millions 
year  by  year  over  the  world,  it  must  become  subject  to 
them,  as  it  was  in  the  Roman  Empire.  Evolution  has 
already  reached  a  dangerous  level,  as  Socialism  spread 
out  over  the  whole  world  shows.  In  Germany  the  too 
numerous  working  classes  destroyed  the  Liberal  parties, 
and  with  them  common  sense.  That  was  the  reason  for 
the  madness  reigning  in  the  land  in  pre-war  days,  and  is 
now  the  reason  of  her  desperate  condition. 

What  is  to  be  done  against  this  pernicious  evolution  ? 
Laymen  answer  promptly,  that  laws  must  stop  interfering 
with  sexual  life.  Contraceptive  means  should  be  sold  as 
freely  as  pencils  or  oranges,  and  artificial  abortion  should 
be  allowed.  This  extreme  would  be  as  dangerous  as  the 
opposite.  For  what  would  be  the  result  ?  Firstly,  the 
danger  arises  that  nations  might  be  extinguished,  and 
secondly,  well-to-do  classes  would  be  likely  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the  granted  freedom  in  a  much  higher  degree 
than  indifferent  working  classes,  and  they  would  over- 
whelm the  educated  people  in  a  greater  degree  than  they 
do  now.  No,  the  task  of  a  reasonable  demographic 
policy  is  to  equalise  the  fertility  of  rich  and  poor. 
Academically  speaking,  it  does  not  matter  how  much  a 
population  grows,  unless  there  is  a  difference  in  the 
fertility  of  all  its  classes.  When,  for  instance,  a  country 
has  such  a  low  fertility  that  its  population  decreases,  it 
may  be  that  the  educated  classes  are  overwhelmed  by  the 
industrial  in  spite  of  it. 

The  object  of  equalising  the  fertility  in  all  the  classes  of 
a  country  may  be  attained  by  eliminating  every  demo- 
graphic law  from  the  Penal  Code,  and  prescribing  in  the 
Civil  Code  that  only  he  who  has  done  his  demographic 
duty  has  the  right  to  dispose  of  his  whole  fortune  in  his 
will.  When  has  a  man  done  his  demographic  duty  ? 
Laymen  answer,  when  he  has  bred  two  children.  This  is 
not  the  case.  Under  the  two-children  system  a  nation  is 
not  continued.  In  France,  generally  called  the  land  of 
two-children  families,  couples  breed  three  children  on  an 
average,  and  under  this  increase  the  nation  was  continued  ; 
for  one  child  in  three  dies.     Hence  it  follows  that  he  who 


184    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

bred  three  children  has  done  his  demographic  duty.  But 
three  children  are  a  heavy  burden,  and  to  continue  a 
nation  it  is  sufficient  that  a  couple  produce  two  children, 
provided  that  they  survive  the  death  of  their  parents. 
Consequently  the  Civil  Code  must  prescribe  that  he  who  bred 
three  children,  however  many  of  them  have  died,  has  the 
right  to  dispose  of  his  whole  fortune  in  his  will.  He  who 
has  two  surviving  children  shall  have  the  same  right. 
But  whoever  has  had  less  than  two  children,  or  who  had 
two,  of  whom  one  or  both  died,  must  give  at  his  death  one- 
third  of  his  property  to  the  State.  Under  such  a  law, 
fertility  of  well-to-do  people  will  rise,  whereas  that  of  the 
poor  will  be  lowered,  nations  will  be  continued  and,  the 
most  important  of  all,  the  superfluous  population  in  the 
country,  the  greatest  danger  of  civilisation,  will  disappear. 
Lawyers  generally  object  that  my  propositions  are 
also  faulty.  As  I  am  not  the  Pope,  I  do  not  claim 
infallibility,  and  admit  it.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  I  know 
that  mankind  is  not  able  to  contrive  faultless  laws,  and  I 
am  told  that  the  laws  lawyers  employ  are  not  always 
derived  from  the  apex  of  wisdom.  Of  greater  weight  than 
the  objections  of  lawyers  is  public  feeling.  If  the  Penal 
Code  does  not  interfere  with  sexual  life,  girls  as  well  as 
married  women  have  the  right  to  use  contraceptive  means, 
and  artificial  abortion  is  allowed  to  both,  and  this  is  called 
immoral.  But  consider  that  civilisation  is  menaced  by 
the  overwhelming  growth  of  the  working  classes.  Remem- 
ber Rome,  look  at  modern  Germany,  and  you  will  see  the 
instant  fate  of  the  world  if  means  are  not  found  to  equalise 
the  fertility  of  the  rich  and  the  poor.  If,  in  spite  of 
history's  warnings,  morality  is  more  powerful  than  science, 
civilisation  will  perish,  and  I  am  certain  that  a  morality 
having  such  consequences  will  be  called,  by  many  a  strictly 
moral  man,  the  height  of  immorality. 


THE  CANNON  FODDER  ARGUMENT.  ' 

By  Miss  Cicely  Hamilton. 

In  the  short  time  allotted  to  me  I  shall  permit  myself 
the  impertinence  of  dealing  with  military  matters — that 
is  to  say,  I  shall  endeavour  to  refute  what  I  call  the 
"  cannon  fodder  "  argument  against  Birth  Control  and 
restriction. 


NATIONAL  AND  INTERNATIONAL         185 

That  argument  appeals  to  many  honest  and  admirable 
persons,  who  believe — some  regretfully — that  it  is  neces- 
sary to  produce  big  battalions  of  children  that  the  country 
may  be  saved  from  its  enemies.  I  propose  this  morning 
to  point  out  to  you  that,  in  the  changed  conditions  of 
modern  scientific  warfare,  that  argument  no  longer  carries 
weight  ;  I  suggest,  on  the  contrary,  that  in  war  as  we  shall 
know  it — air  warfare  developed — a  teeming  population 
will  be  a  real  handicap  to  a  belligerent  nation  ;  and  that 
military  strategy  and  tactics  in  the  future  will  be  directed 
less  towards  the  destruction  of  armies  in  the  field  than 
towards  the  terrorising  and  stampeding  of  large  masses  of 
disorganised  civilians.  I  put  it  to  you  that  the  stampeding 
of  London,  Paris  or  Berlin — the  flight  en  masse  of  the 
inhabitants  of  industrial  Westphalia  or  the  Black  Country 
— would  inflict  more  damage  on  the  nation  affected  than  an 
enemy  in  occupation.  Cities  and  industrial  districts 
stampeded  will  resolve  themselves  into  hordes  of  famished 
nomads — men  and  women  who  are  dangerous  as  well  as 
useless  because  deprived  of  their  means  of  livelihood.  If 
sufficiently  panic-stricken  when  they  take  to  flight,  they 
will  avoid  railways  and  roads — which  are  likely  to  be 
targets  from  the  air — and  not  only  devour  the  countryside, 
but  trample  it  beneath  their  feet.  ...  In  a  day  or  two 
a  vagrant  and  millionfold  starvation — grown  reckless, 
a  widespread  invasion  by  famished  plunderers,  more 
terrible  far  than  invasion  by  an  army  that  is  fed  and 
disciplined. 

A  very  little  consideration  should  convince  you  that  I 
do  not  speak  without  warrant ;  there  is  nothing  new  in  the 
idea  of  using  the  non-combatant  as  a  weapon  against  his 
own  side.  It  was  the  root-idea  of  blockade  and  submarine 
warfare,  and,  long  before  the  World  War,  inspired  the 
strategy  of  Labour.  A  strike  on  a  large  scale  is  usually 
an  effort  to  inflict  so  much  hardship  upon  the  non-com- 
batant— the  consumer  of  coal  or  the  user  of  railways — that 
he  insists,  in  self-defence,  on  concessions  to  the  striking 
party  ;  while  the  whole  idea  of  a  general  strike  must 
inevitably  fall  to  the  ground  unless  there  is  a  large  non- 
combatant  population  who  will  suffer  acutely  from  the 
lack  of  their  daily  necessaries.  What  we  have  to  point 
out  to  advocates  of  the  cannon  fodder  policy  is  this  : 
in  the  type  of  warfare  in  which  the  civilian — the  non- 
combatant — is  used  as  an  auxiliary  destructive  force,  the 


186    FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

larger  the  population  the  more  efficient  the  weapon  of 
destruction. 

If  you  are  under  the  impression  that  orthodox  military 
leadership  will  decline  to  follow  the  example  of  Labour 
in  using  the  civilian  as  a  weapon,  I  can  only  refer  you  to 
the  report  of  Air-Marshal  Sir  Hugh  Trenchard  on  the 
British  Independent  Air  Force.  Having  read  it,  I  suggest 
that  you  try  to  visualise  the  results  of  such  a  plan  of  cam- 
paign as  is  there  outlined — the  daily  and  nightly  bombing 
of  industrial  centres,  with  the  avowed  object  of  making 
them  impossible  for  industry.  That  plan  of  campaign, 
sufficiently  intensified,  means  starvation  on  the  run — 
nomadic  anarchy. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  be  an  expert  in  military  matters  to 
realise  that  starvation  on  the  run  is  the  military  objective 
of  the  future  ;  that  the  aim  and  object  of  the  "  scientific  ' 
soldier  of  the  future  will  be  to  produce  nomadic  anarchy 
and  break  an  enemy  Government  by  burdening  it  with 
useless  mouths.  Neither  is  it  necessary  to  be  an  expert 
to  realise  that  the  thickly -populated  country,  where  masses 
of  men  can  be  stampeded  at  once,  will  be  at  a  real  dis- 
advantage compared  to  the  country  whose  population  is 
less  vulnerable  because  more  scattered.  The  advantage 
in  war  as  we  shall  know  it  will  lie  with  that  people  which 
is  not  hampered  with  overflowing  millions,  which,  living 
comparatively  scattered,  can  reduce  an  enemy  to  famine 
and  anarchy  by  the  agency  of  panic-stricken  hordes. 


WAR  AND  MALTHUSIANISM. 

By  Dr.  Helene  Stocker  (Germany). 

It  was  a  great  joy  for  me  to  see  the  Fifth  International 
Malthusian  Congress  being  held.  My  joy  was  the  greater 
when  I  considered  that  for  one  decade  during  the  War  our 
international  work  was  endangered.  Shortly  before  the 
outbreak  of  hostilities,  in  1911,  we,  in  Germany,  had  the 
great  honour  of  preparing  at  Dresden  the  Fourth  Inter- 
national Neo -Malthusian  Congress,  which  brought  us  much 
stimulation,  and  seemed  to  promise  much  fruit.  The 
"  International  Union  for  the  Protection  of  Mothers  and 
for  Sexual  Reform,"  which  I  have  the  honour  to  represent 
here,  has — right  from  the  start  of  its  work — been  in  close 
contact  with  the  endeavours  of  this  Congress,  and  my 


NATIONAL  AND  INTERNATIONAL         187 

Union  was  always  clear  about  the  fact  that  a  conscious 
reshaping  of  sexual  life  and  a  development  to  higher  forms 
should  be,  at  any  rate,  connected  with  a  conscious  regula- 
tion of  births. 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  other  sphere  of  life  where 
Nietzsche's  saying  may  be  more  justly  applied  :  '  Up  to 
now  nonsense,  absurdity,  and  mere  chance  have  power ; 
man  and  man's  earth  are  still  unredeemed."  The  decade 
lying  behind  us  has  shown  us  how  terribly  powerful 
nonsense,  absurdity,  and  folly  are  still  on  the  earth — to  a 
degree  sufficient  to  discourage  even  the  bravest  champions 
in  their  fight  for  a  world  worthy  to  live  in,  for  a  life  truly 
worthy  of  being  lived  by  men. 

But  we  all  may  consider  it  a  promising  feature  that  in 
spite  of  all  the  discouragement,  scepticism,  and  despair 
as  regards  man  and  his  possibilities  for  further  progress  to 
higher  forms  of  life,  we  did  not  altogether  give  way  to 
depression,  since  we  are  meeting  here  to-day  for  future 
co-operation.  The  problem  which  forms  the  centre  of  our 
work  is  one  of  the  most  real,  the  most  vital  problems  in 
existence — it  means  man  himself  and  his  higher  develop- 
ment and  greater  happiness.  And  we  are  seeking  to  find  a 
path  for  him,  for  the  individual  as  well  as  for  the  human 
race.  We  are  seeking  the  best  way  for  an  existence  worthy 
of  human  civilisation.  But  to  attain  this  it  is  indispens- 
able for  us  to  give  up  our  defensive  attitude  which  was 
forced  upon  us  by  the  War,  and  to  take  the  offensive. 
That  means  to  fight  for  a  modern  view  of  the  world  and  a 
will  to  reshape  life.  To  a  certain  extent  even  the  War — 
as  all  evil — was  "  a  part  of  that  power  that  intends  the 
evil  and  needs  must  bring  about  the  good,"  at  least  in  so 
far  as  all  these  problems  which  we  tried  to  solve  before  the 
War  are  so  enormously  intensified  through  the  experiences 
and  consequences  of  the  War  that  at  present  solutions  may 
be  considered  which  in  pre-War  times  were  out  of  the 
question.  In  Germany,  for  instance,  the  repeal  of  the 
law,  which  threatens  abortion  with  severe  punish- 
ments of  prison  and  hard  labour,  is  now  demanded  with 
great  fervour.  At  any  rate,  all  the  three  Socialist 
parties  agree  in  demanding  a  reform  of  this  law,  and  it  is  to 
be  hoped  that  also  part  of  the  German  Democratic  and 
the  Clerical  parties  may  be  ready  to  take  into  considera- 
tion a  moderation  of  the  present  law.  But  he  who  recog- 
nises the  necessity  of  reforming  the  present  severe  punish- 


188    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

ments  for  abortion  will  naturally  also  be  the  first  to 
request  that  such  cases  must  be  avoided,  that  pre- 
vention of  conception  is  better  than  an  interruption  of 
pregnancy,  which  is  always  dangerous  and  to  our  feelings 
in  many  ways  painful.  Therefore  a  widely  spread  know- 
ledge of  the  necessity  and  the  methods  of  Birth  Control 
will  be  the  best  protection  against  frequent  necessity  of 
abortion.  In  our  circle  here  I  hardly  need  refer  to  the 
fundamental  principle  of  our  movement  that,  contrary  to 
the  common  fallacy,  a  large  number  of  births,  as  a  rule, 
in  no  way  means  an  increase  of  population,  but  only  an 
increase  of  mortality,  and  that,  on  the  other  hand,  a  smaller 
amount  of  births  generally  brings  about  an  increase  of 
population.  But  it  may  interest  you  that  quite  recently 
a  German  statistician,  Professor  Dr.  Wiirzburger,  the 
President  of  the  German  "  Society  for  Statistics,"  showed 
that  the  interests  of  the  race  and  the  rights  of  the  individual 
are  secured  most  efficiently  by  applying  the  method 
recommended  by  us. 

Wiirzburger  demonstrates  that  we  must  distinguish 
between  two  absolutely  different  periods  in  the  epoch  of 
decrease  of  births  during  the  last  fifty  years  ;  he  traces 
back  the  decrease  of  the  general  mortality  in  the  period 
from  1880  to  the  end  of  the  century  to  the  reform  of  the 
social  legislation  which  brought  about  a  longer  conserva- 
tion of  the  working  power  for  the  individual.  But  of  far 
greater  importance  was  the  diminution  of  infantile  mor- 
tality beginning  with  the  new  century,  a  fact  which  we 
may  note  with  great  gratification  as  an  indisputable 
success  of  the  movement  for  the  protection  of  mothers 
and  children.  For  the  preservation  of  the  infants'  lives 
rescues  the  roots  of  the  coming  generation.  And  thus 
Wurzburger's  investigations  confirm  our  conviction, 
already  so  clearly  put  forth  by  Dr.  Charles  Drysdale  at 
the  Neo-Malthusian  Congress  at  Dresden  in  1911.  The 
way  towards  lifting  up  human  society  to  a  real  civilised 
community  of  men  can  only  be  found  by  conservation 
of  the  new-born,  by  lovingly  developing  the  coming 
generation  and  by  protecting  life  in  its  prime — by  recog- 
nising the  holiness  of  life,  by  fighting  for  peace  and  Birth 
Control. 

To-day  it  is  not  realised  how  widely  the  State  practises 
the  worst  kind  of  child  murder  in  forcing  the  women  into 
ways  of  earning  their  living  which  are  dangerous  to  the 


NATIONAL  AND  INTERNATIONAL         189 

offspring.  There  are  many  cases  where  women,  who  do 
not  think  about  their  children,  do  such  work,  in,  for 
example,  the  tobacco  industry.  Therefore  the  race 
hygienists  ought  to  ask  themselves  if  this  poison  of  tobacco, 
which  consumes  millions  of  the  people's  wealth,  could  not 
be  completely  done  away  with,  as  even  during  its  pro- 
duction it  injures  the  health  most  seriously  of  those  persons 
producing  it.  It  is  also  a  strange  contradiction  that  in 
nearly  all  countries  people  rise  up  most  violently  against 
a  solution  of  the  birth  question,  and  against  doing  away 
with  punishment  for  abortion,  and  consider  it  as  "  murder," 
who  most  violently  during  the  War  thought  the  murder  of 
grown-up  men  was  natural  and  necessary.  For  good 
reason,  at  the  last  German  Congress  of  Pacifists,  a  Catholic 
chaplain  received  the  greatest  applause  when  he  declared 
he  had  always  pleaded  the  following  point  of  view  in 
his  circles  and  in  his  public  discourses  :  you  have  no 
right  to  proclaim  the  holiness  of  the  unborn  life  of  the 
human  embryo  as  long  as  you  have  not  secured  the  pro- 
tection and  the  inviolability  of  human  life  against  the 
murderous  force  of  war. 

Therefore  out  of  this  conviction  our  German  movement 
and  all  its  representatives  are  firmly  of  the  opinion 
that  through  positive  regulations,  through  the  largest  pro- 
tection of  the  mother  and  the  child,  Birth  Control  should 
be  adopted  by  society,  not  punished  and  prohibited. 
From  whatever  standpoint  you  may  regard  the  question 
of  marriage  and  sexual  reform,  from  that  of  mothers' 
protection,  of  race  hygiene,  of  the  reformation  of  the 
social  and  domestic  status  of  the  woman,  without  the 
clear  knowledge  that  love  and  procreation  are  to  be 
separated  no  progress  in  culture  is  possible.  One  of  the 
most  difficult  responsibilities  of  man — the  procreation  of 
new  human  beings — may  no  longer  be  left  to  blind  acci- 
dent, to  mere  egotism ;  it  must  be  born  of  the  complete 
consciousness  of  responsibility  towards  the  future  of  those 
who  are  coming  after  us.  It  is  this  knowledge  which  has 
obliged  us,  as  understanding  nations,  to  take  an  interest 
in  the  problems  of  race  hygiene,  of  human  selection,  and 
to  oppose  war  as  the  greatest  anti-selectionary  factor 
which  exists. 

Therefore  we  must  work  from  that  point  of  view 
which  is  the  conclusion,  through  modern  scientific, 
social   and   psychological   knowledge,   that  the  philoso- 


190    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

phers  and  wise  men  of  all  civilisations  are  coming 
to,  that  man,  i.e.,  the  human  personality,  the  human 
soul,  is  the  highest  value,  the  most  sacred  shrine, 
the  real  consciousness  of  the  world.  For  in  the 
human  being  alone  the  world  becomes  conscious  of 
itself. 

Just  as  the  task  of  woman  must  be  recognised  to  be 
that  she  stands  for  all  means  and  ways  which  serve 
life,  which  raise  the  strength  of  her  own  people,  as  well 
as  that  of  other  people,  increasing  their  physical  and  moral 
height.  To  every  really  motherly  woman  it  must  seem  to 
be  an  abuse  of  motherhood,  as  a  distortion  of  her  high 
and  beautiful  task  to  be  creator  and  giver  of  life,  if  her 
children  are  to  be  only  material  for  future  wars.  Every- 
where there  are  reputable  politicians,  whom  we  can  find 
even  to-day,  saying  that  we  are  standing  at  the  beginning 
of  a  series  of  wars,  and  that  we  need  not  only  "  money, 
money,  money,"  but  also  "  men,  men,  men."  Never 
before  has  it  been  uttered  more  clearly  that  people 
shall  be  used  for  the  purpose.  It  is  strange  that  the 
instincts  of  roughness  and  cruelty  in  man  continue  so 
violently  and  continuously.  In  the  same  way  we  could 
formerly  only  think  the  gods  cruel,  demanding  human 
sacrifice  ;  to-day  we  are  not  able  to  think  of  the  State 
without  thinking  of  sacrificing  human  beings.  But  since 
the  great  revaluation  of  our  religious  conception  has  been 
accomplished,  since  the  idea  of  a  God  of  love  has 
been  formed,  a  God  who  never  avenges  nor  asks  for 
sacrifice  of  blood,  but  is  ready  to  sacrifice  Himself 
for  mankind — since  then  men  should  have  learnt  to 
renounce  their  brutal  theory  of  victims  for  the  idol 
"  State."  Against  this  barbarous  idea  of  State,  where 
the  State  is  the  highest  god,  the  individual  being  only  a 
means  for  use,  opposed  to  this,  has  been  the  eternal 
conception  of  the  Christian  world,  "  the  Stoa,"  perhaps 
also  of  the  Indian  and  Chinese  philosophy,  that  they 
helped  to  recognise  the  idea  of  the  personality  of  the 
single  soul  ;  a  view  of  the  world  which  also  our  modern 
philosophers,  even  two  so  enormously  different  intellects 
as  Kant  and  Nietzsche,  have  represented  with  the  same 
energy.  If  you  would  only  follow  Kant's  categorical 
imperative,  that  no  human  being  is  looked  upon  as  a  means, 
but  always  as  an  end,  war,  this  relapse  into  barbarism 
and  want  of  culture,  must  cease.     For  to  get  rid  of  these 


NATIONAL  AND  INTERNATIONAL         191 

remains  of  past  times,  it  is  needful  to  fight  with  all 
energy. 

Only  the  idea  that  those  calamities — like  the  murder 
of  people  through  people,  which  you  must  have  recognised 
for  a  long  time  as  a  crime  of  all  crimes — may  be  necessary, 
or  in  any  case  allowed  "  for  the  benefit  of  the  country," 
only  through  this  moral  confusion,  is  psychical  possibility 
of  war  founded,  and  the  mobilised  attitude  of  the  States 
maintained.  The  "  mobilisation  assurance,"  which  should 
ostensibly  serve  the  war,  has  missed  radically  its  purpose, 
as  we  have  got  the  experience.  A  well-known  saying 
of  Napoleon  has  now  again  come  true  :  that  the  war 
itself  does  not  lead  to  an  eternal  peace.  Some  one  said 
after  a  terrible  battle,  looking  at  the  numerous  dead  : 
"  They  will  bring  us  through  their  deaths  eternal 
peace."  Napoleon  answered,  "  I  am  afraid  they  will  keep 
it  for  themselves."  It  is  the  living's  turn  to  make  use 
of  this  knowledge  so  terribly  confirmed  by  the  last  war. 

No  State  is  able  to  hurt  another  without  suffering  itself. 
Psychically,  it  is  interesting  in  the  highest  degree  to  see 
that  the  ethical  commands,  considered  from  the  point 
of  view  of  political  economy,  are  the  wisest,  even  in 
our  own  interest.  If  the  individual  and  the  people 
want  really  to  come  into  their  own,  then  we  must 
fight  with  all  means  against  the  States  still  being 
allowed  to  sacrifice  their  greatest  asset — healthy,  high- 
developed  men — in  the  barbarous  manner  of  war.  Also 
the  woman  must  not  any  more  be  the  purveyor  of 
living  ammunition  of  war,  but  educator  of  personalities, 
valued  as  her  own  possession,  and  forming  part  of  her 
life. 

The  influence  of  foreign  on  internal  politics  was,  till  the 
War,  not  sufficiently  estimated  even  by  the  Socialists. 
Not  until  now  does  the  understanding  of  it  begin  to 
develop  gradually.  You  could  observe  before  the 
War  the  first  weak  beginnings  of  human  economy  in 
the  social  legislation,  in  the  mother's  and  child's  protection 
in  this  manner.  The  impulse  of  self-preservation  of  the 
people  must  lead  to  it.  If  the  whole  culture  of  to-day  is 
not  to  be  ruined  by  continuous  mutual  laceration,  this 
human  economy  must  grow  to  nation-economy.  For 
human  economy  and  a  fruitful  population  policy  are  able  to 
develop  only  when  you  have  understood  the  necessity  of 
nation-economy.     Mankind  ought  to  inspire  itself  with  the 


192    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

knowledge  of  its  high  obligation  towards  the  coming 
generation  and  forget  for  no  moment  that  the  procreation 
of  man  is  one  of  the  most  important  affairs  for  individual 
happiness,  for  the  ascent  of  the  race. 

Not  before  each  one  in  particular  feels  it  his  obvious 
duty  to  ask  himself  with  Nietzsche  :  "  Are  you  a  human 
being,  who  should  be  allowed  to  wish  himself  a  child  ?  " — 
not  before  society  asserts  the  holiness  of  human  life  as  the 
principle  of  all  morality,  will  that  religion  of  the  future  be 
fulfilled  of  which  Galton  and  Nietzsche  dreamed.  Complete 
international  disarmament,  spiritual  demobilisation  of 
hate  and  the  possibility  of  happiness  for  the  individual 
are  most  closely  and  most  inseparably  connected. 

The  unity  of  politics  and  morals,  the  knowledge  of  the 
community  of  interests  of  mankind,  is  not  only  the  aim  of 
confirmed  enthusiasts ;  it  is  the  foundation  of  all  popula- 
tion policy  and  all  social  science.  For  a  long  time  it  has 
been  recognised  as  the  only  possible  way  to  preserve  the 
human  race  ;  it  is  the  art  and  the  religion  of  life  itself. 


THE  BIRTH  CONTROL  MOVEMENT  IN  JAPAN. 

By  Professor  Isoo  Abe  (Tokyo). 

The  population  of  Japan  has  multiplied  itself  three 
times  since  the  Meiji  registration  (1894).  Before  that 
period  Japan  was  entirely  cut  off  from  the  outer  world, 
having  a  completely  undeveloped  economic  system. 
Therefore,  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  that  the 
Japanese  population,  threatened  with  shortage  of  food 
supply,  was  always  regulated  by  voluntary  Birth  Control. 
Of  course,  the  methods  of  control,  at  that  time,  were  not 
so  developed  as  those  which  are  adopted  in  Europe  and 
America,  or  even  to  some  extent  in  Japan  to-day,  these 
latter  being  blameless  to  morality  and  harmless  to  health. 
In  other  words,  abortion  and  infant  sacrifice  quite  widely 
prevailed  in  Japan  at  that  time.  However,  the  Shinshu, 
one  sect  of  Buddhism,  was  bitterly  against  abortion 
and  infant  sacrifice,  but  without  result ;  just  as  the 
Roman  Catholics  are  against  any  means  of  Birth  Control, 
and  abortion  was  very  often  carried  out  by  midwives, 


NATIONAL  AND  INTERNATIONAL         193 

or  committed  by  women  themselves.  Moreover,  there 
were  several  medicines  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
abortion,  which  seemed  to  have  quite  a  big  circulation 
among  the  people.  The  infant  sacrifice,  having  no  danger 
to  the  mother's  body,  as  in  the  case  of  abortion,  was  much 
used  in  certain  districts. 

After  the  Meiji  registration,  the  Japanese  Government 
took  very  strong  means  to  abolish  these  cruel  Birth  Control 
methods.  The  development  of  the  moral  idea  also  suc- 
ceeded in  driving  these  methods  out  of  practice. 

Necessity,  however,  knows  no  law.  There  are  many 
cases  of  abortion  and  infant  sacrifice  still  being  practised 
in  Japan  at  present.  We  are  surprised  to  discover  that 
two  country  communities  are  practising  Birth  Control 
systematically.  These  two  villages,  called  Takayama  and 
Tsukigase  are  in  the  Kyoto  province.  According  to  the 
report,  there  are  360  families  in  Takayama  village,  having 
a  population  of  1,679,  with  868  male,  and  811  female. 
These  villages  have  the  following  four  interesting  charac- 
teristics : — 

1.  There  are  only  four  families  which  have  more  than 

three  children. 

2.  The  born  children  are  mostly  boys  and  girls  alter- 

nately ;   in  other  words,  after  the  boy,  the  girl  is 
likely  to  be  born. 

3.  No  example  of  a  birth  occurring  year  after  year. 

4.  The  average  numbers  of  children  in  one  family  are 

very  few  compared  with  those  of  Japan. 

Moreover,  according  to  the  report,  the  physique  of  the 
youth  of  this  village  is  wonderful.  At  the  time  of  military 
conscription  in  1919,  sixteen  were  admitted  out  of  seven- 
teen. In  1920,  fourteen  were  selected  out  of  nineteen. 
In  1921,  eleven  out  of  fourteen.  The  standard  of  intelli- 
gence in  the  common  school  is  far  superior  to  that  of  others. 
It  is  only  during  the  last  two  or  three  years  that  the  Birth 
Control  question  has  begun  to  be  discussed  among  Japanese 
people.  Japan  had,  however,  several  pioneers  among 
scholars.  The  first  writer  on  Birth  Control  in  Japan  was 
Mr.  Sadao  Oguri.  He  was  the  brother  of  the  late 
Mr.  Fumio  Yano,  a  well-known  writer  and  Socialist. 
Mr.  Oguri's  work  was  published  in  October,  1903,  entitled 
"  Shakai  Kaizo  Jitsuron  "  (Key  of  Social  Reformation). 
But  there  was  little  response  to  this  book,  because  Japan 


B.C. 


194    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

was  not  sufficiently  developed  to  estimate  its  value.     But 
after  about  twelve  years  Dr.  Kazutami  Ukita,  Professor 
of  the  Waseda  University,  commenced  strongly  advocating 
Birth  Control  in  magazines  or  in  speeches.     By  this  time 
people  had  just  begun  to  become  interested  in  the  subject. 
There  were  not  a  few  who  followed  Dr.  Ukita's  teaching, 
but,  at  the  same  time,  there  was  very  strong  opposition, 
especially  from  the  militarists ;  among  whom  was  General  K. 
Sato.     Hot  discussion  was  carried  on  between  Dr.  Ukita 
and  General  Sato,  and  Dr.  Ukita  was  even  sometimes 
called  a  traitor  to  his  country.     Both  Mr.   Oguri  and 
Dr.  Ukita,  however,  only  dealt  with  the  theory  of  Birth 
Control  to  the  Japanese  ;  they  did  not  launch  any  real 
popular    movement.     Naturally,    the    Japanese    people 
began  to  lose  interest.     But  Dr.  T.  Kaji's  effort  to  forward 
Birth  Control  in  these  dark  days  cannot  be  overlooked.  He 
had  studied  this  principle  and  method  when  he  was  in 
Germany.     Returning   to   Japan,  he   devised  a   suitable 
method  for  Japanese  customs  and  conditions,  and  taught 
freely  any  who  consulted  him.     Finally,  he  established 
the    "  People's    Hospital,"    especially   for   poor    women. 
Mrs.  Sanger,  during  her  stay  in  Tokyo,  visited  this  hospital 
and  studied  the  doctor's  methods  adapted  for  the  Japanese. 
Japan  is  now  making  a  big  change  spiritually  and 
materially,  and  is  likely  to  beoome  a  strong  supporter  of 
Birth  Control.     In  1920,  neo-Malthusianism  began  to  be 
discussed  among  the  people  ;  after  that,  nearly  all  the 
magazines  published  in  Japan  opened  their  columns  for 
the  discussion  of  this  subject  freely.     By  this  time  the 
Japanese  people  began  to  consider  the  problem  from  the 
point  of  view  of  their  own  economic  interest,  as  well  as 
from  the  international  standpoint.     Nobody  now  accuses 
the  advocates  of  Birth  Control  of  being  traitors.     From 
the  end  of  the  last  year  to  the  March  of  this  year,  three 
publications    on    this    problem    appeared.     One    is    the 
translation  of  Mrs.  Sanger's  work,  "  Women  and  the  New 
Race,"  the  second  is  by  the  writer  of  this  article,  and  the 
third  a  pamphlet  by  Baroness  Ishimoto.     In  view  of  the 
fact  that  these  works  have  a  large   circulation    among 
the   people,    we    must   believe   that   Birth   Control   has 
attracted  a  great  amount  of  attention  among  the  Japanese. 
Mrs.  Margaret  Sanger  visited  Japan  in  March  of  this  year. 
The  Japanese  Government  was  much  worried  about  it,  and 
without  openly  giving  any  reason,  suppressed  her  lecture 


NATIONAL  AND   INTERNATIONAL         195 

to  the  public.  This  action,  however,  stimulated  public 
interest  on  the  subject,  contrary  to  the  intention  of  the 
Japanese  Government.  Mrs.  Sanger,  though  having  no 
freedom  to  address  the  public,  addressed  more  than  ten 
private  meetings.  As  a  result,  the  Japanese  Birth  Control 
Association  was  organised  (address  :  To  Daido-Yoko, 
Kajimabank  Building,  Nihonbashi,  Tokyo,  Japan),  and 
the  first  magazine  of  this  association  appeared  on  May  15th, 
1922.  The  founders  of  this  association  are  Dr.  Tokijiro 
Kaji,  the  owner  of  the  People's  Hospital,  Professor  Isoo 
Abe,  of  the  Waseda  University,  and  Baron  and  Baroness 
Keikichi  Ishimoto,  friends  of  Mrs.  Sanger. 

Japan  has  no  definite  law  against  Birth  Control  as  some 
of  the  States  of  North  America  have.  This  is  a  great  help 
to  the  future  of  this  movement.  The  police  are  generous 
towards  written  discussion  of  this  movement,  but  very 
severe  against  the  teaching  of  any  practical  methods, 
which  is  supposed  to  be  a  crime  against  morality. 

The  future  of  the  Birth  Control  movement  in  Japan  is 
largely  dependent  upon  the  attitude  of  the  Government 
but  much  more  upon  the  courage  of,  and  spread  of  education 
amongst,  the  people. 


Resolution. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  session  the  following  resolution 
was  put  to  the  meeting  : — 

"  The  Fifth  International  Neo-Malthusian  and 
Birth  Control  Conference  calls  attention  to  the  now 
generally  admitted  fact  that  over-population  due  to 
high  birth  rates  is  the  most  potent  cause  of  interna- 
tional rivalry  and  war.  It  also  wishes  to  point  out 
that  mere  numbers  are  not  an  effective  protection 
to  a  nation  in  the  event  of  war,  as  modern  warfare  is 
becoming  more  and  more  a  question  of  science  and 
engineering  directed  and  carried  out  by  highly  trained 
individuals.  The  three  conditions  for  securing  uni- 
versal peace  and  national  security  are  (a)  the  limitation 
of  the  birth  rate  of  each  country  to  its  area  and 
resources,  (b)  increase  of  racial  efficiency  through 
abstention  of  reproduction  of  the  unfit,  and  (c)  deve- 
lopment of  international  law  and  international 
co-operation  in  place  of  national  rivalries. 

o2 


196    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

"  It  therefore  calls  upon  the  Governments  of  all 
nations  to  promote  the  extension  of  Birth  Control 
knowledge,  especially  among  their  least  efficient 
inhabitants,  and  urges  on  the  League  of  Nations  to 
proclaim  as  a  general  principle  that  increase  of 
numbers  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  justification  for 
national  expansion,  but  that  each  nation  should  limit 
its  numbers  to  its  own  resources." 


Carried. 


(Signed)     H.   Cox, 

President  of  the  Section. 


Thursday,  July  \3th. — Evening  Session. 

PUBLIC  MEETING— LAEGE   KINGSWAY 

HALL 

H.   G.   Wells,  Esq.,  in  the  Chair. 

The  Chairman,  on  rising  to  speak,  said  :  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen,  this  meeting  is  an  integral  part  of  the  Birth 
Control  Conference  that  is  now  being  held  in  London. 
It  is  our  public  meeting,  in  which  the  Birth  Control 
Conference  proposes  to  explain  its  work  and  purpose 
to  the  general  public.  Our  aim  to-night  is  explana- 
tion and  statement.  This  is  not  a  propaganda  meeting. 
We  are  not  going  to  make  a  very  strong  attempt  to 
persuade  you  to  do  this  or  that.  Our  business  to-night 
is  to  tell  you  plainly  and  exactly  what  the  Birth  Control 
movement  means. 

Essentially,  the  Birth  Control  movement  stands  for 
frankness.  It  is  for  telling  plainly  and  simply  to  the  people 
who  are  likely  to  be  the  willing  or  unwilling  fathers  and 
mothers  of  the  next  generation  the  plain  facts  about  birth 
and  population,  and  about  the  separation  of  desire  from 
procreation,  so  that  the  next  generation,  or  as  much  of  it 
as  we  can  affect,  shall  not  be  begotten  in  ignorance  and 
heedlessness,  shall  not  be  by-products  of  blind  desire  and 
thoughtless  passion,  and  shall  not  be  unwanted  children 
in  an  unsympathetic  world,  but  that  they  shall  be  born 
well  and  graciously,  as  acts  of  will,  out  of  a  deliberate  and 
honourable  desire  for  parentage. 

You  are  to  hear  to-night  addresses  from  six  chosen 
representatives  of  this  movement.  My  duty  here  is  to 
introduce  them  to  you  and  to  stand  aside.  Yet,  before  I 
do  so,  I  would  like  to  say  one  word  or  so  to  call  your 
attention  to  the  very  various  and  miscellaneous  personnel 
of  this  movement.  We  include  Liberals  like  Mr.  J.  M. 
Keynes  and  Mr.  Harold  Cox.  Mr.  Cox  is  not  a  Liberal 
to-day,  but  he  was.     (Laughter.)     We  include  high   and 


198    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

crusted  Tories  like  Dr.  MacBride.  We  include  intense 
Individualists  like  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Drysdale,  and  thorough- 
going Socialists  like  Miss  Winsor  and  myself.  We  have 
representatives  of  the  Rationalist  Press  Association  in  our 
movement  like  Mr.  Haynes,  leaders  of  the  Free  Thought 
movement  like  Mr.  Moss,  and  ordained  priests  like  the 
Rev.  Gordon  Lang. 

Our  differences  are  extraordinary.  What  is  it  that  we 
have  in  common  ?  We  have  this,  that  we  believe  in  know- 
ledge, we  believe  in  openness,  we  believe  in  cleanness. 
We  distrust  emotional  darkness,  we  distrust  base  excite- 
ments, suppression  and  shame -faced  ways,  for  in  these 
matters  that  we  discuss  here  there  is  a  paradox.  In  these 
matters,  concealment  is  more  indecent  than  plain  know- 
ledge. Things  may  be  shouted  from  the  housetop  and 
said  from  the  platform  with  perfect  decency  and  dignity, 
that  become  shameful  when  they  are  whispered  in  the  ear, 
for  rest  assured  that  in  these  matters  people  will  have 
knowledge. 

The  choice  before  us  is  not  a  choice  between  innocence 
and  knowledge  ;  it  is  a  choice  between  whispering, 
leering,  cheating,  red-eared  and  furtive-eyed  knowledge 
on  the  one  hand,  and  candid,  straightforward  knowledge 
on  the  other.  We  stand  in  this  movement  for  the  open 
ways,  for  the  scientific  method  and  for  light,  and  now 
I  have  first  to  call  upon  Mrs.  Sanger,  of  New  York.  She 
has  been  a  prominent  leader  in  America  in  the  fight  against 
the  rather  exaggerated,  rather  unwholesome  delicacies 
that  still  restrain  speech  and  thought  in  America.  Last 
year  she  went  on  a  mission  to  Japan,  where  this  problem 
of  Birth  Control  is  a  very  urgent  one.  Baron  Ishimoto 
told  the  Conference  in  his  paper  the  other  day  that,  so 
far  as  Japan  is  concerned,  there  are  only  two  ways. 
Either  there  must  be  Birth  Control  in  that  country  or 
there  must  be  an  intolerable  pressure  of  population,  that 
will  lead  inevitably  along  the  path  of  war.  I  regret  very 
much  to  have  to  tell  you  that  Baroness  Ishimoto,  a  very 
dear  and  charming  lady,  is  not  able  to  be  with  us  on  the 
platform  to-night,  but  I  am  glad  to  add  that  we  have 
in  the  person  of  Mr.  Kano  another  representative  from 
that  great  country  which,  in  many  ways,  is  so  akin  to  us. 
Mrs.  Margaret  Sanger  (President,  American  Birth 
Control  League)  :  Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen, 
all  of  us,  in  advocating  the  national  and  international 


PUBLIC  MEETING  199 

practice  of  Birth  Control,  have  met  arguments  from  our 
opponents,  and  even  from  our  friends,  that  Birth  Control 
would  never  be  accepted  by  Oriental  peoples.  There  have 
been  articles  in  magazines,  even  books  have  been  written, 
in  which  the  most  pessimistic  views  were  brought  forward, 
to  show  us  that  our  whole  civilisation  was  in  danger  of 
being  wiped  out  because  the  white  people  were  not 
increasing  their  population  as  rapidly  as  the  yellow  and 
coloured  races. 

I  am  pleased  to  say,  from  my  brief  experience,  that  I 
can  repudiate  at  least  part  of  that  statement.  Whether 
or  not  the  white  races  will  be  ultimately  wiped  off  the 
face  of  the  earth  depends,  to  my  mind,  largely  upon  the 
conduct  and  behaviour  of  the  white  people  themselves. 
(Applause.)  But  that  the  people  of  China,  Japan,  Korea 
and  India  desire  Birth  Control  knowledge,  that  they  may 
reduce  the  numbers  of  their  families,  and  that  they  may 
also  give  the  women  health  and  freedom,  I  am  quite 
convinced. 

Before  I  go  into  the  experiences  I  met  with  in  Japan 
and  China,  I  would  like  to  tell  you  a  little  something  of 
the  problem  that  confronts  Japan  to-day.  Japan  has 
a  population  of  about  57  millions.  She  has  an  area  of 
about  150,000  square  miles.  Now  if  all  of  this  land 
were  tillable  perhaps  there  would  be  less  excuse  for 
Japan's  attitude  than  there  is  to-day.  When  we  look 
through  that  little  country  we  find  that  five-sixths  of 
Japan  proper  is  mountainous,  and  that  her  huge  popula- 
tion must  live  upon  one -sixth  of  her  territory. 

This  means  that  Japan  is  thrown  upon  the  outside 
world  for  her  foodstuffs,  and  must  depend  upon  other 
countries  for  subsistence  for  her  population.  For  more 
than  two  centuries  Japan's  population  was  practically 
stationary,  but  within  the  last  sixty-five  years  her  popula- 
tion has  practically  doubled.  For  instance,  in  1621  she 
had  25  millions  ;  in  1721  she  had  still  25  millions.  In 
1774  she  had  25-9  millions,  in  1804  she  had  25-4  millions, 
and  in  1846  she  had  26  millions.  But  in  1920  she  had,  as 
I  have  said,  57  millions. 

The  birth  rate  in  Japan  averages  1|  millions  a  year. 
The  death  rate  is  enormous,  but  even  so  her  survival  rate 
is  between  700,000  and  800,000  souls  a  year.  Naturally, 
with  this  problem  and  with  this  increase,  Japan  must  ask 
the  world  what  she  is  to  do.     She  may  be  able  to-day  to 


200     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

take  care  of  her  population,  but  she  is  looking  ahead,  and 
she  says  to  the  world  :  "  What  is  to  become  of  us  and  all 
our  increasing  numbers  in  twenty  or  twenty-five  years  1  ' ' 

In  some  ways  to-day  Japan  is  in  much  the  same  con- 
dition as  Germany  was  in  1910.  I  will  not  go  into  detail 
to  show  you  how  much  alike  they  are  in  their  industrial, 
commercial,  and  even  moral  and  spiritual  development. 
More  than  90  per  cent,  of  the  Japanese  people  are  con- 
sidered literate.  They  can  read  and  write.  There  is  a 
strong  development  along  industrial  lines,  and,  in  fact, 
Japan  to-day  is  experiencing  with  her  people  very  much 
the  same  difficulty  that  Germany  developed  and  had  to 
face  up  to  1914,  the  year  of  the  outbreak  of  war.  Germany 
found  herself  with  highly  skilled  artisans  and  men  who 
were  civil  engineers,  chemists,  and  others  of  that  sort  of 
ability.  Japan  finds  herself  to-day  with  more  technical 
men — men  of  fine  technical  ability — in  her  population 
than  she  herself  can  use. 

Now,  while  Germany  had  the  whole  world  for  her 
people  to  develop  in — the  doors  of  the  world  were  open 
to  those  efficient  men  and  women — that  is  not  the  case 
with  Japan.  Most  of  the  world  is  closed  to-day  to  the 
skilled  artisan  of  Japan,  so,  naturally,  Japan  has  a  very 
unusual  problem,  and  one  that  not  only  concerns  herself, 
but  concerns  every  other  nation  in  the  world. 

Now  that  is  something  of  the  condition  of  affairs  that 
I  found  when  I  was  invited  to  go  to  Japan.  We,  many 
of  us,  have  had  the  erroneous  idea  that  Japan  was  strongly 
militaristic,  but  I  want  to  say  that  more  than  70  per  cent, 
of  the  people  of  Japan  are  not  militaristic.  It  is  safe 
to  say  that  there  is  that  number  of  young  men  and  women 
in  Japan  who  are  strongly  inclined  towards  Liberalism, 
and  who  are  opposing  the  military  party  most  violently. 

I  found  that  this  Young  Liberal  group  had  been 
interested  in  Western  customs  and  Western  civilisation, 
and  the  members  of  the  Government  who  are  in  this 
Liberal  group  had  been  sending  round  the  world  a  number 
of  men  to  ascertain  the  facts  of  our  everyday  life  and  the 
movements  that  were  going  on,  and  the  progress  that  we 
were  making  in  the  Western  world.  While  some  of  these 
young  men  were  coming  to  America,  they  came  upon 
our  propaganda  of  Birth  Control  and  seemed  to  be  very 
much  interested  in  this  great  movement.  Within  one 
year's  time  we  had  more  than  twenty-five  representatives 


PUBLIC  MEETING  201 

from  Japan,  who  came  to  study  the  subject  of  Birth 
Control. 

After  that  I  was  invited  by  a  group  of  Liberals,  who 
call  themselves  the  "  Kaisha  "  group,  to  go  to  Japan  and 
to  give  four  lectures  on  war  and  population.  Now  this 
young  group  represents  the  Liberal  group  in  Japan. 
They  have  already  planned  a  series  of  lectures,  mostly  of 
philosophic  character.  Mr.  Bertrand  Russell  had  gone 
before  me.  I  was  next  on  the  programme.  Einstein 
was  the  next  and,  I  believe,  although  he  does  not  know  it, 
Mr.  Wells  is  to  be  invited  to  complete  the  series. 

Plans  had  already  been  made  for  me  to  go  to  Japan, 
and  I  had  purchased  or  rather  engaged  my  passage  when, 
to  my  surprise,  on  arriving  at  San  Francisco,  when  I 
applied  for  the  visa  at  the  Japanese  Consulate,  I  was 
told  that  the  Government  of  Japan — the  Home  Office — 
had  sent  a  cable  to  the  Consul-General  that  if  I  applied 
for  a  visa  it  was  to  be  refused,  as  they  did  not  want  the 
subject  of  Birth  Control  to  be  discussed  in  Japan.  That 
was  rather  surprising  to  me,  inasmuch  as  the  plans  had 
been  made  for  my  work  there.  However,  I  felt  that  it 
was  very  necessary  for  me  to  meet  some  of  the  Japanese, 
especially  those  intellectual  men  who  were  going  back 
from  the  Washington  Conference  after  representing  their 
Government.  So  I  was  able  to  get  on  the  steamboat  and 
get  my  ticket  for  Shanghai.  I  had  no  difficulty  in 
getting  a  visa  from  the  Chinese  officials  on  the  steamboat, 
and  I  had  the  great  pleasure  of  the  opportunity  of  meeting 
many  of  the  delegates  returning  from  the  Washington 
Conference.  Admiral  Cutto  was  on  board  and  also 
one  of  their  Ministers.  I  was  there  only  a  few  days 
when,  with  their  usual  alertness,  they  asked  me  if  I 
would  speak  to  the  delegates,  about  150  in  number.  I 
did  so  with  pleasure,  and  the  result  was  that  their  Minister 
cabled  to  his  Government,  urging  them,  not  only  to  let 
in  the  advocate  of  Birth  Control,  but  also  to  open  the 
doors  wide  to  the  free  discussion  of  that  subject  for 
Japan's  own  good.  The  interest  that  was  shown  by 
the  Japanese  on  board,  not  only  in  the  first,  but  second 
class,  was  simply  tremendous.  There  was  great  interest, 
and  great  help  was  given  to  me,  even  great  resent- 
ment was  expressed  towards  the  Government  that  such 
a  furore  had  been  made,  and  that  a  ban  had  been  put 
upon  any  one  entering  the  country  with  so  vital  a  message. 


202    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

When  we  arrived  at  Yokohama  I  was  told  by  a  member 
of  the  Japanese  Government  that  there  was  more  interest 
in  the  subject  of  Birth  Control  than  there  was  in  the 
returning  delegates  from  Washington.  More  than  sixty- 
five  members  of  the  Press  applied  for  permission  to  meet 
the  boat,  and  in  making  their  application  they  said  their 
object  was  to  meet  us  and  discuss  the  subject  of  Birth 
Control.  If  any  of  you  have  been  to  Japan  you  know 
what  a  passion  they  have  for  photographs  and  flash- 
lights. It  is  said  that  more  than  150  flash-light  photo- 
graphs were  taken  of  me  and  my  son  while  we  were 
touring  through  Japan.  It  is  almost  a  madness  with 
them  to  have  pictures  of  everything  you  do  in  practically 
every  position  that  you  take  up.  This,  of  course,  gave 
us  a  great  deal  of  publicity,  for  the  whole  country  was 
aroused  to  the  discussion,  and  the  scientific  discussion, 
of  the  subject. 

There  were  meetings  with  the  members  of  the  new 
women's  organisation,  and  it  was  quite  remarkable  how 
all  those  women  came  to  express  sympathy  and  interest 
in  the  subject  of  Birth  Control,  and  to  express  to  me  their 
desire  for  knowledge  whereby  they  could  be  emancipated 
from  maternal  slavery.  Representatives  from  the  Medical 
Association  were  also  present  and  representatives  of 
Labour.  In  fact,  all  the  progressive,  intellectual  world 
of  Japan  was  interested  in  this  subject  of  Birth  Control. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  go  into  the  detail  of  all  the 
interesting  experiences  that  both  my  son  and  I  had. 
One  of  the  interesting  things  to  me  was  that  my  son,  who 
was  only  thirteen  years  old,  seemed  to  receive  all  the 
attention  from  the  time  we  entered  Japan  until  we  left. 
Chairs  were  pulled  out  for  the  male  member  of  the  family, 
but  I  was  left  to  pull  out  the  chairs  for  myself.  There 
was  great  respect  and  deference  shown  to  this  youngster, 
but  altogether  I  think  they  had  a  considerable  respect  for 
me,  not  only  in  Japan,  but  in  China  and  Korea,  from  the 
fact  that  I  was  able  to  produce  a  son. 

My  entrance  into  Japan,  as  I  have  said,  came  through 
one  of  the  members  of  the  Young  Liberal  group  in  Japan, 
and  I  want  to  point  out  that  if  the  difficulty  to  which  I 
have  referred  had  occurred  fifty  years  ago  I  should  never 
have  been  allowed  to  enter  Japan.  If  the  Government 
had  said  "  You  will  not  enter,"  that  would  have  been  the 
end  of  it.     To-day  the  Government  is  not  so  firm  in  its 


PUBLIC  MEETING  203 

opposition  to  liberty.  As  soon  as  the  Government  said 
"  You  cannot  come  into  Japan,"  the  Young  Liberals 
started  to  make  a  noise,  and  to  protest  and  to  ask  why. 
Then  the  Government  moved  down  a  step  or  two,  and 
said  "  She  may  come  in,  but  she  must  not  speak."  More 
noise,  more  protests  from  the  Liberal  group,  and  then  the 
Government  moved  down  another  step,  and  said  "  She 
may  speak,  but  not  in  public."  More  noise,  more  pro- 
tests, and  the  Government  stepped  down  again,  and  said 
"  She  may  speak  in  public,  but  she  must  not  give  the 
methods  of  Birth  Control."  On  that  we  all  agreed.  I 
had  no  intention  of  giving  the  methods  of  Birth  Control 
to  a  promiscuous  audience  ;  I  simply  wanted  to  speak  on 
the  theory  of  the  subject,  and  the  practical  side  would 
have  been  given  in  private. 

So,  after  my  arrival,  I  wanted  to  ascertain  from  the 
Home  Office  why  I  was  barred  from  Japan.  It  is  very 
important  for  a  propagandist  to  see  to  it  that  she  is  never 
barred  out  from  any  place.  It  is  a  very  bad  precedent  for 
your  work.  So  I  went  to  call  on  the  Chief  of  Police,  who 
seemed  to  have  been  the  instigator  of  the  difficulty.  They 
speak  a  good  deal  of  "  Mysterious  Japan,"  and  I  think  that 
in  many  cases  one  would  naturally  believe  that  there  was 
a  great  mystery  about  Japanese  life.  I  had  no  idea,  up  to 
half  an  hour  before  I  decided  to  go  to  the  police  station, 
that  I  was  to  go  there.  I  simply  made  up  my  mind  that 
I  would  call  upon  the  Chief  of  Police  and  I  told  no  one, 
except  Baron  Ishimoto,  who  was  escorting  me.  Never- 
theless, on  my  arrival,  every  one  knew  we  were  coming. 
Tea  was  served,  and  it  is  very  difficult  to  be  indignant  with 
a  Police  Department  when  they  serve  you  tea  first.  The 
photographers  were  there  ahead  of  us,  and  in  every  way  we 
were  received  with  great  courtesy,  and  given  great  atten- 
tion. The  Chief  of  Police  himself  was  not  there,  but  his 
Assistant  was,  and  he  explained  to  me  that  one  of  the 
reasons  why  I  was  not  allowed  to  speak  was  that  my 
subject  would  come  under  a  Bill  then  pending,  which  was 
called  "  The  Dangerous  Thought  Bill."  When  I  asked  if 
they  would  explain  what  that  meant,  they  said  there  was 
a  Bill  pending  in  the  House  forbidding  any  foreigner 
to  come  to  Japan  and  bring  a  "  dangerous  thought." 
I  am  glad  to  say  that  Bill  was  "  tabled  "  a  few  weeks  later, 
again  because  of  the  young  and  rising  Liberal  Group  in 
Japan,    who    made    fun   of    this   "  Dangerous    Thought 


204    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

Bill,"  so  that  it  was  shelved.  That  was  one  of  the 
reasons. 

But,  finally,  our  meetings  were  allowed  to  go  on,  and 
if  the  Police  Department  had  been  a  real  friend  instead  of 
a  bitter  enemy  and  opponent,  it  could  not  have  done  more 
for  the  cause  of  Birth  Control  than  it  did  in  its  opposition 
to  us,  for  the  whole  Press  was  aflame.  It  is  said  that  out 
of  105  magazines  that  came  out  in  April,  eighty-eight 
carried  articles  on  the  subject  of  Population  and  Birth 
Control.  Every  day  the  papers  for  the  whole  of  the  weeks 
I  was  there  carried  scientific  articles  as  well  as  propaganda 
articles  on  the  subject. 

We  were  able  in  this  time  to  give  ten  lectures  in  Tokio, 
and  if  it  had  not  been  for  illness  I  think  I  should  have  been 
there  for  the  next  two  years,  because  the  invitations  and 
letters  that  came  in  asking  for  addresses  and  lectures  made 
us  turn  the  whole  business  organisation  into  an  office  to 
answer  them.  However,  we  were  able  to  give  ten  lectures 
in  Tokio  and  fifteen  lectures  throughout  Japan,  and  in  all 
except  one  of  those  lectures  we  were  able  to  discuss  the 
methods  of  Birth  Control  quite  freely.  This  was  done  in 
small  groups  of  from  150  to  200.  They  were  divided  into 
commercial  groups,  labour  groups,  industrial  groups,  and 
the  physicians  of  the  Women's  Organisation,  and  they  did 
this  very  efficiently  and  to  my  satisfaction,  because  I 
prefer  speaking  to  small  audiences  when  it  comes  to  the 
practical  side  rather  than  to  large  promiscuous  audiences. 

Finally,  a  League  was  formed — the  first  Birth  Control 
League  in  Japan.  Since  then  I  find  that  this  little  League 
has  brought  out  a  Birth  Control  Review,  a  monthly  maga- 
zine in  the  Japanese  language.  They  published,  and  have 
been  publishing,  the  pamphlet  "  Family  Limitation," 
which  gives  the  practical  methods,  and  they  have,  in  the 
past  two  years,  been  giving  out  this  pamphlet  to  the 
number  of  10,000,  so  that  there  is  already  a  great  deal  of 
dissemination  of  the  practical  side  of  the  subject. 

One  of  the  interesting  things  to  me  was  the  keen  mind 
which  the  Japanese  statesmen  bring  to  bear  on  this 
subject.  They  do  not  intend  to  duplicate  our  errors. 
They  do  not  intend  that  the  birth  rate  and  the  increase  of 
population  shall  be  among  the  unfit  and  the  diseased. 
They  intend  to  direct  the  force  of  their  organisation  and  of 
this  movement  against  anything  in  that  direction.  This 
organisation  has  for  its  president  a  sociologist,  a  professor 


PUBLIC  MEETING  205 

in  one  of  the  universities,  and  also  a  member  of  the  medical 
profession.  They  have  also  a  Labour  leader  and  a  very- 
well  known  social  worker,  so  that  all  branches  of  their 
social  and  intellectual  life  are  represented  in  the  Birth 
Control  League. 

I  think  it  is  safe  to  say  that  Japan  is  keenly  alive  to  the 
subject  of  Birth  Control.  Just  how  long  this  will  last 
none  of  us  can  predict,  but  if  we  were  able  to  send  our 
missionaries  there  as  the  Church  has  done,  I  think  we 
should  go  a  very  long  way  towards  bringing  real  Chris- 
tianity and  humanitarianism  and  international  peace  into 
the  entire  world. 

I  was  rather  pleased  to  find  in  the  arguments  against 
Birth  Control  in  China  and  Japan  something  besides  the 
moral  argument.  Not  once  was  that  argument  used. 
They  brought  forth  arguments  based  upon  science  and 
sociology — arguments  it  was  a  pleasure  to  refute  and  to 
argue  about. 

From  Japan  I  went  to  Korea,  and  though  my  time  was 
limited  I  was  able  to  give  an  address,  and  again  the  Press 
was  very  generous  in  its  statements  and  in  giving  out  the 
means  of  Birth  Control  to  the  people.  There  again,  there 
were  many  requests  for  addresses  from  the  Koreans 
themselves  and  promises  that  an  organisation  would  be 
established  there  in  the  very  near  future. 

Then  we  went  to  China,  where  we  had  not  at  first 
intended  to  go,  as  my  original  plan  was  only  to  go  to  Japan 
and  return  home.  The  interest  in  China  was  just  as  great. 
I  was  able  to  speak  to  2,500  young  students  at  the  National 
University.  The  Chancellor  himself  and  the  Professors  of 
the  University  formed  the  first  Birth  Control  League  of 
China.  There  also  they  got  busy  at  once.  This  group 
met  after  dinner  and  organised  the  League.  They  took 
the  practical  leaflet  "  Family  Limitation,"  translated  it 
that  night  into  Chinese,  and  it  was  on  the  press  next 
morning  ready  for  printing.  Five  thousand  of  these 
pamphlets  were  distributed  later  on  in  a  few  days,  so  that 
China  took  practically  at  once  to  the  subject,  and  especially 
to  the  practical  side  of  it.  They  were,  when  I  left  Pekin, 
looking  for  a  physician  to  open  a  clinic,  especially  in 
their  poor  sections,  for  the  women.  The  Rockefeller 
Institute,  especially  the  nurses,  were  very  keen  on  knowing 
something  of  the  practical  methods,  and  they  got  up  a 
meeting  which  I  had  the  pleasure  of  addressing,  and  we 


206     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

were  able  to  discuss  the  practical  side  of  carrying  on  the 
work  in  China. 

In  Shanghai  it  was  very  interesting,  although  there  was 
not  the  same  interest  shown,  perhaps,  in  the  groups  I  was 
able  to  speak  before.  There  was  one  group,  however,  the 
Family  Reformation  Society,  which  has  for  its  rules  that 
you  cannot  smoke,  you  cannot  drink,  and  you  cannot 
gamble.  My  suggestion  to  them  was  that  you  should  not 
have  children  you  cannot  support  and  take  care  of. 

The  commercial  Press  of  Shanghai  was  most  generous 
in  its  propaganda.  For  one  whole  week  they  brought  out 
scientific  articles.  They  translated  practically  everything 
they  could  put  their  hands  on.  For  one  whole  week  while 
I  was  in  Shanghai,  the  Chinese  Press  was  aflame  with  the 
subject  of  Birth  Control. 

That  is  just  briefly  an  outline  of  the  experiences  and 
the  interest  shown  in  my  brief  and  hurried  trip  to  the 
Orient.  I  think  we  all  know  that  this  movement  is, 
perhaps,  slow  in  development.  None  of  us,  possibly,  will 
really  see  the  results  of  its  success.  We  know  that  the 
Crucifixion  took  place  180  years  before  Christianity  was 
established,  or  rather  started,  in  the  Roman  Empire.  We 
know  that  the  New  World  was  discovered  150  years  before 
the  first  English  colony  was  established  there.  None  of 
those  who  see  the  beginning  of  these  historical  movements 
can  realise  and  grasp  their  full  significance,  and  I  think  it 
is  safe  to  say  that  none  of  us  will  probably  realise  or  live 
to  see  this  movement  in  its  fullest  culmination,  but  I  think 
it  is  safe  to  say — and  we  claim  it — that  if  Birth  Control  is 
accepted  by  the  Eastern  nations,  it  will  hasten  very  greatly 
our  progress  towards  international  peace  and  human 
emancipation. 

The  Chairman  :  Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  will 
ask  you  to  listen  to  a  discourse  on  the  Birth  Control 
movement  by  Mr.  Harold  Cox. 

Mr.  Harold  Cox  :  Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentle- 
men, you  have  heard  the  extremely  interesting  account 
which  Mrs.  Sanger  has  given  of  her  tour  in  the  East  and 
the  wonderful  work  she  did  there,  but  she  did  not  tell 
you  of  the  equally  wonderful  work  she  has  been  doing 
for  many  years  in  the  West. 

It  was  she  who  started  the  Birth  Control  movement  in 
the  United  States,  and  started  it  because,  from  her 
experience  as  a  nurse,  she  was  conscious  of  the  amount  of 


PUBLIC  MEETING  207 

human  suffering  involved  in  the  lack  of  regulation  of 
families.  She  had  the  courage  to  start  that  movement 
in  defiance  of  American  law,  and  to  endure  imprisonment 
rather  than  submit  to  an  unjust  law.  As  a  result  of  her 
courage  and  never-failing  energy  she  has  built  up  a  move- 
ment in  the  United  States  that  extends  from  East  to 
West.  Following  on  that,  and  realising  that  it  is  neces- 
sary not  only  that  the  European  races  should  practise 
Birth  Control,  but  also  that  the  Oriental  races  should  do 
the  same,  she,  on  her  own  initiative,  went  to  Japan  and 
China  to  teach  them  the  wisdom  she  had  been  teaching 
to  the  people  of  her  own  country. 

Behind  her  action,  behind  the  movement  in  which  we 
here  are  all  engaged,  is  the  desire  to  relieve  human  misery. 
No  one,  looking  round  the  world,  can  fail  for  a  moment 
to  realise  that  the  great  volume  of  misery  that  depresses 
so  large  a  part  of  the  human  race  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
children  come  too  quickly.  They  come  in  families  where 
there  is  only  room  for  one  or  two,  but  which  breed  a  dozen, 
and  the  result  is  poverty  for  all.  They  come  in  countries 
like  China  and  Japan,  where  there  is  not  sufficient  to 
maintain  large  populations,  with  the  result  that  the  greater 
part  of  the  population  is  living  in  abject  misery.  It  is 
the  same  in  India,  where  the  peasants  continue,  from  a 
sense  of  religion,  largely  multiplying  their  numbers, 
although  the  soil  will  not  bear  the  families  they  produce, 
and  periodically  comes  a  famine  that  sweeps  away  the 
surplus,  or  some  pestilence  like  the  plague  of  three  or 
four  years  ago,  which  swept  away  more  millions  than 
were  killed  in  the  war.  It  is  to  relieve  this  human  misery 
that  Birth  Control  has  been  established,  and  we  advocate 
it  here  to-day. 

I  want  in  passing  to  point  out  to  you  that  even  those 
countries  that  are  still  desirous  of  increasing  their  popula- 
tion, if  there  be  any,  might  do  it  much  more  wisely  by 
limiting  their  death  rate  than  by  increasing  their  birth 
rate,  because  experience  shows  clearly  all  over  the  world 
that,  wherever  you  have  a  high  birth  rate,  there  you  have 
a  high  death  rate.  Is  it  wise,  is  it  human,  is  it  moral,  to 
bring  children  into  the  world  merely  that  they  should 
die  ?     That  is  being  done  by  millions  of  people  to-day. 

Mrs  Sanger  talked  about  Japan  and  compared  the 
figures  of  the  birth  rate  and  death  rate  in  Japan  with 
corresponding  figures  in  Australia.     Japan  has  a  high 


208     FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 


birth  rate  and  a  correspondingly  high  death  rate. 
Australia  has  an  extremely  low  birth  rate  and  a  lower  still 
death  rate,  with  the  result  that  the  survival  rate  in 
Australia  is  higher  than  the  survival  rate  in  Japan. 
If  the  Japanese  had  the  wisdom  to  follow  Australia's 
example,  they  would  save  half  a  million  useless  deaths 
every  year.  I  give  the  figure  from  memory  ;  it  is  400,000 
to  500,000,  or  something  like  that. 

The  same  is  true  of  European  countries.  It  is  evident 
from  the  statistics  and  published  figures  of  European 
countries  and  everywhere  else  that,  where  the  birth  rate 
declined,  the  death  rate  declined  with  it,  so  that  in  many 
cases  the  survival  rate  was  increased.  That  is  the 
practical  point  for  people  who  still  think  they  want  a 
larger  population.  For  my  own  part,  I  think  the  popula- 
tion of  England  is  already  much  too  large. 

I  spoke  a  moment  ago  of  the  widespread  misery  which 
this  unwanted  multiplication  of  children  produces.  Let 
me  tell  you  a  story  of  how  it  affects  the  individual  mother 
herself.  One  of  my  old  schoolfellows  adopted  the  pro- 
fession of  medicine,  and  some  years  after  he  was  well 
established  I  happened  to  meet  him  at  dinner.  He  told 
me  of  his  first  experience  in  a  maternity  case,  not,  of 
course,  his  hospital  experience,  but  the  first  maternity 
case  he  had  to  attend  where  he  took  the  whole  responsi- 
bility. It  was  in  one  of  the  London  slums.  He  said  : 
"  Naturally,  as  it  was  my  first  case,  I  was  anxious  that 
everything  should  go  well,  but  the  child  died  within  a  few 
minutes  of  birth.  I  was  heartbroken  and  went  with 
trembling  to  the  mother  to  tell  her  what  had  happened. 
To  my  surprise,  she  only  said  '  Thank  God  !  '  "  Is  it 
right  to  bring  children  into  the  world  when  the  mother 
thanks  God  directly  the  child  is  dead  1 

But  that  must  occur  if  people  do  not  know  how  to 
practise  Birth  Control,  and  yet  you  have  large  numbers 
of  people,  many  of  them  belonging  to  the  Churches,  who 
go  about  preaching  that  Birth  Control  is  immoral.  I  wish 
they  would  tell  us  precisely  why.  When  we  ask,  they 
generally  begin  by  answering,  "  The  Bible  says  '  Increase 
and  multiply.'  "  You  may  not  all  of  you  be  aware 
that  the  quotation  of  that  text  is  not  a  modern  habit. 
It  has  gone  on  for  nearly  2,000  years.  Through  all  the 
centuries  you  find  in  literature  that  text  quoted  again 
and  again,  quoted  in  Greek,  Latin,  French,  German  and 


PUBLIC  MEETING  209 

and  every  possible  language — "  Increase  and  multiply  "  ! 
But  the  people  who  quote  that  text  never  take  the 
trouble  to  tell  you  that  the  injunction  was  given  to  Noah 
directly  after  the  Flood,  when  there  were  only  eight 
people  altogether  on  the  earth — Noah  and  his  three  sons 
and  their  respective  wives.  It  was  perhaps  rather  a 
difficult  text  to  obey  literally,  because  Noah  at  that  time 
was  600  years  old,  and  his  eldest  son  was  ninety.  But 
I  assure  you  that  text  has  been  quoted  century  after 
century  in  every  possible  language,  as  if  it  proved  the 
immorality  of  Birth  Control. 

Well,  let  us  ask,  "How  has  arisen  this  idea  that  Birth 
Control  is  immoral  ?  "  I  believe  it  arises  ultimately  out 
of  the  supreme  importance  which  has  been  attached  to  the 
functions  of  sex  by  almost  every  race  at  different  periods. 
In  particular,  the  Pagan  races,  among  whom  the  early 
Christians  lived,  worshipped  sex,  indulged  pretty  lavishly, 
and  treated  it  as  part  of  their  religious  rites.  The  same 
thing  to  some  extent  exists  in  India  to-day.  Conse- 
quently the  early  Christians,  finding  themselves  up  against 
this  Pagan  doctrine,  took  an  extreme  ascetic  view  and 
preached  that  sex  was  altogether  iniquitous  in  itself. 
Some  of  the  early  Christian  writers  said  it  was  due  to 
original  sin  that  a  woman  had  to  lose  her  virginity  before 
she  could  become  a  mother.  Other  writers  said  she  could 
congratulate  herself  that  she  was  next  to  a  holy  virgin. 

That  view  of  the  wickedness  of  sex  has  gone  through 
the  centuries.  It  has,  like  other  ascetic  doctrines, 
influenced  people's  minds,  and  they  think  sex  in  itself  is 
a  wicked  thing.  They  never  stop  to  ask  why,  if  all  our 
instincts  have  been  implanted  in  us  by  a  Divine  Power, 
the  sexual  instinct  is  not  also  divinely  implanted,  and  if 
so,  why  it  should  be  wicked  to  recognise  its  existence. 
If  they  took  the  trouble  to  study  the  Bible  a  little  more, 
they  would  see  that  the  doctrine  that  the  sexual  instinct 
is  only  to  be  satisfied  when  a  child  is  desired  is  distinctly 
in  conflict  with  the  teaching  of  the  Bible.  St.  Paul  was 
a  bachelor,  and  he  said  he  wished  every  one  could  be 
like  unto  himself.  "  But,"  he  added,  "  not  that  he 
wanted  people  to  multiply,  but  since  that  could  not  be, 
it  was  better  to  marry  than  to  burn."  In  other  words, 
marry,  not  to  produce  children,  but  to  satisfy  that 
divinely  implanted  instinct.  That  being  the  teaching  of 
St.  Paul   I   cannot   understand  why  Christian  churches 

B.C.  p 


210    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

should  condemn  any  form  of  sexual  indulgence  which  is 
not  directed  to  the  purpose  of  producing  a  child.  I  do 
not  want  to  go  into  details,  but  I  think  every  one  will  see 
clearly  that  if  indulgence  in  this  divinely  implanted 
instinct  were  limited  to  the  purpose  of  procreation,  it 
could  only  be  indulged  in  once  or  twice  in  two  or  three 
years,  and  that  is  an  impossible  restriction  on  human 
instincts.  I  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  it  is  immoral  to 
suggest  that  a  divinely  implanted  instinct  should  be  so 
treated,  for  this  instinct,  if  you  come  to  think  of  it,  does 
not  mean  merely  a  passing  pleasure.  The  instinct  of 
sex  is  the  basis  of  human  life.  It  is  the  love  of  man  for 
woman,  and  that  is  one  of  the  greatest  factors  in  the 
happiness  of  mankind.  As  Lord  Dawson  admirably 
said  a  few  months  ago  at  the  Church  Congress,  "  Life 
without  love  would  be  a  world  without  sunshine." 

I  contend  that  these  fundamental  instincts  apply  the 
laws  which  ought  to  regulate  all  our  human  passions. 
Avoid  excess  and  avoid  selfishness.  If  human  beings 
regulate  their  lives  by  those  two  dicta  they  will  not  go 
far  wrong.  Avoid  excess  and  avoid  selfishness.  If 
people  apply  that  doctrine  and  acquire  the  necessary 
knowledge  they  can,  by  limiting  their  families,  relieve  the 
world  of  that  vast  mass  of  human  misery  which  now 
oppresses  so  many  millions  of  our  fellow  creatures. 

The  Chairman  :  Now,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  we  will 
go  on  again  with  that  Conference  between  the  East  and 
the  West,  which  is  so  wonderful  a  phenomenon  in  the 
present  time.  Mrs.  Sanger  told  us  how  those  countries 
which  only  twenty-five  years  ago  were  like  countries  of 
another  planet,  are  now  engaged  in  the  closest  discussion 
of  our  movement.  Mr.  Kano  will  talk  to  us  about  Birth 
Control  from  the  Japanese  point  of  view. 

[Note. — This  speaker's  paper  is  included  in  Section  I.  as 
a  report  from  Japan,  which  in  effect  it  is  {vide  p.  27.] 

The  Chairman  :  Mrs.  Drysdale  has  some  rather 
practical  remarks  to  make.  There  was  hovering  in  her 
talk  to  me  just  before  the  meeting  the  word  "  collection," 
but  I  hope  it  will  not  come  to  that.  However,  there  is 
something  practical  she  wishes  to  say. 

Mrs.  B.  I.  Drysdale  (Organiser  and  Hon.  Secretary  of 
the  Conference)  :  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  it  need  not 
necessarily  come  to  that,  but  the  practical  point  I  have  to 


PUBLIC  MEETING  211 

bring  before  you  is  that  to  my  unhappy  lot  has  fallen  the 
part  of  telling  this  meeting  something  that  it  is  my  duty 
to  tell,  as  Secretary  of  the  Society  which  organised  this 
Conference.  I  have  been  told  that  I  am  not  to  let  you 
go  away  without  telling  you  of  our  own  work  in  this 
country.  You  will  have  had  by  the  end  of  the  evening 
a  most  splendid  object-lesson  in  Birth  Control.  From 
the  wonderful  speeches,  both  national  and  international, 
you  will  have  heard,  I  think  we  may  say  that  you  will 
have  had  the  theory  expounded  to  you. 

My  part  is  to  take  the  place  of  that  most  curious  gentle- 
man, Mr.  Squeers.  You  will  remember  that  Mr.  Squeers, 
in  Dotheboys  Hall,  had  a  utilitarian  kind  of  education. 
His  plan  was  to  call  forth  a  boy,  and  having  instructed  him 
at  not  too  great  length  in  spelling  the  word  "  horse,"  he 
followed  it  up  by  the  suggestion  that  he  should  clean  his 
horse  at  once  and  be  quick  about  it.  I  do  not  wish  to  be 
so  abrupt  and  cruel  as  that.  But  here  in  this  country 
we  have  our  own  task  before  us,  and  we  should  like  very 
much  that  the  audience  here  assembled  should  come  and 
help  us  do  some  of  this  work. 

As  Secretary  of  the  old  Society,  formed  after  the 
Bradlaugh  and  Besant  trial  in  1877,  I  come  to  tell  you 
to-night  that  we  are  going  to  form,  I  will  not  say  exactly 
a  new  Society,  although  perhaps  it  would  be  better 
described  as  such.  We  find  that  the  little  old  ship,  built 
of  stout  timbers,  which  has  stood  the  storm  and  stress  of 
forty-four  years,  seems  to  be  getting  a  little  cramped,  a 
little  shabby,  a  little  out  of  date.  When  people  who  are 
accustomed  to  fine  liners,  fine  passenger  boats,  with 
plenty  of  bands  and  dancing  rooms,  and  I  know  not 
what,  look  at  this  little  old  ocean  tramp,  they  feel  she  is 
not  doing,  and  cannot  do,  all  that  is  required  of  her. 

The  old  Malthusian  League  is  out  to  bring  about  this 
reform  by  any  and  every  means  in  its  power,  and  it  is  not 
a  Society  to  stand  in  the  way  of  a  general  wish.  There 
has  been  a  strongly  expressed  general  wish  made  within 
recent  times  that  we  should  have  a  Society  that  would 
bring  in  that  very  large  body  of  popular  and  public 
opinion  in  favour  of  Birth  Control  on  various  terms  and 
from  various  points  of  view,  but  at  least  in  favour  of 
Birth  Control.  Some  say,  "  I  have  neither  the  time  nor 
the  interest,  nor  are  my  political  views  like  yours.  I  do 
not  agree  with  many  things  the  League  stands  for."     But 

P2 


212    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 


the  Malthusian  League  stands  for  Birth  Control  first  and. 
foremost,  and  only  wishes  to  enunciate  certain  principles. 
We  held  a  meeting  on  July  6th,  and  on  the  unanimous 
proposal  of  the  Malthusian  League  it  was  decided  that 
we  should  form  a  Society  called  "  The  New  Generation 
League,"  keeping  in  consonance  with  our  present  magazine, 
which  is  called  The  New  Generation.  It  was  decided 
that  we  should  have  the  New  Generation  League  for 
Human  Welfare  through  Birth  Control,  and  that  this 
fine,  new  ship,  with  new  paint  and  looking  very  smart, 
should  set  out  to  do  her  work,  but  on  her  passenger  list 
will  always  be  found  room  for  that  little,  stalwart  body 
who  stood  strongly  by  the  population  law  enunciated  by 
Malthus,  and  the  followers  that  have  come  since.  We  will 
condense  within  this  new  Society  that  Malthusian  group 
who  have  studied  the  question  of  Birth  Control  from  its 
economic,  eugenic,  moral  and  all  other  aspects.  This 
side  of  the  subject  will  be  shown  in  the  pages  of  The  New 
Generation  in  signed  articles,  but  in  all  other  respects  the 
Society  is  open  now  to  any  person  who  for  any  reason 
believes  in  Birth  Control. 

To  begin  with,  Birth  Controllers  are  not  Herods.  They 
are  not  out  for  Birth  Control  because  they  dislike  children. 
They  are  not  out  to  destroy  children  ;  they  are  not  out 
to  encourage  the  getting  rid  of  children,  or  not  having 
them.  We  want  as  many  children  born  as  can  be  born 
under  good  conditions  and  with  a  chance  to  flourish.  We 
do  not  want  a  state  of  society  in  the  future  which  makes 
it  necessary  for  us,  every  time  we  go  outside,  to  see 
evidences  of  unemployment.  Every  time  we  pass  into 
this  hall  we  see  numbers  of  miserable  men  looking  about 
for  jobs,  or  even  carrying  our  own  hoardings.  The  very 
men  who  advertise  these  meetings  and  who  are  paid 
small  sums  for  their  work  are  part  of  that  wretched  body 
of  people  who  either  should  not  have  been  born,  or  should 
have  been  born  to  better  conditions — one  thing  or  the 
other. 

In  that  sense  we  are  out  to  make  a  new  world.  As  I 
have  said,  we  are  not  Herods,  and  we  are  not  out  for 
immorality.  Because  people  will  be  sensible  and  under- 
stand, and  practise  Birth  Control  in  marriage,  is  no  reason 
why  we  should  not  give  the  teaching  for  fear  some  young 
unmarried  people  may  make  improper  use  of  it.  There 
is  an  improper  use  to  be  made  of  everything  in  life  ;  there 


PUBLIC  MEETING  213 

is  no  good  thing  that  cannot  be  turned  to  an  evil  thing. 
The  prejudices  are  only  there  because  the  thing  is  new. 
I  suppose  in  ten  years'  time  a  person  would  be  thought 
almost  an  idiot  who  early  in  life  did  not  know  and  under- 
stand openly,  cleanly  and  morally,  and  without  any  false 
shame,  all  there  is  to  know  about  Birth  Control,  and  why 
and  when  it  should  be  used. 

We  are  a  conservative  set  of  people  in  this  country. 
That  has  its  very  good  side.  It  takes  a  long  time  to 
move  us,  but  once  moved,  once  we  understand,  we  are 
steadfast  to  our  principles  and  I  must  say  I  am  personally 
very  delighted  to  see  the  results  of  the  Conference  we  are 
holding  this  week.  Some  of  us  in  our  little  office  have 
worked  very  hard  organising  it,  and  I  must  say  the  results 
have  exceeded  our  warmest  expectations.  To-night  I 
thought,  perhaps,  there  might  be  four  or  five  hundred 
people  present,  and  I  begged  that  I  might  be  let  off 
speaking  to  this  meeting,  so  that  I  should  not  see  the  hand- 
ful of  people  interested.  Instead  of  that,  we  have  had 
great  attendances  at  the  Conference,  the  Press  has  taken 
the  greatest  interest  in  the  question,  and  given  kindly, 
and  fair,  and  splendidly  serious  reports  of  the  work.  I 
do  not  remember  noticing  any  frivolous  or  foolish  com- 
ments on  the  serious  work  that  has  been  going  on  in  our 
Conference,  and  that  indicates  a  very  great  advance  on 
the  last  few  years. 

But  to  come  back.  My  time  is  getting  short,  and  I 
want  to  say  a  word  about  what  we  are  out  to  do.  Mr.  Wells 
said  we  were  not  going  to  ask  any  one  to  do  anything  they 
did  not  like.  That  is  perfectly  true,  but  if  I  go  back  to 
my  Society  and  do  not  bring  with  me  a  large  number  of 
members,  I  am  afraid  I  shall  be  severely  scolded.  I 
should  like  to  say  this  Society  says  this  : — 

"  (1)  That  families  can  and  should  be  controlled  to  the 
numbers  that  can  be  maintained  by  the  parents 
themselves. 

"  (2)  That  Quality  is  better  than  mere  Quantity  in 
children. 

"  (3)  That  every  mother  should  have  the  chance  to 
'  space  out '  her  children  for  the  better  health 
and  conditions  of  herself  and  her  family. 

"  (4)  That  people  who  are  suffering  from  heritable 
diseases  such  as  epilepsy,  insanity  or  syphilis, 
should  not  have  children. 


214    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

'  (5)  That  at  hospitals,  institutions,  welfare  centres, 
etc.,  where  the  sick,  the  very  poor,  or  less  fit 
members  of  society  apply  for  public  assistance 
in  various  ways  they  should  be  specially  en- 
couraged, and  carefully  taught  to  limit  their 
families  for  the  sake  of  the  children  themselves." 
Those  are  the  five  reasons  we  give  for  asking  you  to  join 
the  New  Generation  League. 

Some  one  the  other  day  applied  to  our  General  Secretary 
for  the  League's  "  Practical  Leaflet."  When  he  received 
this  practical  leaflet,  we  sent  a  little  form  asking  him  to 
join  the  Society.  He  wrote  back,  "  What  do  I  get  out 
of  the  Society  ?  Why  should  I  join  ?  "  We  had  to  tell 
this  gentleman  that  he  would  not  get  anything,  but  we 
expected  him  entirely  to  give.  If  the  joy  of  giving  was 
any  reward,  it  would  be  his. 

Well,  why  do  we  want  people  to  join  the  Society  ?  One 
lady  said,  "  Do  not  bother  me.  I  am  converted."  Of 
course,  we  do  not  want  it  for  that  reason.  Those  present 
at  this  meeting  to-night  belong  perhaps  to  the  great  mass 
of  people  who  are  comparatively  well  off,  or  who,  at  least, 
have  the  necessities  of  life  and  a  little  to  spare,  with  leisure 
and  education,  but  there  are  huge  masses  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  our  Welfare  Centre,  and  many  other  centres  in 
London,  where  the  greatest  poverty,  ignorance,  degrada- 
tion and  hopelessness  prevail.  It  is  to  you  people  we  look 
to  join  the  Society  and  help  to  form  an  educated  public 
opinion,  and  otherwise  to  help  us  to  get  this  work  done. 
I  say  with  all  due  deference  to  our  own  centre  and  that  of 
Dr.  Stopes,  that  we  cannot  hope  to  have  the  work  done  by 
those  centres  while  there  exist  such  conditions  of  poverty 
and  misery  ;  and  some  of  us  in  our  Society  are  looking  to 
help  from  the  Government  to  put  this  matter  right.  We 
feel  that  the  governing  classes,  ourselves  amongst  them, 
have  been  responsible  for  this  ignorance  and  degradation, 
and  it  is  now  our  turn  to  say  to  the  Government,  "  You 
have  already  Welfare  Centres  galore  scattered  all  over  the 
country.  You  have  all  kinds  of  institutions  organised  for 
the  welfare  of  the  people.  To  the  curative  work  done 
there  add  this  still  more  curative  work — the  preventive 
prophylaxis  of  Birth  Control. 

Dr.  Norman  Haire  is  present  to-night,  and  he  is  hoping 
at  the  end  of  the  Conference  to  form  a  strong  medical 
society  for  studying  Birth  Control  and  finding  out  the 


PUBLIC  MEETING  215 

best  ways  and  means  of  teaching  and  encouraging  medical 
people  to  come  in  and  help  in  this  work.  If  we  could  get 
that  done  I  feel  sure  that  in  ten  years,  or  five  years, 
perhaps,  we  should  see  the  greater  part  of  the  preventable 
misery  and  poverty  among  the  poor  done  away  with 
altogether.     There  is  no  doubt  it  can  be  cured. 

Finally,  may  I  say  we  are  going  to  give  you  a  little  rest 
from  holding  your  necks  in  a  strained  position.  Before 
the  rest  of  the  speakers  address  you,  and  while  the  organ 
plays,  we  are  going  to  hand  round  the  slips  of  this  new 
leaflet.  It  is  for  you  to  take  them  home  and  read  them 
carefully  and  think  about  them.  It  is  probable  that  very 
few  will  make  up  their  minds  to-night,  and  if  you  would 
take  them  home  and  send  them  up  in  a  few  days  if  you 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  you  would  like  to  join,  we 
should  be  very  delighted.  We  shall  then  be  able  to  feel 
that  those  present  at  this  meeting  have  not  gone  away 
giving  us  nothing  in  return. 

Do  your  little  bit.  It  need  not  be  much.  Make  up 
your  mind  to  get  five  others  to  join  during  the  year. 
Dr.  Norman  Haire  would  like  me  to  say  that,  though  we 
are  shy  of  asking  for  money,  still  we  cannot  do  our  work 
without  money.  We  are  not  going  to  be  so  dreadful  as  to 
ask  for  a  collection  in  this  audience,  but  if  you  will  hand 
in  these  signed  forms  when  you  pass  out,  with  a  little 
money  for  the  clinic,  we  should  be  grateful.  This  Birth 
Control  Clinic,  managed  by  its  medical  officer  and  a  lady 
doctor,  costs  something  like  £500  a  year.  Our  rather 
hard-hearted  Minister  of  Health  will  not  give  us  any  money 
so  long  as  we  teach  Birth  Control,  but  we  are  going  on  to 
teach  him,  we  are  going  to  shame  the  Ministry.  We  are 
going  to  shame  those  people  who  object,  so  that  Birth 
Control  may  be  taught  at  other  centres  without  taking 
away  their  grant,  which  most  of  the  other  centres  are 
afraid  would  happen  if  they  taught  it  now. 

Our  little  centre  will  be  a  model  centre  of  what  other 
centres  should  be.  We  have  simply  taken  the  name  of  the 
street  for  its  title.  It  is  the  "  East  Street  Welfare  Centre  " 
for  maternity  and  child  welfare  work.  There  is  nothing 
to  frighten  a  mother  with  a  baby  in  her  arms,  nor  to  make 
her  think  a  drunken  crowd  will  hoot  at  her  if  she  comes  in. 
She  comes  for  instruction  and  help  for  her  child  and  herself, 
and  on  top  of  that  work  is  superimposed  this  teaching  of 
Birth  Control.     That  is  what  the  centre  is  for.     It  must 


216    FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

be  entirely  supported  out  of  voluntary  funds  until  we  can 
soften  the  hard  heart  of  the  Minister  of  Health  and  get 
him  to  do  it  officially.     Then  our  work  is  finished. 

The  Chairman  :  We  have  seen  the  birth  of  the  "  New 
Generation  League  "  and  the  passing  of  the  old  Malthusian 
League.  The  organ  will  play  while  these  papers  are 
distributed. 

(INTERVAL.) 

On  resuming  : — 

The  Chairman  :  I  think  I  will  follow  the  methods  of 
the  Toast  Master.     "  Pray  silence  for  Dr.  Killick  Millard." 

Dr.  C.  Killick  Millard  (M.O.H.,  Leicester)  :  Ladies 
and  Gentlemen,  in  the  first  place  I  really  should  like  to 
congratulate  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Drysdale  upon  this  splendid 
meeting.  (Applause.)  I  know  a  little  of  the  large  amount 
of  work  which  has  been  done  to  make  this  Conference  a 
success,  and  I  know  this  meeting  has  cost  Mrs.  Drysdale 
some  little  anxiety.  You  can  never  tell  how  a  big  public 
meeting  will  be  responded  to,  but  I  think  I  may  say  she 
feels  rewarded  for  all  the  time  and  trouble  she  has  put  in. 
(Hear,  hear.) 

I  should  also  like  to  congratulate  her  on  the  birth  of  the 
New  Generation  League.  I  trust  the  good  work  carried 
on  for  so  many  years  by  the  old  Malthusian  League  will 
be  carried  on  more  vigorously  and  in  wider  spheres  under 
its  new  guise. 

Mrs.  Drysdale  made  a  rather  distant  allusion  to  the 
financial  state  of  the  Conference.  I  really  do  feel  I  ought 
to  say  this.  I  know  of  the  heavy  financial  sacrifice 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Drysdale  have  been  making  for  many  years 
in  connection  with  the  Malthusian  League,  and  now  there 
is  the  altogether  exceptional  expense  in  connection  with 
this  Conference.  Therefore,  I  feel  you  would  probably 
like  to  bear  some  share  in  this  great  work,  and  I  hope  you 
will  act  on  the  hint  Mrs.  Drysdale  threw  out  in  such  a  very 
tentative  and  distant  manner. 

I  come  before  you  this  evening  as  medical  officer  of 
health  of  one  of  our  great  industrial  centres.  In  connec- 
tion with  my  official  work  I  have  been  closely  connected 
for  many  years  with  problems  of  maternity  and  child 
welfare  as  they  affect  the  lives  of  the  poor.  I  speak  also 
as  an  individual  who  has  been  married  over  twenty  years, 
and  happily  married.     Like  Mrs.  Sanger,  I  have  a  son. 


PUBLIC  MEETING  .217 

In  fact,  I  am  proud  to  be  the  father  of  two  sons  and  two 
daughters.  I  mention  these  personal  details  because  I 
venture  to  suggest  that  in  a  question  such  as  this  they 
are  by  no  means  a  negligible  qualification. 

It  is  a  strange  reflection  that  some  of  the  most  vehement 
condemnations  of  Birth  Control  come  from  men  who 
are  themselves  celibate,  men  who  have  had  no  personal 
experience  of  the  joys  of  marriage  and  parenthood,  men 
who — no  matter  how  distinguished  they  may  be  and  no 
matter  how  good  work  they  may  be  doing  in  their  own 
sphere — in  this  matter,  concerned  as  it  is  with  intimate 
details  of  marriage  and  parenthood,  are  mere  laggards 
in  the  battle  of  life.  Such  men  are  not,  and  cannot  be 
in  the  nature  of  things,  the  best  judges.  There  is,  of 
course,  a  scientific  explanation  of  the  extreme  hostility 
which  some  of  these  men  manifest  towards  Birth  Control. 
In  the  paths  of  psychology  it  is  one  of  the  manifestations 
arising  from  an  undue  suppression  of  the  sex  complex. 

We  have  heard  of  the  hostility  of  the  Churches  to  Birth 
Control.  Now,  I  venture  to  suggest  that  it  is  not  without 
significance  that  the  oldest  established  of  our  Churches, 
the  one  which  has  been  most  active  in  its  hostility  to 
Birth  Control,  which  has  set  an  example  and  influenced 
the  teaching  of  other  Churches,  requires  all  its  priesthood 
to  be  celibates. 

But  before  I  go  further  I  want  to  emphasise  how 
greatly  I  appreciate  the  value  of  children.  People  who 
have  never  had  children  have  missed  one  of  the  supreme 
and  most  permanent  of  the  joys  of  existence.  (Hear, 
hear.)  Parenthood  is  one  of  those  satisfactions  of  life 
which  increases  instead  of  diminishing  with  advancing 
years.  In  a  sense,  our  children  and  our  children's  children 
make  us  immortal.  It  is  easier  for  us  to  reconcile  ourselves 
to  the  waning  of  fife's  flame  when  we  have  handed  on 
the  torch  to  others. 

Childless  marriages  are  generally  to  be  greatly  deplored. 
Too  often  they  represent  a  real  domestic  tragedy.  It 
is  not  without  good  reason  that  we  congratulate  the 
young  couple  on  the  birth  of  their  first  child.  So  impor- 
tant do  I  feel  it  that  every  marriage  should  come  to 
fruition  that  personally  I  can  never  recommend  young 
couples  at  the  outset  of  their  married  life,  unless  there  are 
exceptional  reasons,  to  practise  Birth  Control  until  they 
have  made  sure  of  at  least  one  child.     We  must  remember 


218    FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

that  fertility  is  a  very  precious  fountain,  which  in  many 
cases  it  is  much  easier  to  turn  off  than  to  turn  on. 

Therefore  I  say  that  no  matter  how  great  the  incon- 
venience and  the  sacrifice  which  the  advent  of  the  first 
child  within  a  year  of  marriage  may  entail,  make  sure  of 
it.     It  is  worth  it,  well  worth  it. 

Then  after  an  interval,  which  I  suggest  ought  not  to  be 
less  than  about  two  years,  nor  more  than  about  three, 
there  should  be  a  second  child.  One-child  marriages  are 
not  in  the  same  category  as  childless  marriages,  but  still 
are  very  much  to  be  deprecated.  It  is  bad  for  the  child, 
who  too  often  becomes  self-centred  and  spoilt.  It  is  bad 
also  for  the  parents.  Besides,  every  one  knows  it  is 
foolish  to  put  all  your  eggs  in  one  basket.  In  the  parish 
church  of  the  town  of  Ashbourne,  Derbyshire,  there  is  a 
beautiful  monument  which  represents  a  little  girl  lying 
asleep,  marvellously  sculptured  in  white  marble.  It 
bears  this  pathetic  inscription  : — 

To 

PENELOPE 

Only  Child  of  Sir  Brooke  and  Dame 
Susanna  Boothby, 

Born  April  11th,  1785, 
Died  March  13th,  1791. 

She  was  in  form  and  intellect  most  exquisite.     The  unfortu- 
nate parents  ventured  their  all  on  this  frail 
hark, 
and  the  wreck  was  total. 

After  two  children  have  been  born  many  young  couples 
will  feel  in  serious  doubt  about  incurring  fresh  responsi- 
bilities. Many  circumstances  have  to  be  considered. 
There  is  a  limit  to  what  one  woman,  single-handed  and 
without  assistance,  can  accomplish,  if  she  is  properly 
to  attend  to  her  children,  home  and  husband,  and  retain 
her  self-respect.  Then  provision  has  to  be  made  for  the 
children's  future,  for  it  is  right  to  enable  parents  to  do 
well  by  their  children,  using  that  term  in  its  best  sense. 
There  may  then  have  to  be  a  longer  interval  before  further 
children  arrive,  but  so  greatly  do  I  appreciate  the  value 
of  children  that  I  urge  all  healthy  young  couples  who  can 
see  their  way  to  it  not  to  be  satisfied  with  less  than  three 
children.     Personally,    I    regard    four    children — two    of 


PUBLIC  MEETING  219 

either  sex — as  the  ideal  family.     It  is  well  to  have  dupli- 
cates, in  case  of  contingencies. 

I  am  aware  that  many  people  still  hold  the  old  idea 
that  married  people  ought  to  have  as  many  children  as 
are  sent  to  them.  That  extreme  doctrine  is  dying  out. 
Very  few  people  hold  that  view  to-day.  My  gardener 
tried  it,  and  his  wife  has  presented  him  with  eighteen 
babies  in  twenty -five  years,  all  born  one  at  a  birth.  In 
place  of  that  old-fashioned  doctrine,  the  view  most  people 
hold  now  is  that  in  the  begetting  of  new  life — the  most 
important  and  sacred  function  we  human  beings  are 
called  upon  to  perform — it  should  no  longer  be  undertaken 
recklessly,  but  be  brought  within  the  sphere  of  reason 
and  forethought.  I  have  to  admit  that  at  the  present 
time  young  couples  of  the  Al  class  tend  perhaps  to  err 
on  the  side  of  excessive  caution,  but  I  believe  that  is  a 
reaction  from  the  excessive  families  of  half  a  century 
ago.  I  have  little  fear  it  will  right  itself.  I  am  more 
concerned  with  the  reckless  lack  of  caution  of  the  C3  class. 
The  disastrous  fertility  of  the  C3  class  has  now  become 
recognised  as  a  world-wide  danger.  There  is  no  gainsaying 
the  fact  that  people  who  in  all  human  judgment  are  least 
fitted  in  character  or  constitution  to  be  parents,  who 
are  least  able  to  support  a  large  family,  are  just  the  very 
ones  who  have  the  largest  families.  That  cannot  be  good 
either  for  the  individual,  the  nation  or  the  race.  I 
sometimes  think  that  the  short  and  simple  annals  of 
the  poor  can  be  expressed  in  four  words,  "  Bearing  babies 
and  burying  babies." 

If  we  believe  in  the  laws  of  heredity,  we  must  realise 
that  the  children  of  C3  parents  to-day  tend  themselves 
to  become  C3  to-morrow,  and  will  be  parents  of  C3 
children  in  the  future. 

Let  me  close  by  quoting  from  an  American  writer  : — 
"  The  improvement  of  the  human  race,  if  not  the 
future  evolution  of  man,  will  depend  in  part  on 
conscious  human  endeavour.  To  us  it  is  given  to 
co-operate  in  this  greatest  work  of  all  time  and  to 
have  a  part  in  the  triumphs  of  future  ages,  not  only 
by  improving  the  conditions  of  individual  life  and 
development  and  education,  but  much  more  by 
improving  the  ideals  of  society,  and  by  breeding  a 
better  race  of  men  who  will  mould  things  nearer  to 
the  heart's  desire. 


220    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 


<< 


Men,  at  some  time,  are  masters  of  their  fates. 
The  fault,  dear  Brutus,  is  not  in  our  stars,  but  in 
ourselves,  that  we  are  underlings." 
If  men  are  really  to  be  masters  of  their  fates  and  not 
always  underlings,  if  they  are  to  rise  to  the  greatest 
heights  of  which,  through  the  Divine  attribute  of  reason, 
they  are  potentially  capable,  then  I  say  it  means  learning 
to  free  themselves  from  the  handicap  of  constant  toil 
for  the  bare  necessaries  of  life,  which  is  so  largely  the 
outcome  of  the  pressure  of  population  upon  the  means  of 
subsistence,  and  learning  to  control  that  strange  fertility 
which  throughout  the  whole  of  nature  tends  to  become 
excessive.  If  mankind  is  effectively  to  control  fertility, 
we  who  are  members  of  the  New  Generation  League 
believe  it  is  necessary  and  desirable  that  they  should 
adopt  and  put  into  practice  the  principles  of  Birth 
Control. 

Mrs.  Swanwick  (Women's  International  League)  : 
Malthusians  from  the  days  of  that  courageous  clergyman — 
courageous  because  he  was  a  clergyman  partly,  and  I 
would  there  were  more  of  his  kind  now — Malthusians  from 
that  day  to  this  have  been  brave  people,  brave  men  and 
brave  women,  because  they  said  what  most  of  us  dislike 
to  hear  said.  They  have  told  us  to  stop  and  think,  and 
to  think  at  the  moment  when  we  were  perhaps  most 
likely  to  be  carried  away.  It  was  an  unpopular  thing  to 
say,  it  was  a  difficult  thing  to  say,  and  the  lady  who  has 
spoken  to  us  so  magnificently  from  this  platform  to-night 
has  carried  on  that  tradition  with  the  same  courage  that 
was  exhibited  when  Malthus  wrote  his  book. 

It  is  never  popular  until  the  lesson  has  been  learned 
to  tell  us  poor  members  of  humanity  that  things  are  what 
they  are,  and  their  consequences  will  be  what  they  will 
be,  and  that  if  men  will  breed  as  if  they  were  of  the  fishes, 
if  they  will  do  this  with  the  same  disregard  of  conse- 
quences, they  will  have  their  numbers  reduced  in  exactly 
the  same  brutal  ways  as  the  numbers  of  the  fishes  are 
reduced. 

We  have  to  realise,  as  some  of  us  believe,  that  we  are 
on  the  eve  of  a  great  tendency  towards  social  revolution. 
I  know  the  Malthusian  members  generally  agree  that  we 
are  on  the  eve  of  a  socialisation  of  the  dependents  of  the 
world.  We  have  to  realise  that  this  question  is  not  only 
a  question  for  the  individual,  and  that  it  is  wrong  counsel 


PUBLIC  MEETING  221 

for  the  individual,  while  we  live  in  a  system  of  individua- 
lism, to  produce  more  young  creatures  than  he  can  rear 
properly.  We  have  also  to  realise  that  it  is.  wrong  to 
produce  more  than  the  nation  can  support  as  they  should 
be  supported. 

There  has  always  been  a  tendency  to  breed  up  to  the 
limit  of  subsistence  under  favourable  conditions.  When 
there  is  a  boom  in  prosperity  the  birth  rate  goes  up,  and 
people  tend  to  breed  up  to  the  very  limit  of  possibility 
in  time  of  prosperity,  leaving  nothing  for  any  possible 
change,  for  any  possible  risk,  for  the  expansion  and 
contraction  of  national  prosperity. 

I  think  we  can  have  no  better  example  of  this  kind  of 
thing  than  the  history  of  Russia  during  the  last  few 
decades.  Mr.  Keynes  points  out  in  his  articles  on  Russia 
in  the  Manchester  Guardian  Supplement  that  in  1870  the 
population  of  Russia  was  100  millions,  while  in  1914  it 
was  150  millions.  That  is  an  increase  of  over  half  a 
million  a  year.  No  doubt  the  potential  wealth  of  Russia 
could  support  a  vastly  larger  population  than  that,  but 
the  development  of  Russia,  especially  Czarist  Russia, 
was  not  adequate  to  that  tremendous  increase  of  popula- 
tion. We  might  have  foretold,  with  an  increase  of  that 
kind  and  a  Russia  politically  and  economically  of  that 
kind,  that  that  would  befall  which  did  befall,  and  that 
would  happen  which  is  happening  now  ;  that  we  should 
see  Russia,  a  tragic  country  of  illimitable  potential 
wealth,  producing  people  that  had  to  be  killed  by  millions, 
and  inviting  all  the  disasters  that  have  befallen  that 
country. 

It  is  for  us  to  try  and  bring  the  actual  facts  before 
the  people  at  large,  whether  or  not  they  are  really  yet 
fit  for  the  kind  of  world  that  we  are  hoping  will  be  made 
for  them.  They  talk  lightly  and  gaily  of  the  possi- 
bilities of  emigration  and  the  Old  Country.  Among  the 
many  follies  that  have  been  the  result  of  it,  one  of  the 
greatest  follies  has  been  the  growth  of  nationalism, 
which  makes  every  country  close  its  doors  to  every  other 
country,  so  that  emigration  which  we  thought  so  tre- 
mendously of  a  little  while  ago,  in  mid- Victorian  England, 
is  going  to  be  taken  away.     It  is  only  a  mirage. 

I  want  to  say  I  believe  in  the  socialisation  of  the  depen- 
dents of  the  world.  The  children  until  they  can  earn 
their  living,   the  old  people  and  the  invalids  should,  I 


222    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

believe,  be  dependent  upon  the  community.  I  do  not 
believe  for  one  moment  that  would  tend  to  increase  the 
recklessness  of  the  birth  rate.  I  believe,  on  the  contrar}% 
that — just  as  we  find  now  that  the  birth  rate  is  lower  among 
the  prosperous  classes — if  all  classes  were  more  prosperous, 
then  there  would  be  a  tendency  to  lower  the  birth  rate. 
We  find  now  that  the  more  miserable  people  are,  the  more 
certain  they  are  to  have  reckless  breeding  as  the  one 
pleasure  they  can  have  in  life.  I  believe  if  we  could 
make  people  more  prosperous  we  should  lower  the  birth 
rate,  and  I  believe  those  who  are  terror-stricken  at  the 
idea  of  supporting  all  the  children,  and  making  the  mothers 
free  to  bring  up  their  children,  do  not  reckon  with  an 
enfranchised  and  liberated  womanhood.  I  believe,  when 
women  are  free  and  have  the  knowledge,  they  will  choose 
these  methods  of  Birth  Control  which  are  consonant 
with  the  dignity  of  motherhood. 

When  you  have  given  them  that  knowledge,  every 
individual  couple  must  settle  for  themselves  how  they 
will  make  the  restriction.  It  is  not  one  of  the  things  of 
which  I  feel  inclined  to  say,  "  So  you  shall  do  it."  Each 
one  of  you  must  do  it  according  to  the  inner  movement 
you  have  between  yourselves.  Each  married  couple  and 
each  pair  of  lovers  must  settle  themselves  how  they  desire 
this  restriction  to  be  made.  I  believe,  when  they  have 
the  knowledge,  you  can  trust  the  women  not  to  have 
more  children  than  they  can  do  good  by. 

The  Chairman  :  I  think  Mrs.  Swanwick  has  corrected 
the  balance  against  Mrs.  Drysdale,  and  you  have  heard 
how  Birth  Control  can  be  seen,  not  only  from  an  indi- 
vidualist but  from  an  advanced  social  standpoint.  I  will 
now  call  upon  the  Rev.  Gordon  Lang. 

The  Rev.  Gordon  Lang  :  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  I 
shall  not  think  of  detaining  you  many  minutes  to-night, 
after  the  number  of  speeches  you  have  listened  to — lucid 
speeches  that  have  put  before  you  quite  plainly  the 
position  taken  up  on  this  platform — but  there  are  one 
or  two  things  that  might  be  said. 

Those  of  us  at  the  Conference  this  week  have  felt  it 
to  be  an  important  Conference.  Some  of  us  have  felt 
and  believed  that  more  definite  steps  are  being  taken 
towards  international  peace  at  Birth  Control  Conferences 
like  this  than  in  meetings  of  the  League  of  Nations  itself. 
We  feel  that  definite  steps  are  being  taken,  but  there 


PUBLIC  MEETING  223 

have  been  two  or  three  sections  of  the  population  unfor- 
tunately distinguished  by  their  absence,  so  far  as  our 
Conferences  have  been  concerned.  I  should  have  liked 
to  see  Members  of  Parliament  here,  even  if  under  com- 
pulsion. It  would  have  given  them  and  some  of  us  a  very 
useful  opportunity  of  instruction.  I  should  have  liked 
to  have  seen  more  of  the  ministers  and  clergymen  of  this 
country,  not  that  they  are  altogether  as  ignorant  of  the 
methods  of  Birth  Control  as  they  may  pretend  to  be, 
but  at  any  rate  they  have  not  yet  decided  to  share  their 
knowledge  'and  enunciate  its  practice  to  their  own  people. 
I  should  also  like  to  have  seen  a  larger  representation 
from  a  great  political  party,  the  Labour  Party  of  this 
country,  which,  whatever  may  be  your  political  views, 
is  a  political  force  very  much  to  be  reckoned  with. 

Now,  I  want  to  suggest  two  things,  more  or  less  from 
the  moral  point  of  view.  I  do  suggest  to  you  that,  as  we 
have  already  heard,  we  have  to  get  out  of  our  minds  the 
idea  that  quantity  is  the  all-important  thing.  The 
Churches  are  not  over -troubled  with  over -population  so 
far  as  their  own  services  are  concerned,  and  that  may 
possibly  account  for  their  lack  of  interest  in  over-popula- 
tion in  other  directions,  but  at  any  rate  they  have  fallen 
into  grave  errors  with  regard  to  quantity — such  grave 
errors,  that  we  have  extremely  large  membership  of  some 
churches  with  a  correspondingly  small  number  at  others. 
That  kind  of  thing  may  do  for  church  subscriptions  and 
membership,  but  it  will  not  do  when  it  comes  to  bringing 
into  the  world  men  and  women  who  are  described  as  being 
in  the  image  of  God.  What  they  may  be  potentially  is 
one  thing,  what  they  are  to-day  is  another  thing. 

Those  of  us  who  come  into  contact  with  the  sordid  and 
seamy  side  of  life  know  what  a  great  deal  of  leeway  has 
to  be  made  up  before  our  fellow-men  are  like  unto  the 
image  of  God.  It  is  a  good  thing  that,  so  far  as  the 
spiritual  world  is  concerned,  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
libel,  because  eternity  might  become  of  short  duration  if 
all  the  writs  were  issued.  We  are  in  a  crisis,  so  far  as 
religious  life  is  concerned.  Some  of  us  are  not  altogether 
surprised,  some  of  us  are  not  altogether  disappointed. 
There  will  have  to  be  radical  reconstruction,  and  we  do 
not  wonder  that  men  and  women,  however  real  their 
sincerity  may  be,  have  drawn  away  from  churches  and 
chapels   when   bishops   like  the   Bishop   of   Exeter   can 


224    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

solemnly  ask  for  more  children  in  order  to  prepare  for 
another  war.  Those  are  things  which  send  men  away  from 
the  churches  with  great  contempt  for  the  churches  them- 
selves. Therefore,  I  do  not  suggest  that  if  we  are  concerned 
with  religion,  we  should  regard  quality  and  not  quantity. 

The  other  point  is  this.  You  have  heard  it  touched 
upon  delicately.  There  is  a  suggestion  that  there  is 
something  immoral  in  the  control  of  childbirth.  From  a 
religious  and  moral  point  of  view  we  are  supposed  to  place 
our  greatest  trust  upon  the  soul,  the  spirit.  The  Churches 
have  always  done  that,  and  some  of  the  Churches  most 
concerned  with  minimising  the  body  have  spent  all  their 
time  in  finding  ways  of  obviating  it  till  they  have  forgotten 
the  soul  altogether.  Those  of  you  who  believe  in  the 
expression  of  the  soul  know  it  can  only  find  itself  in  a 
material  and  physical  expression.  Incessant  babies  are 
born  who  are  mentally  deficient,  physically  deficient,  un- 
wanted and  undesired  ;  they  are  thrown  from  pillar  to 
post  and  never  discover  their  own  soul,  nor  do  other 
people  credit  them  with  possessing  one.  Therefore,  a 
failure  to  control  birth  means  that  you  are  very  effectively 
controlling  the  soul  from  the  point  of  view  of  negation,  in 
so  far  as  rapid  production  of  children  means  the  physical 
mode  of  expression  of  the  truer  and  deeper  things  of  the 
soul.  When  you  have  Birth  Control,  you  will  set  free  in 
a  large  measure  the  free  aspirations  of  men  and  women. 

I  have  no  intention  of  saying  anything  more  to  you.  It 
may  be  necessary  at  some  other  time  and  place  to  tell  you 
of  the  experiences  some  of  us  come  in  contact  with  every 
day,  but  I  do  suggest  that,  in  conditions  of  appalling 
poverty  and  hopelessness  for  large  masses  of  people,  it  is 
an  opportune  time  for  men  and  women  who  think,  and 
are  anxious  for  the  future  of  our  people,  to  go  forward  as 
missionaries  with  this  idea  to  our  fellow-men  and  women, 
in  order  that  the  birth  of  a  child  may  in  future  be  a  source 
of  happiness,  and  that  voluntary  parenthood  may  give  a 
stronger,  sturdier  race,  and  that  when  children  come,  and 
as  they  grow,  they  may  find  a  more  goodly  heritage,  and 
that  their  to-morrow  may  at  any  rate  be  a  better  day  than 
ome  of  us  have  discovered  ours  to  be. 

That  is  our  privilege  and  responsibility,  and  I  am  glad 
to  stand  for  Birth  Control  as  the  most  effective  and 
immediately  essential  means  of  bringing  about  that  very 
desirable  condition. 


PUBLIC  MEETING  225 

The  President  (Dr.  C.  V.  Drysdale)  :  Although  the 
hour  is  so  late,  I  am  sure  we  should  not  wish  to  separate 
without  expressing  our  heartiest  thanks  to  Mr.  Wells  and 
the  speakers  who  have  addressed  us  this  evening.  I  think 
I  may  say  we  especially  wish  to  thank  Mrs.  Sanger,  who 
has  come  so  far  from  her  wandering  tour. 

If  I  may  say  so,  the  key  of  the  Birth  Control  movement 
is  this.  It  is  the  first  real  attempt  to  apply  science, 
which  has  done  so  much  for  humanity  in  other  directions, 
directly  to  the  problem  of  humanity.  I  think  our  trouble 
in  the  past  has  been  that  science  has  been  used  so  much 
for  technical  invention  and  destructive  purposes  in  war, 
but  it  has  not  yet  been  applied  sufficiently  to  the  human 
race  itself,  and  it  is  the  keynote  of  the  Birth  Control 
movement  that  if  we  control  and  regulate  the  numbers  of 
our  people,  both  in  the  matter  of  quantity  and  quality,  we 
can  do  almost  anything  with  them,  as  we  have  done  with 
other  races. 

We  believe  this  Conference  and  meeting  will  be  of  very 
great  use,  and  we  are  especially  glad  to  welcome  Mr.  Wells, 
because  he  is  the  greatest  exponent  in  this  country  of  the 
attempt  to  popularise  science,  and  it  is  on  that  account 
we  are  extremely  obliged  to  him. 

The  Chairman  :  I  thank  you  very  much.  Do  not 
forget  the  little  papers  that  have  been  distributed.  We 
shall  measure  the  success  of  our  meeting  by  the  number 
of  those  papers  that  are  returned  to  us. 


B.C. 


Friday,  July  14th. — Morning  Session. 

MEDICAL  SECTION 

President     .     C.  Killick  Millard,  M.D.,  D.Sc,  M.O.H. 

The  President,  on  opening  the  proceedings,  read  a 
paper  on  : — 

BIRTH  CONTROL  AND  THE  MEDICAL 
PROFESSION. 

It  is  a  hopeful  sign  in  connection  with  the  Birth  Control 
movement  that  the  medical  profession  is  now  taking  an 
interest  in  it.  There  is  no  reason  to  think  that  medical 
men  have  not  practised  Birth  Control  as  much  as  any 
other  section  of  the  community;  indeed,  at  the  1911 
Census*  they  were  found  to  have  the  smallest  number  of 
children  per  family  of  any  class,  and  there  seems  no 
sufficient  reason  for  thinking  that  doctors'  wives  are 
naturally  less  fertile  than  those  of  other  professional 
classes.  Nor  do  I  think  we  can  account  for  their  small 
families  by  a  later  average  age  at  marriage.  We  may 
therefore  conclude  that  their  small  families  are,  to  some 
extent  at  least,  intentional,  and  possibly  the  result  of  the 
difficulty  which  many  young  medical  men  experience  in 
keeping  up  appearances — so  necessary  in  the  case  of  a 
private  practitioner — and  at  the  same  time  making 
income  balance  expenditure. 

Doctors  need  not  be  unduly  ashamed  of  their  small 
families,  however,  for  they  are  in  good  company,  the 
class  placed  next  to  them  by  the  Registrar-General  being 
the  clergy  of  the  Church  of  England. 

But  whatever  interest  medical  men  may  have  taken  in 
Birth  Control  as  individuals,  they  have  not  hitherto  as  a 
profession  shown  much  scientific  interest  in  it.  The 
medical  profession,  like  the  clerical,  has  always  inclined 
towards    conservatism,    and    has    been    cautious    about 

*  The  latest  figures  show  doctors  as  being  third  lowest,  teachers  being 
lowest,  and  clergy  (C.  of  E.)  coming  second. 


MEDICAL  227 

accepting  new  ideas.  We  must  not  blame  them  for  this, 
but  the  fact  remains  that,  as  a  profession,  medical  men 
were,  until  recent  years,  indifferent,  if  not  actively  hostile, 
to  the  movement.  Yet  just  as  the  great  Malthus — 
whose  name  we  perpetuate,  and  whose  memory  we  are 
keeping  green  by  this  Conference — was  himself  a  clergy- 
man of  the  Church  of  England,  so  individual  members  of 
the  medical  profession  have  been  in  the  very  forefront  of 
the  movement.  It  is  only  necessary  here  to  mention 
two  names— C.  R.  Drysdale,  M.D.,  F.R.C.S.,  and  Dr.  Alice 
Drysdale  Vickery — which  stand  out  conspicuously,  and 
will,  I  hope,  be  for  ever  revered. 

Dr.  Alice  Vickery  qualified  in  medicine  over  forty  years 
ago,  being  one  of  the  first  women  to  enter  the  medical 
profession  ;  no  small  achievement  in  itself.  She  was  a 
medical  student  at  the  time  of  the  famous  Knowlton  trial 
in  1876,  and  had  the  courage,  mere  girl  as  she  was,  to 
come  forward  as  a  witness  for  the  defence  on  behalf  of 
Charles  Bradlaugh  and  Annie  Besant.  What  that  must 
have  meant  it  is  hard  for  us  to-day  to  realise.  However, 
in  this  instance  virtue  brought  its  own  reward,  for  it  was 
at  that  epoch-making  trial,  I  believe,  that  she  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Dr.  C.  R.  Drysdale,  who  was  also  a 
medical  witness  for  the  defence.  The  association  thus 
began  was  destined  to  be  life-long.  In  due  course  she 
became  Mrs.  Drysdale,  and  proved  herself  a  worthy 
helpmeet  to  her  husband  in  the  cause  which  he  made  his 
chief  life's  work. 

The  year  after  the  Knowlton  trial,  in  1877,  Drysdale 
founded  the  Malthusian  League,  and  became  its  first 
President,  and  he  continued  to  support  it  whole-heartedly 
until  his  death. 

Through  good  and  ill  report,  Dr.  Drysdale  and  Dr. 
Vickery  worked  away,  sowing  the  seed  which  to-day  is 
bearing  such  good  fruit. 

At  first  meeting  with  but  little  encouragement,  and 
many  rebuffs,  frowned  on,  scorned,  ridiculed,  even  in- 
sulted, as  is  so  often  the  lot  of  pioneers  and  reformers, 
they  never  wavered,  but  sustained  throughout  by  the 
firm  conviction  that  truth  was  on  their  side,  and  would  in 
time  prevail. 

Dr.  C.  R.  Drysdale  was  called  to  his  rest  some  years 
ago,  but  his  widow,  Dr.  Alice  Drysdale  Vickery,  is,  I 
rejoice  to  say,  still  with  us.     I  gladly  take  this  opportunity 

Q  2 


228    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

as  President  of  the  Medical  Section  of  this  Fifth  Inter- 
national Neo-Malthusian  and  Birth  Control  Conference — 
the  first  to  be  held  in  this  country — of  publicly  acknow- 
ledging our  indebtedness  to  both  her  and  her  late  husband, 
as  members  of  our  profession,  for  their  fearless  advocacy 
of,  and  personal  sacrifices  for  this  great  cause.  Dr.  Drys- 
dale  did  not  live  to  see  the  full  result  of  his  work,  but  I 
congratulate  Dr.  Vickery  most  heartily  on  being  spared 
to  see  such  a  tremendous  change  in  public  opinion,  both 
inside  and  outside  of  the  medical  profession,  that  we  are 
justified,  I  think,  in  saying  that  the  cause  for  which  she 
and  her  husband  strove  so  strenuously  is  virtually  won. 
Little  is  left  on  the  controversial  side  for  those  who  still 
carry  on  the  fight  beyond  what,  in  military  parlance,  is 
called,  I  believe,  "  wiping  up." 

It  only  remains  to  add  that  the  good  work  carried  on  so 
bravely  by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Drysdale,  senior es,  has  been  taken 
over  with  no  less  enthusiasm  by  their  son,  C.  V.  Drysdale, 
O.B.E.,  D.Sc,  F.R.S.E.,  the  present  President  of  the 
League,  and  Lis  wife,  Mrs.  Bessie  Drysdale,  Honorary 
Secretary  of  the  League.  Dr.  C.  V.  Drysdale,  though  not 
a  medical  man,  is  a  very  distinguished  man  of  science, 
who  rendered  invaluable  service  to  the  country  during  the 
war  in  connection  with  anti-submarine  research.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  C.  V.  Drysdale  have  devoted  themselves  whole- 
heartedly to  the  work  of  the  Malthusian  League,  sparing 
neither  time  nor  money  in  its  service.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  exaggerate  what  the  League  owes  to  them. 

At  this  point  it  may  be  well  to  point  out  the  distinction 
between  neo-Malthusianism  and  Birth  Control,  for  although 
the  terms  are  sometimes  used  as  though  they  were 
synonymous,  there  is  a  real  difference  between  them. 
The  two  are  very  closely  bound  up  together,  it  is  true, 
but  whilst  the  first  (neo-Malthusianism)  may  be  said  to 
include  Birth  Control,  the  latter  does  not  necessarily 
include  neo-Malthusianism,  the  reason  being  that  neo- 
Malthusianism  is  identified  with  the  economic  doctrines, 
more  or  less  modified,  first  enunciated  by  Malthus  ; 
whereas  Birth  Control  does  not  necessarily  involve  any 
economic  doctrine.  It  is  Birth  Control,  rather  than 
neo-Malthusianism,  which  chiefly  concerns  the  medical 
profession. 

I  wish  to  suggest  that  it  is  high  time  that  medical  men 
and  women  addressed  themselves  seriously  to  study  the 


MEDICAL  229 

various  medical  problems  connected  with  Birth  Control 
which  are  waiting  solution. 

The  public  are  looking  to  the  medical  profession  for 
light  and  guidance  on  the  practical  aspect  of  this  question, 
and  in  the  past  they  have  often  had  to  look  in  vain. 

A  year  ago  I  brought  the  question  of  Birth  Control, 
with  special  reference  to  the  practical  aspect,  before  a 
local  medical  society  in  the  hope  of  learning  something 
from  my  confreres,  but  I  found  that  they  knew  little  more 
than  what  was  common  knowledge. 

Now  that  such  a  distinguished  member  of  our  profession 
as  Lord  Dawson  of  Penn  has  identified  himself  so  out- 
spokenly with  this  subject,  no  medical  practitioner  need 
hesitate  about  taking  it  up.  It  is  true  that  at  the  last 
Lambeth  Conference  Anglican  bishops  still  condemned 
it  as  immoral,  though  in  much  more  moderate  and  guarded 
terms  than  the  previous  Conference  had  done  twelve  years 
before,  but  on  the  other  hand,  distinguished  divines,  such 
as  the  Bishop  of  Birmingham  and  the  Dean  of  St.  Paul's, 
have  not  hesitated  to  take  a  different  view. 

Whilst  speaking  of  the  Lambeth  Conference  it  is 
worth  noting  that  at  the  1908  Conference,  at  which 
Birth  Control  was  condemned  in  the  strongest  possible 
terms  on  ethical  grounds,  the  bishops  tried  to  strengthen 
their  case  by  suggesting  that  Birth  Control  methods  were 
also  to  be  condemned  on  medical  grounds,  as  being  highly 
injurious  to  health,  and  they  quoted  two  or  three  medical 
authorities  in  support  of  this  view.  One  of  these  was  the 
late  Dr.  Taylor,  Professor  of  Obstetrics  at  Birmingham, 
and  another  was  Dr.  L.  Bergeret,  a  French  gynaecologist. 
Both  these  men  insisted  on  the  danger  of  using  contra- 
conceptives,  and  Bergeret  went  so  far  as  to  attribute 
almost  every  gynaecological  trouble  he  had  ever  met 
with,  from  neurasthenia  to  carcinoma  utera,  to  their  use. 
But  as  both  these  men  were  clearly  convinced  of  the 
heinousness  of  Birth  Control  on  ethical  and  patriotic 
grounds,  I  do  not  think  their  evidence  need  be  taken  too 
seriously. 

With  a  view  to  ascertaining  how  far  their  view  was 
endorsed  by  other  medical  men  I  issued  a  questionnaire 
some  four  years  ago  to  a  number  of  medical  men  and 
women,  largely  medical  practitioners  in  provincial  towns. 
One  of  the  questions  asked  was  whether,  in  their  opinion, 
certain  contraceptives  in  common  use  (the  condom  and 


230    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

quinine  pessary)  were  injurious  to  health  under  ordinary 
circumstances.     Out  of  seventy-four  forms  returned  rilled 
up,  fifty -two  replied  in  the  negative,  eleven  in  the  affirma- 
tive, though  only  two  said  they  had  had  personal  experi- 
ence of  bad  effects.     Six  were  indefinite,  and  five  did  not 
answer    this    question.     Apparently    the    chief    trouble 
which  it  was  thought  might  be  caused  was  some  degree 
of  vaginal  irritation,  not  a  very  serious  matter,  and  not 
at  all  comparable  with  the  evils  alleged  by  Bergeret. 
Some  of  those  who  thought  they  were  injurious  were 
clearly  not  speaking  from  any  actual  experience,   but 
rather  on  general  principles,  on  the  ground  that  they  were 
unphysiological,  or  "  contrary  to  Nature."     One  corre- 
spondent, who  was  evidently  very  much  opposed  to  con- 
traception and  used  rather  extreme  adjectives  to  express 
his  feelings,  was,  I  afterwards  discovered,  a  Roman  Catholic. 
On  the  other  hand,  a  woman  doctor  wrote  to  me  as 
follows  :   "In  nearly  thirty  years'  practice  among  women, 
of  which  nearly  twenty  years  have  included  experience 
on  the  staff  of  a  women's  hospital,  I  have  not  met  a  single 
case   in   which   I   could   trace   ill-health   to   this   cause. 
Naturally,    both   forms   of   practice   have   involved  the 
receipt  of  many  confidences  on  the  subject." 

I  may  mention  in  this  connection  that  Sir  Francis 
Champneys,  M.D.,  F.R.C.P.,  Chairman  of  the  Central 
Midwives'  Board,  in  giving  evidence  before  the  National 
Birth  Rate  Commission,  when  questioned  as  to  the 
alleged  injury  to  health  caused  by  contraceptives, 
replied  : — 

"  I  do  not  think  it  is  true  to  say  that  in  the  majority 
of  cases  prevention  does  affect  health  in  a  deleterious 
manner."  Questioned  also  as  to  the  use  of  soluble 
pessaries,  he  replied  :  "I  believe  the  common  ingredient 
is  quinine,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  does  any  harm  what- 
ever." (Sir  Francis  is  not  an  advocate  of  Birth  Control.) 
Quite  recently,  with  a  view  to  getting  some  further 
information  as  to  the  present  views  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession, I  sent  out  a  second  questionnaire,  in  collaboration 
with  my  friend,  Dr.  Binnie  Dunlop,  whose  great  interest 
in  the  work  of  the  League  is  so  well  known. 

This  time  I  addressed  the  questionnaire  primarily  to 
eminent  gynaecologists,  both  in  London  and  the  provinces, 
though  some  women  doctors  of  standing  were  also 
included. 


MEDICAL  231 

One  hundred  and  sixty  copies  of  the  questionnaire  were 
sent  out,  and  at  the  time  of  writing  sixty-five  have  been 
returned  filled  in,  and  two  through  dead  letter  office  ; 
two  forms  were  returned  blank.  The  following  are  the 
questions  asked,  together  with  an  analysis  of  the  answers 
received  : 

Question  1. — "  Do  you  approve  of  married  couples 
using  contraceptive  methods  in  cases  where,  on  health 
or  economic  grounds,  they  feel  it  incumbent  on  them 
to  limit  the  size  of  the  family  ?  " 

37  answered  "  Yes." 

13  answered  "No." 

14  gave  a  qualified  approval,  e.g.,  only  after  one, 

two    or   three    children ;     only    on    medical 
advice  ;  on  health  grounds  only  (6). 

Question  2. — "  If  so,  which  method  or  methods  do  you 
consider,  on  the  whole,  to  be  most  satisfactory  ?  " 

Answers. 


18 
5 

Condom. 

Condom,  or  some  other 

2 
2 

Douching. 

"  Observing  the 

8 
3 
1 

2 

method. 
Quinine  pessaries. 
Check  pessary. 
€heck     pessary     plus 

quinine  pessary. 
Coitus  interruptus. 

1 
1 

17 
3 

2 

periods." 
Vaginal  plug. 
Various. 
Not  stated. 
Abstinence. 
Abstinence,  or  condom 

Question  3. — "  It  has  been  suggested  that  the  reduced 
birth  rate,  which  has  become  so  noticeable  in  most 
civilised  countries  and  especially  amongst  the  better-off 
classes,  is  not  really  due,  as  has  commonly  been  supposed, 
to  voluntary  restriction  by  the  use  of  contraceptives — or 
only  to  a  slight  extent — but  is  attributable  to  a  reduction 
in  natural  fertility. 

"  Are  you  disposed  to  credit  this  theory,  and  can  you 
adduce  any  facts  in  support  of  it  ?  " 

Answers. 

36     "  No." 

18     "  Yes."     (No  evidence  adduced  beyond  belief 
that     fertility     decreased     in     intellectual 
classes.) 
6     Doubtful. 
5     No  answer. 


232    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

Question  4. — "  Have  you  had  any  reason  to  think,  in 
the  course  of  your  professional  experience,  that  the  use 
of  chemical  substances  as  contraceptives  (e.g.,  quinine 
pessaries),  whilst  failing  to  prevent  conception,  has 
injuriously  affected  the  resulting  offspring  ? 

"  If  you  have  had  any  cases  where  you  have  suspected 
this,  please  give  particulars  as  far  as  possible." 

Answers. 

56     "  No." 
3     "  Yes."     (Two  quoted  no  cases  ;   one  knew  of 

a  case  of  alleged  injury,  but  no  proof.) 
6    Not  answered. 

The  object  of  question  1  was  to  ascertain  the  present 
feeling  of  representative  medical  men  and  women  as  to 
the  legitimacy  of  contraceptives.  From  the  answers 
received  it  would  appear  that  those  who  approve  of  their 
use  are  nearly  three  times  as  numerous  as  those  who 
disapprove.  It  certainly  cannot  be  claimed  in  future  that 
the  medical  profession  condemns  contraception. 

The  object  of  question  2  was  to  ascertain  which  methods 
were  considered  most  satisfactory  on  the  whole.  The 
condom  comes  out  easily  as  first  favourite,  with  twenty- 
three  votes  as  against  twenty -five  for  all  other  methods  put 
together,  followed  as  a  poor  second  by  quinine  pessaries. 
The  check  pessary,  which  has  been  so  warmly  advocated 
in  certain  quartres,  received  only  four  votes.  "  Abstin- 
ence," it  would  appear,  is  not  regarded  as  the  most  satis- 
factory method  except  by  a  very  few,  receiving  only  five 
votes. 

Question  3  refers,  of  course,  to  the  theory  put  forward 
recently  by  Mr.  C.  E.  Pell  in  his  book  "  The  Law  of  Births 
and  Deaths." 

The  answers  given  must  not  be  regarded  as  in  any  way 
refuting  Pell's  theory,  because  his  arguments  would 
probably  be  unknown  to  many  of  my  correspondents. 
They  are  of  interest,  however,  as  showing  what  the  present 
view  is.  It  is  clear  they  endorse  the  present  popular  view 
that  the  fall  in  the  birth  rate  has  been  volitional. 

Question  4  was  prompted  by  the  fear  felt  by  some  people 
that  contraception  may  injure  the  offspring. 

It  is  reassuring  to  find  that  there  is  practically  no 
evidence  to  support  such  an  idea. 

A  fifth  section  of  the  questionnaire  was  headed  "  General 


MEDICAL  233 

Observations  and  Remarks,"  and  some  interesting  obser- 
vations were  thus  obtained.     The  following  is  a  selection  : 

(1)  "  Withdrawal  the  commonest  plan  ;  but  injurious 
to  wife." 

(2)  "  Large  families  are  an  unutterable  curse  to  those 
not  blest  with  ample  means.  Some  form  of  contraception 
is  thus  absolutely  necessary." 

(3)  "  Quinine  may  possibly  cause  prolonged  sterility 
through  action  on  mucous  membrane  causing  chronic 
metritis." 

(4)  "  Highly  dangerous  to  tamper  with  instincts.  May 
be  necessary  to  bring  intelligence  much  more  into  these 
matters." 

(5)  "lam  sure  that  mental  effect  of  inability  to  have 
children  after  contraceptive  methods  have  been  tried  is 
likely  to  be  deleterious." 

(6)  "lam  strongly  in  favour  of  the  use  of  contraceptives 
for  health  and  moral  reasons." 

(7)  "I  think  that  coitus  interruptus  is  the  commonest 
method.  Apt  to  produce  chronic  pelvic  congestion  and 
neurasthenia." 

(8)  "  Use  of  contraceptives  almost  universal  in  classes 
above  ^ne  poverty  line ;  douching  the  commonest  method." 

(9)  "  The  use  of  contraceptives  by  persons  best  fitted 
to  be  parents  is  so  extreme  as  to  threaten  the  ruin  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race  in  Britain  and  America." 

(10)  "  Artificial  prevention  establishes  in  time  sterility." 

(11)  "  Anglo-Indian  women  have  thought  that  quinine 
taken  for  malaria  has  a  sterilising  effect." 

(12)  "  Quinine  may  cause  slight  vaginitis,  otherwise 
harmless." 

(13)  "  Use  of  contraceptives  immediately  after  marriage 
leads  to  nervous  trouble  and  unhappiness  in  early  married 
life.  Quinine  injurious  if  used  over  long  periods.  Metal 
stem  pessary  gives  rise  to  intra-uterine  inflammatory 
trouble.  Withdrawal  gives  rise  to  nervous  trouble  in 
wife."     (From  a  medical  woman.) 

(14)  "  My  only  experience  of  quinine  pessaries  is  that 
they  are  ineffectual.  I  have  seen  harm  caused  by  check 
pessaries." 

(15)  "Patients  tend  to  make  lotion  for  douches  too 
strong,  with  consequent  ill-effects  on  vaginal  mucosa. 
The  care  with  which  contraceptive  methods  are  practised 
is  of  more  importance  than  the  method  used.     Patients 


234    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

must    have    detailed    instructions."     (From    a    medical 
woman.) 

(16)  "I  strongly  object  to  any  mechanical  contrivance 
placed  in  the  vagina.  Quinine,  in  my  experience,  is 
harmless  to  the  woman." 

(17)  "•  Quinine  pessaries  do  not  always  prevent.  The 
production  of  abortion  in  this  district  seems  to  be  becoming 
more  prevalent ;  the  poorer  women  realise  that  they 
cannot  afford  to  have  and  rear  large  families.  They  are 
ignorant  of  contraception,  or  too  lazy  to  use  what  know- 
ledge they  have,  and  simply  bring  off  one  abortion  after 
another."     (From  a  medical  woman.) 

STERILISATION   OF  THE  UNFIT. 

By  Norman  Haire,  Ch.M.,  M.B. 

Although  Birth  Control  is  gaining  in  public  favour,  it 
still  has  many  active  opponents,  and  among  them  a  large 
number  of  really  earnest  conscientious  people,  who  sin- 
cerely believe  that  it  is  wrong  for  averagely  healthy  men 
and  women  to  limit  their  families. 

But  there  are  few,  I  think,  even  among  the  most  con- 
servative, who  would  deny  that  it  is  justifiable,  and  indeed 
very  desirable,  to  limit  or  prevent  the  multiplication  of 
those  who,  through  either  physical  or  mental  disease,  are 
obviously  unfit  for  parenthood. 

Especially  in  cases  of  mental  disease  or  deficiency  is  it 
necessary  that  reproduction  should  be  avoided  ;  and  it  is 
precisely  in  these  cases  that  it  is  most  difficult  to  teach  the 
patient  to  take  regular  and  adequate  contraceptive  pre- 
cautions. Through  carelessness,  or  indifference,  or  lack 
of  intelligence,  these  people  generally  fail  to  avoid  frequent 
conceptions,  so  that  they  continue  to  bring  into  the  world 
new  generations  of  human  beings  handicapped  from  the 
beginning  by  a  woefully  small  mental  bank  balance,  who 
become  bankrupt  if  too  great  a  demand  is  made  on  their 
poor  resources.  These  it  is  who  fill  our  lunatic  asylums, 
our  gaols,  our  workhouses,  and  who  form  a  very  large 
proportion  of  our  unemployed. 

As  resident  medical  officer  at  a  large  obstetric  hospital 
and  at  a  lunatic  asylum,  I  have  seen  the  most  dysgenic 
breeding.  Often  a  woman  would  be  admitted  to  the 
obstetric  hospital  with  a  history  of  attacks  of  insanity 


MEDICAL  235 

occurring  at  each  pregnancy.  During  the  pregnancy,  or 
at  a  confinement,  or  soon  after,  she  would  become  insane 
and  be  removed  to  an  asylum.  If  she  recovered  suffi- 
ciently to  be  harmless  to  herself  and  others,  she  would  be 
discharged  "  cured,"  only  to  go  through  the  same  cycle 
at  the  next  pregnancy.  I  have  seen  women  who  had  had 
as  many  as  six  attacks  of  this  sort,  and  who  nevertheless 
were  not  prevented  from  becoming  pregnant  again,  or  even 
taught  to  take  any  sort  of  contraceptive  measures. 

On  investigation  of  the  family  history  of  the  mentally 
diseased  or  deficient,  it  is  so  often  found  that  there  are 
other  cases  of  mental  disturbance  in  near  relations.  Some- 
times one  finds  insanity  in  several  succeeding  generations, 
the  age  of  onset  becoming  earlier  in  each  successive 
generation,  showing  that  each  individual  tended  to  begin 
with  less  capital  than  its  predecessor,  and  in  the  presence 
of  an  equal  strain  to  become  bankrupt  earlier. 

Among  my  patients  at  a  Maternity  and  Child  Welfare 
Centre  in  a  very  poor  part  of  London  a  good  many  show 
mental^leficiency  of  varying  grades,  and  I  find  that  these 
are  the  ones  who  breed  most  recklessly,  who  are  the  most 
difficult  to  convince  of  the  necessity  for  contraception, 
and  the  most  incapable  of  learning  properly  to  use  the 
ordinary  simple  methods. 

In  such  cases,  as  also  in  the  presence  of  syphilis,  tuber- 
culosis, and  certain  other  diseases  which  may  be  trans- 
mitted to,  or  may  damage,  the  offspring,  sterilisation  by 
surgical  means  seems  to  me  to  be  most  clearly  indicated. 
In  many  of  the  States  of  the  American  Union  the  compul- 
sory sterilisation  of  lunatics  and  certain  habitual  criminals 
is  prescribed  or  permitted  by  law.  I  am  informed  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  for  Indiana  that 
about  1,200  males  have  been  compulsorily  sterilised  in  that 
State,  and  that  somewhat  similar  laws  exist  in  New  York, 
Iowa,  Michigan,  Oregon,  California,  Washington,  Kansas, 
and  Illinois.  Connecticut,  Nevada,  and  New  Jersey  also 
have  sterilisation  laws. 

Public  opinion  in  England  is  perhaps  not  yet  ready  to 
accept  the  idea  of  compulsory  sterilisation,  but  I  think 
there  would  be  little  effective  opposition  if  voluntary  steri- 
lisation were  advocated  for  cases  of  positive  unfitness, 
and  its  simplicity  and  harmlessness  properly  explained. 
Indeed,  I  believe  many  men  and  women  suffering  from 
less  serious  physical  or  mental  disability,  or  from  economic 


236    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

distress,  and  even  many  who,  while  neither  diseased  nor 
poor,  yet  desired  to  limit  their  families  from  other  worthy 
motives,  would  also  seek  this  operative  relief  ;  in  order  to 
avoid  the  constant  necessity  for  troublesome  temporary 
precautions,  and  the  anxiety  due  to  the  fallibility  of  all 
ordinary  contraceptive  methods  at  present  known. 

Unfortunately,  when  one  speaks  of  sterilisation  by 
operation,  the  average  person  thinks  that  one  means  the 
actual  removal  from  the  body  of  the  ovaries  or  testes,  with 
a  consequent  loss  of  sexual  desire  and  potency,  and  trans- 
formation into  a  sexless  sort  of  person,  lacking  all  charm 
and  all  interest  or  joy  in  life. 

This,  of  course,  is  not  what  is  meant  at  all.  "Sterilisation 
can  be  easily,  safely  and  efficiently  carried  out  by  any 
competent  surgeon.  All  that  is  needed  is  for  two  tiny 
ducts  to  be  tied  or  cut  across.  The  patient  should  be 
recovered  from  the  operation  in  a  fortnight. 

Surgical  sterilisation  is  far  less  painful  and  occasions 
far  less  inconvenience  than  a  single  confinement,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  previous  nine  months  of  pregnancy.  And  it 
cannot  be  too  strongly  emphasised  that  the  general  health, 
sexual  desire,  and  sexual  potency  are  in  no  way  prejudiced 
by  this  operation  in  man  or  woman.  Indeed,  the  recent 
work  of  Steinach  and  his  co-workers  and  disciples  goes  to 
show  that  this  operation  in  the  male  is  often  followed  by 
increased  sexual  desire  and  potency  and  by  considerable 
improvement  in  general  health. 

I  hope  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  any  individual 
who  considers  himself  unfit  for  parenthood  may  apply  at  a 
public  hospital  for  surgical  sterilisation,  with  a  reasonable 
prospect  of  having  his  request  granted. 

THE   EFFECT   OF  THE   X-RAY  UPON 
REPRODUCTION  IN  THE  RAT. 

By  Donald  R.  Hooker,  M.D.  (Baltimore,  Md.). 

In  this  report  I  wish  to  make  four  points  which  are  of 
especial  interest  in  connection  with  the  present  Conference. 

Those  who  have  worked  on  mammalian  breeding  experi- 
ments realise  how  slowly  convincing  results  mature. 
Therefore,  while  I  have  been  working  for  two  years  on  this 
problem,  I  still  regard  it  as  essential  to  emphasise  the  fact 
that  what  I  say  is  strictly  a  preliminary  statement. 


MEDICAL  237 

Clinical  experience  and  such  animal  experimentation  as 
has  previously  been  done  have  demonstrated  that  X-radia- 
tion  will  cause  sterility,  but  we  are  ignorant  of  the  dosage, 
duration  and  by-effects  of  such  treatment.  If  the  X-ray 
or  radium  is  to  be  applied  to  human  kind  as  a  means  to 
control  and  regulate  procreation,  it  is  desirable  first  to 
study  the  effects  produced  on  the  lower  animals.  We  need 
to  know  what  such  exposure  does  not  do,  as  well  as  what 
it  does  do. 

In  the  reproductive  glands,  of  the  male  at  least,  are 
certain  structures  which  are  not  known  to  play  any  part 
in  the  elaboration  of  the  reproductive  cells,  but  which  exert 
a  significant  influence  on  the  general  bodily  economy. 
These  structures — interstitial  cells,  as  they  are  called — 
function  in  growth,  the  development  of  secondary  sexual 
characteristics,  etc.  It  is  the  absence  of  these  cells  and 
not  of  the  reproductive  cells  proper  which  is  responsible 
for  the  physical  characteristics  of  the  castrated  animal. 
While  the  interstitial  tissue  is  not  regarded  as  necessary 
to  normal  sperm  formation,  its  absence,  except  in  special 
conditions,  precludes  normal  sexual  life  in  that  it  is 
requisite  normal  sex  desire. 

My  first  point  then,  is  to  show  that  X-ray  sterilisation 
does  not  destroy,  these  interstitial  cellular  structures. 
This  is  of  moment  because  any  method  applicable  to  Birth 
Control  must  not  abrogate  the  natural  expression  of  love 
in  marriage. 

A  series  of  rats  of  approximately  the  same  age  were 
paired  and  their  increase  in  weight  observed.  At  seventy 
days  of  age  some  were  castrated,  and  some  were  suitably 
exposed  to  X-ray,  while  others  were  run  as  controls.  If 
it  were  possible  to  exhibit  the  growth  curves  of  these 
animals,  you  would  see  that  those  which  were  castrated 
(male  and  female)  exhibited  the  typical  over-growth 
characteristic  of  this  condition.  The  X-rayed  and  control 
rats  (male  and  female)  grew  at  corresponding  rates.  The 
X-rayed  and  control  males  were  examined  for  sperm 
motility  at  147  days  (21  weeks)  of  age.  In  the  former 
no  sperm  were  found.  In  the  latter  sperm  motility  was 
entirely  normal. 

Both  control  and  X-rayed  females  had  offspring,  the 
former,  however,  at  a  much  earlier  date  than  the  latter. 

It  should  also  be  stated  in  this  connection,  although 
demonstrated  in  other  experiments,  that  males  rendered 


238    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

sterile  by  exposure  to  X-rays  continue  to  exhibit  normal 
sexual  activity  ;  that  is  to  say,  they  copulate  with  the 
females. 

This  experiment,  therefore,  shows  that  X-ray  sterilisa- 
tion in  the  male  :  (1)  does  not  lead  to  bodily  over-growth 
characteristic  of  castration  ;  and  (2)  does  not  inhibit  the 
expression  of  normal  sex  activity. 

My  second  point  bears  upon  the  dosage  requisite  to 
establish  sterility.  It  is  no  doubt  known  to  this  audience 
that  X-ray  exposures  are  defined  for  clinical  purposes  in 
terms  of  an  erythema  or  skin  dose,  that  is,  the  dose  suffi- 
cient to  cause  a  reddening  of  the  human  skin.  It  is  like- 
wise known  that  excessive  exposure  to  X-rays  leads  to 
serious  burns.  Obviously,  therefore,  the  application  of 
the  X-ray  in  Birth  Control  would  not  be  considered  unless 
the  dosage  required  fell  well  within  the  margin  of  safety 
from  burns  or  other  ill-effects. 

Male  rats  are  rendered  sterile  by  an  exposure  of  a  total 
of  two  skin  doses  applied  in  four  treatments  at  intervals  of 
three  or  four  days.  This  has  been  shown  in  breeding 
experiments.  Such  treatment  does  not  always  produce 
non-motile  sperm,  but  apparently  the  vitality  of  the 
spermatozoa  is  so  affected  that  the  fertilisation  of  the  ovum 
does  not  occur.  Larger  doses  given  in  the  same  fractional 
treatment  destroy  all  sperm  motility,  or  establish  a  con- 
dition of  aspermia.  The  duration  of  a  sterility  brought 
about  by  an  exposure  to  two  skin  doses  has  yet  to  be 
established  with  nicety.  It  is  a  matter  of  some  weeks  in 
the  rat.  The  span  of  life  in  the  rat  is  about  one-thirtieth 
that  of  man,  twelve  days  in  the  rat's  life  roughly  corre- 
sponding to  a  year  for  you  and  me. 

The  production  of  sterility  in  the  female  rat  is  much  less 
easy  to  accomplish.  For  example,  fractional  doses,  as 
indicated  above  for  the  male,  up  to  a  total  of  five  skin 
doses,  may  be  given  without  striking  effect.  There  is 
some  indication  that  pregnancy  may  be  slightly  delayed, 
but  this  is  not  convincing.  The  difference  in  result  for  the 
two  sexes  is  no  doubt  due,  in  part  at  least,  to  the  fact  that 
to  reach  the  ovaries  the  radiation  has  to  penetrate  deeper 
than  is  the  case  with  the  testes.  I  have  thus  far  worked 
only  with  unfiltered  rays.  It  remains  to  be  seen  whether 
or  not  the  use  of  a  suitable  screen  relatively  intensifying 
the  more  penetrating  rays  will  produce  the  desired  result. 
The  fact  that  X-ray  sterility  (in  the  male)  is  not  per- 


MEDICAL  239 

manent  constitutes  a  third  point  of  present  interest.  This 
fact  rests  upon  clinical  observation  as  well  as  upon  labora- 
tory experiment.  Since  the  clinical  observations  have 
been  essentially  accidental  and  give  us  no  information  as 
to  the  dosage  and  duration  of  effect,  it  is  desirable  that 
work  on  animals  should  be  much  extended  before  we 
attempt  to  orient  ourselves  in  the  field  of  practical 
application. 

My  fourth  point  concerns  the  procreative  normality 
after  a  period  of  X-ray  sterility.  Is  there  danger  that 
offspring  or  children  will  be  abnormal  ?  In  a  quite  con- 
siderable number  of  observations  I  have  failed  to  find  any 
such  indications  ;  the  litters  have  been  normal  in  size  and 
there  have  been  no  monstrosities.  Dr.  Raymond  Pearl, 
who  has  worked  with  fruit  flies,  with  which  experiment 
may  be  done  wholesale,  tells  me  that  his  incidental  obser- 
vations on  this  point  have  been  similar  to  mine.  It  must 
be  stated,  however,  that  Dr.  Little,  working  on  white  mice 
at  the  Carnegie  Laboratory  for  Experimental  Evolution, 
is  of  the  opinion  that  the  offspring  of  X-rayed  parents  are 
not  uniformly  normal.  Obviously  our  data  on  this  phase 
of  the  question  must  be  extended  until  unqualified  con- 
viction is  attained. 

No  experimental  attack  on  the  problem  of  Birth  Control 
would  be  complete  without  consideration  of  the  control  of 
the  cestrous  cycle  in  so  far  as  that  regulates  the  external 
manifestations  of  evolution.  The  work  of  Stockard  and 
of  Evans  in  America  has  shown  that  the  domesticated  rat 
is  especially  suited  to  such  study,  since  in  this  animal  the 
cestrous  cycle  can  be  readily  followed.  The  results  of  my 
studies  are  still  inconclusive,  but  either  the  X-ray  or 
radium  emanations  may  prove  to  be  effective  in  regulating 
the  oestrous  cycle.  At  any  rate  it  is  not  too  much  to  ask 
of  science  that  she  shall  establish  control  over  this  feature 
of  sex  life  as  well  as  over  procreation.  In  modern  civilised 
life  the  efficiency  wastage  incident  to  periodic  menstrua- 
tion in  women,  unless  related  to  presumptive  pregnancy 
and  childbirth,  is  a  matter  of  practical  concern.  Con- 
sequently the  ideal  method  of  Birth  Control  should  be  to 
eliminate  menstruation  except  when  children  were  desired. 
Some  day  aesthetic  methods  applicable  to  the  broad 
control  of  procreation  in  both  men  and  women  will  be 
placed  in  our  hands  ;  it  will  remain  for  us  to  use  them  with 
intelligence  and  wisdom. 


240     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

THE  NECESSITY   OF  ABOLISHING  LAWS 
AGAINST  PREVENTIVE  MEASURES. 

By  Dr.  Anton  Nystrom  (Stockholm). 

It  is  a  fact  that  large  families  are  the  main  causes  of 
poverty  ;  Birth  Control  is,  therefore,  a  necessary  condition 
of  prosperity,  and  all  couples  must  know  that  they  should 
not  have  more  children  than  they  can  provide  for. 

Many  young  men  wish  to  enter  early  marriage,  but  are 
afraid  to  do  so  on  account  of  the  possibility  of  having 
many  children,  which  they  could  not  support  with  their 
smaU  income.  It  is,  therefore,  clear  that  limitation  of  the 
number  of  children  is  necessary,  and  that,  therefore, 
young  people  must  be  acquainted  with  the  preventive 
measures. 

Descriptions  of  these  and  practical  advice  must  be  given 
in  popular  books  and  papers,  written  by  experienced 
physicians,  and  no  laws  may  prohibit  the  sale  and  cir- 
culation of  such  writings  and  the  announcements  in  the 
journals.  Such  a  law  was  unhappily  made  by  the  Par- 
liament of  Sweden  in  1910,  with  a  majority  of  eleven  votes, 
and  now  in  1922  a  motion  for  its  abolishment  was  rejected 
with  a  majority  of  six  votes.  That  is,  that  a  small  number 
of  ignorants  has  decided  the  prohibition  of  a  most  necessary 
information  on  sexual  and  matrimonial  matters. 

One  of  the  consequences  of  this  stupid  law  was  that  I, 
twelve  years  ago,  was  impeached,  brought  to  trial,  and 
sentenced  to  a  fine  of  £5  for  having  in  a  public  discourse, 
in  the  People's  Palace  in  Stockholm,  said  that  there  existed 
preventive  means — and  I  named  them — which  can  diminish 
poverty  and  misery  by  hindering  poor  families  to  get  too 
many  children.  That  was  all  I  said  in  the  matter  ;  that 
was  the  crime  ! 

I  could  laugh  at  the  comedy  ;  but  I  have  since  wit- 
nessed a  great  number  of  really  tragic  consequences  of  the 
stupid  law — an  increasing  number  of  unhappy  women 
who  became  pregnant  against  their  will,  because  they 
had  no  knowledge  of  preventive  means,  or,  if  such  had 
been  employed,  they  had  been  bad.  Shortly  after  the 
promulgation  of  the  "  preventive  law "  such  women 
came  more  often  than  before  to  consult  me  and  to  ask  for 
assistance,  if  possible,  to  get  the  ceased  menstruation  to 
function  again,  and  many  told  me  that  they  believed  that 


MEDICAL  241 

the  new  law  made  it  impossible  to  buy  preventive  means. 
Then  I  showed  that  during  three  months  426  women,  188 
married  and  238  unmarried,  consulted  me  for  the  purpose. 
That  makes  for  the  year  about  1,700.  In  1,480  cases,  or  87 
per  cent.,  no  preventives  had  been  used,  and  in  224  cases, 
or  13  per  cent.,  the  condom  or  occlusive  pessary  had  been 
used,  but  had  burst  or  been  ill-applied.  In  most  of  the 
cases  where  no  preventives  were  used  coitus  interrwptus 
had  been  practised,  which  proves  the  uncertainty  of  this 
procedure. 

After  that  time  I  have,  day  after  day,  found,  without 
reckoning  the  cases,  that  certainly  about  the  same  number 
of  such  unhappy  women  have  come  to  me  with  their  com- 
plaints, which  makes  about  17,000  in  ten  years  !  Very 
few  could,  of  course,  be  helped,  but  I  am  sure  that  many 
tried  to  help  themselves,  or  got  assistance  from  other 
women,  by  provoking  abortion. 

It  is  quite  certain  that  deliberate  abortion  is  now  very 
common  in  Sweden,  and  also  in  Germany,  where  the  same 
;'  preventive  law  "  has  hitherto  existed.  In  the  United 
States  of  America,  as  is  well  known,  deliberate  abortion  is 
practised  in  an  enormous  proportion,  and  the  reason  is, 
above  all,  that  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  preventives  are 
forbidden,  as  well  as  discussion  about  them  through 
writing  and  speech — forbidden,  as  an  American  physician 
writes,  through  bigotry,  false  modesty  and  puritanism. 

Few  suspect  how  necessary  it  is  to  instruct  the  public 
in  this  respect.  Many  persons  are  quite  inexperienced 
and  do  not  know  the  way  to  prevent  pregnancy.  But 
others  who  have  reached  the  age  of  thirty  or  forty  and 
have  many  children,  and,  consequently  live  in  poverty, 
are  so  ignorant,  so  stupid,  so  indifferent,  so  conscientious- 
less,  that  they  neglect  the  means  of  preventing  fresh 
pregnancies,  and  this  although  they  live  in  large  towns 
where  they  can  easily  procure  such  means.  It  is  a  most 
dreadful  thing  to  witness — as  I  have  now  done  for  many 
years — such  a  pitiable  indifference  among  the  great  mass  of 
the  population,  the  result  of  which  is  the  bringing  into  the 
world  of  numberless  weak,  unwanted  children,  who  merely 
increase  poverty  and  want. 

This  indifference  and  this  ignorance  in  respect  of  the 
prevention  of  conception  in  cases  where  pregnancy  is 
undesirable  show  the  necessity  of  providing  a  legal  remedy 
for  this  state  of  things.     The  so-called  "preventive  law" 

B.C.  R 


242  FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

which  forbade  public  instruction,  by  word  of  mouth  or  by 
books,  in  the  employment  of  preventive  means,  must  be 
repealed  as  soon  as  possible  as  being  absolutely  harmful. 
But  this  is  not  enough.  A  law  should  be  passed  imposing 
on  all  doctors  holding  positions  as  official  medical  men 
the  duty  of  instructing  the  unenlightened  population  in 
regard  to  preventive  measures. 

The  authorities  of  every  country  should  take  steps  to 
establish  institutions  and  Birth  Control  clinics  for  instructing 
the  public  in  the  humanitarian  creation  of  offspring  and 
for  the  distribution  of  reliable  preventive  means,  the 
manufacture  of  which  should  be  under  State  supervision. 
As  things  are  now  a  number  of  altogether  useless  so-called 
"  preventive  articles "  are  sold  in  certain  shops  for 
"  hygienic  articles,"  which  frequently  lead  to  disastrous 
results. 

No  great  clearsightedness  is  necessary  to  perceive  that 
the  great  masses  of  ignorant,  thoughtless,  stupid  and 
vicious  people,  the  offspring  of  poor  homes  with  many 
children — poor,  as  a  rule,  because  the  children  are  so 
many — who  live  among  us,  are  as  injurious  to  the  com- 
munity in  general  as  they  are  harmful  to  themselves. 
They  should  never  have  made  their  appearance  in  the 
world,  and  this  could  have  been  avoided  had  society  taken 
the  trouble  to  instruct  parents  as  to  the  employment  of 
preventive  means  in  their  wedded  life. 

The  situation  for  innumerable  men  and  women  is  more 
difficult  and  dangerous  than  it  needs  to  be  through  the 
ignorance  and  prejudice  which  exists  concerning  the  most 
elementary  essentials.  It  is,  therefore,  highly  necessary 
that  the  neo-Malthusians  spread  knowledge  of  the  law  of 
population  and  matrimonial  questions  by  writings,  meet- 
ings and  organisation  of  Birth  Control  clinics,  etc.  We 
must  do  our  best  to  foster  an  enlightened  public  opinion 
in  order  to  have  all  preventive  laws  abolished  by  the 
Parliaments,  so  that  there  will  be  no  more  obstacles  in 
the  way  of  the  dissemination  of  practical  information 
concerning  Birth  Control  by  contraceptive  measures. 


MEDICAL  243 

BIRTH  CONTROL  AND  MEDICAL  PRACTICE. 
By  Dr.  Hermann  Rohleder  (of  Leipzig). 

(The  following  is,  it  is  thought,  a  fair  summary  of 
Dr.  Rohleder's  valuable  address,  made  by  the  Honorary 
Medical  Secretary  to  the  Conference.) 

Birth  Control  is  a  branch  of  hygiene,  and  hygiene  is  a 
branch  of  medicine  ;  therefore  doctors  should  be  the 
leading  authorities  on  Birth  Control.  For  us,  as  doctors, 
it  has  two  aspects — (I.)  the  hygienic -therapeutic,  (II.)  the 
hygienic-prophylactic.  I  can  only  deal  with  these  briefly 
here,  but  I  have  dealt  at  length  with  them  in  my  books. 

I. — Birth  Control  in  its  Hygienic-therapeutic 
Applications. 

(1)  It  is  generally  recognised  that  women  with  heart 
disease  are  seriously  endangered  by  pregnancy  ;  they  may 
suffer  serious  aggravation  of  the  malady  thereby,  and  may 
even  die.  Nearly  all  text-books  on  obstetrics  emphasise 
this,  and  there  are  many  references  in  medical  works. 
In  some  bad  cases  artificial  miscarriage  has  to  be  resorted 
to,  and  the  majority  of  doctors  approve.  Surely,  from  a 
humanitarian  point  of  view,  prevention  of  conception  is 
more  justifiable  than  abortion. 

(2)  That  serious  disease  of  the  lungs,  especially  advanced 
tuberculosis,  demands  that  doctors  should  recommend 
Birth  Control  is,  in  my  opinion,  obvious.  It  is  still  a 
much  discussed  question  whether  or  not  tuberculous 
girls  should  become  pregnant.  When  Kirchner  declared 
that  marriage  of  consumptives  should  certainly  be  for- 
bidden, he  was  speaking  praiseworthily  from  his  hygienic 
standpoint.  But  his  recommendation  is  quite  imprac- 
ticable. In  view  of  the  great  prevalence  of  tuberculosis, 
Birth  Control  is  the  only  way  out  of  the  difficulty.  Birth 
Control  is  more  important  here  than  in  all  the  other 
diseases  put  together.  Consumption  is  not  an  indication 
for  Birth  Control — it  is  the  indication  for  it.  To  allow 
consumptive  women  to  waste  away  through  pregnancy  is 
inhuman  and  utterly  unworthy  of  the  medical  profession. 
The  recommendation  by  doctors  of  sexual  abstinence 
to  married  couples  is  unpardonable,  for  they  must  know 
that  it  will  not  be  kept  up  long  by  any  married  couple. 

R   2 


244    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

Happily  our  ideas  are  rapidly  gaming  ground.  Kaminer 
in  "  Disease  and  Marriage  "  says  :  "  We  must  regard  it 
as  one  of  the  principal  duties  of  the  physician  to  prevent 
conception  in  tuberculous  women,  with  all  the  preventive 
means  available  to  science." 

(3)  Diabetes  mellitus  in  its  more  severe  forms  is  also 
an  indication  for  Birth  Control,  for  pregnancy  has  always 
a  most  unfavourable  influence  in  those  forms  of  the  disease 
in  which  the  sugar  excretion  reaches  a  high  percentage. 
If  a  married  woman  is  found  to  be  diabetic,  even  slightly 
so,  the  doctor  ought  to  inform  her  of  the  danger  of  a 
pregnancy  making  her  mild  case  a  serious  one.  Diabetic 
girls  may  marry,  but  they  should  have  no  children. 

(4)  A  high  degree  of  contracted  pelvis  is  an  indication 
for  Birth  Control,  unless  the  woman  is  willing  to  have  a 
caesarian  section.  But  in  no  case  ought  one  to  go  so  far 
as  to  allow,  as  has  been  done,  a  woman  to  undergo 
csesarian  section  repeatedly  until  she  collapsed  at  the 
sixth  time.  On  this  case,  my  deceased  colleague  and 
friend,  Dr.  Mensinga,  of  Flensburg  (Germany),  the 
inventor  of  the  "  Dutch  "  pessary,  remarked  :  "  Has  the 
doctor  realised  at  all  the  helplessness  and  hopelessness  of 
such  an  existence  ?  Is  it  creditable  to  him,  this  wanton 
torture  to  the  bitter  end  ?  " 

(5)  Chronic  kidney  disease  in  women  makes  Birth 
Control  advice  a  medical  duty  on  much  the  same  grounds 
as  for  heart  disease. 

(6)  Venereal  disease,  and  especially  syphilis,  makes 
the  use  of  the  condom  obligatory,  in  order  to  prevent 
infection  of  others,  and  in  order  to  prevent  the  infected 
person  going  from  bad  to  worse,  as  most  frequently 
happens  with  advice  of  sexual  abstinence.  Sexual 
abstinence  is  here  the  best  thing,  but  the  disease  may  not 
be  quickly  cured. 

II. — Birth  Control  in  its  Hygienic- 
prophylactic  Aspects. 

(1)  Birth  Control  has  to  be  considered  in  the  case  of 
serious  infections,  such  as  tuberculous  and  syphilis.  The 
decided  inheritability  of  the  tendency  to  tuberculosis  and 
the  gravity  of  such  inheritance  are  well  known.  If  all 
doctors  were  to  advocate  Birth  Control  to  consumptives, 
a  great  part  of  this  social  problem  would  be  solved. 


MEDICAL  245 

(2)  Certain  constitutional  diseases  call  for  Birth  Control 
on  prophylactic  grounds.  Diabetes  is  one.  As  Senator 
says  :  "  The  progeny  is  endangered  in  a  double  manner 
by  diabetes  mellitus,  because  children  of  diabetic  mothers 
are  born  in  a  weakly  condition  and  because  of  the  here- 
ditary nature  of  the  disease  which  is  estimated  at  20  per 
cent."  Haemophilia  is  another  constitutional  disease 
which  has  a  strong  inheritability,  and  Ripke  rightly  says  : 
"  Bleeders  ought  not  to  reproduce." 

(3)  That  serious  nervous  diseases,  epilepsy,  hysteria 
and  mental  diseases  should  not  be  further  handed  on  is 
admitted  by  all  doctors,  and  therefore  call  for  the  con- 
sideration of  Birth  Control.  Indeed,  many  doctors  have 
written  in  favour  of  sterilisation  in  these  cases. 

(4)  Chronic  alcoholism  and  morphinism  affect  the  off- 
spring most  seriously.  The  curse  of  dipsomania  is  not 
sufficiently  realised  by  us.  At  least  20  per  cent,  of  all 
feeble-minded  children  are  the  offspring  of  drunkards. 

(5)  Pauperism  is  another  affliction  which  calls  most 
insistently  for  the  question  of  Birth  Control.  Every 
pauper  and  every  one  who  is  unable  to  nourish  his  already 
existing  family  has  certainly  no  justification  to  bring  still 
more  children  into  the  world.  The  pauper  should  lose  the 
right  to  reproduction.  Through  its  doctors  the  State 
must  see  to  the  reduction  of  pauperism  ;  the  State,  for 
its  self-preservation,  must  see  to  it  that  social  poverty  be 
not  increased  by  these  people. 


BIRTH    CONTROL    FROM   THE    POINT    OF 
VIEW  OF  A  WOMAN  GYNECOLOGIST. 

By  Frances  Mabel  Huxley,  M.D. 

I  wish  to  bring  before  you  a  few  points  in  favour  of 
Birth  Control,  as  one  who  has  been  influenced  to  accept 
its  desirability,  solely  owing  to  facts  and  conditions 
which  have  come  before  me  in  the  course  of  my  work. 

As  a  result,  I  feel  that  it  is  the  right  of  every  married 
couple  to  know,  if  they  wish  to  know,  how  best  to  regulate 
their  family.  It  is  they  who  are  responsible  for  the  well- 
being  of  their  children,  and  it  is  they  alone  who  can  judge 
their  sexual  needs. 

And,  anyway,  whatever  view  one  may  take  as  to  the 
desirability  of  Birth  Control,  it  is  well  to  realise  that  we 


246    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

are  no  longer  faced  with  the  question,  "  Shall  we  allow 
Birth  Control  or  not  ?  "  for  it  is  here  with  us  now.  It  has 
come  and  will  extend.  We  can  close  our  eyes  to  its 
presence,  or  help  it  along  more  rational  lines,  but  we 
cannot  stop  it. 

And  here  I  may  also  say  that  it  is  my  experience  in 
every  class  of  society  that  married  women — and  their 
husbands — eagerly  want,  not  a  child,  but  children  ;  the 
exceptions  are  comparatively  very  few.  Birth  Control 
will  not  alter  this. 

Among  the  well-to-do  Birth  Control  is,  from  the  medical 
point  of  view,  least  required,  but  it  is  always  desirable  to 
space  the  members  of  a  family,  so  that  the  mother  may 
have  full  time  to  recover,  and  maintain  for  a  time,  her 
normal  health  before  conceiving  again.  This  means,  in 
practice,  an  interval  of  about  two  years  between  confine- 
ments. A  woman  has  the  right  to  expect  to  be  as  well 
after  the  birth  of  her  family  as  before  it.  A  child  has  the 
right  to  be  welcome.  And,  in  practice,  one  finds  that  such 
patients  are  usually  very  anxious  for  a  first  baby,  and,  as 
soon  as  it  has  arrived  and  they  are  convalescent,  they  want 
to  know  how  not  to  have  another — for  a  time. 

Among  the  less  well-to-do,  regulation  of  the  family  is 
very  important.  It  is  needed  for  those  whose  marriage 
may  be  delayed  for  years,  if  marriage  involves  a  family  too. 
And  here  the  possibility  of  marriage  is  surely  an  aid  to 
morality  !  It  is  sometimes  stated  that  the  use  of  contra- 
ceptives in  early  married  life  prevents  conception  later. 
This  can  only  be,  I  think,  where  strong  preparations  are 
used  by  the  wife  with  corresponding  injury  to  the  tissues. 

Birth  Control  is  needed  also  for  those  who  go  abroad  to 
unfavourable  climates  where  medical  aid  is  difficult  of 
access.  One  often  sees  the  health  of  such  women  ruined 
by  a  first  unfortunate  confinement,  whereas  if  they  could 
have  waited  for  a  favourable  opportunity,  even  for  the 
first  child  only,  their  whole  life  might  have  been  different. 
But,  as  I  have  said,  Birth  Control  is  already  practised, 
and  it  is  among  the  better  educated  that  it  is  practised, 
even  if  the  methods  used  are  often  undesirable  and 
uncertain. 

When  we  come  to  the  lower  classes,  however,  methods 
of  Birth  Control  are  not  generally  known.  And  what  do 
we  get  here  ?  a  woman  of  thirty-six,  looking  forty-six, 
who  has  had  twelve  confinements  and  three  miscarriages, 


MEDICAL  247 

seven  children  now  living.  She  has  at  her  disposal  two  or 
three  rooms.  She  has  never  time  to  recover  from  one 
confinement  before  the  next  is  upon  her.  She  tries  to 
shield  herself  from  conception  by  nursing  one  child  long 
after  it  should  be  weaned  to  the  detriment  of  herself  and 
the  child,  and  often  without  avail. 

Such  conditions  speak  for  themselves  ! 

Into  the  detail  of  the  methods  of  Birth  Control  I  do 
not  now  propose  to  enter. 

In  the  first  place  comes  continence,  and  I  would  lay 
stress  on  this.  But  temperament  and  sexual  excitability 
vary  so  enormously  in  the  individual  that  we  cannot  lay 
down  one  rule  for  all.  And  it  is  more  unnatural  for  a 
husband  and  wife  to  live  apart  indefinitely  than  to  use 
contraceptive  measures.  To  be  ideal  the  method  used 
should  be  aesthetic,  safe,  harmless  and — inexpensive. 
Coitus  interruptus  is  recognised  on  all  hands  as  undesirable. 
On  the  part  of  a  husband,  by  the  use  of  the  condom  or 
sheath,  with  attention  to  certain  details,  security  can  be 
attained.  Their  expense  is  a  contra-indication  in  the  case 
of  the  poor,  and  through  all  grades  of  society  one  finds  a 
great  distaste  for  their  use.  On  the  part  of  a  wife,  pre- 
paration in  advance  is  possible,  so  that  spontaneity  need 
not  be  interfered  with,  but  security  is  by  no  means  easy 
of  attainment.  Yet  it  is  most  important,  especially 
among  the  poorer  classes,  that  precautions  should  be 
taken  by  the  wife  on  the  ground  of  expense,  and  also 
because  it  is  she  who,  with  all  the  weight  of  her  house- 
hold duties  upon  her,  suffers  in  health  from  too  frequent 
confinements  and  miscarriages.  Good  and  comparatively 
safe  methods  we  have,  but  it  is  along  this  line  that  further 
scientific  investigation  is  required. 


SOME  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CAUSES  OF  NERVOUS 
DISORDER  ASSOCIATED  WITH  THE  USE  OF 
CONTRACEPTIVE  METHODS  AND  SUGGES- 
TIONS FOR  TREATMENT. 

By  D.  N.  Haedcastle,  M.R.C.S.,  L.R.C.P. 

Suggestions. — I  need  hardly  go  into  the  power  of 
suggestion.  M.  Coue  has  demonstrated  that,  but  I  must 
mention  it  in  passing. 


248    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

In  advising  contraceptive  methods  it  is  as  well  to 
inquire  if  the  patient  has  ever  had  any  previous  experience, 
either  herself  or  her  friends  and  relatives  ;  if  so,  with  what 
results  ?  If  unsuccessful  in  any  way,  the  doctor  will  have 
difficulty  by  sheer  contra-suggestion  in  making  his  method 
a  success. 

The  previous  failure,  or  rumour  of  failure  should  be 
thoroughly  gone  into,  and  a  satisfactory  explanation 
given,  reasons  of  failure,  etc.,  being  pointed  out,  and  the 
advantages  of  the  method  being  prescribed  extolled. 

The  more  influential  evidence  that  can  be  brought  to 
bear  the  greater  the  success  of  suggestion  and,  conse- 
quently, the  less  fear  of  "  suggestion  neurosis." 

Conflict. — Here  we  must  mention  two  distinct  forms. 
One  I  may  call  conscious  and  the  other  unconscious. 

The  first  we  can  deal  with  in  a  very  few  words,  as  the 
factors  at  work  are  conscious,  or  if  they  have  been  repressed 
can  very  easily  be  brought  to  consciousness  again. 

Conflicting  thoughts,  such  as  moral  aspect  of  the 
situation,  the  efficacy  of  the  apparatus,  the  desire  for 
children  versus  financial  situation,  etc. 

Here  the  repressed  factor  should  be  brought  to  light 
and  the  whole  situation  fully  reviewed.  This  can  usually 
be  done  in  two  or  three  really  confidential  talks  with  the 
patient ;  no  special  knowledge  of  psychology  being 
necessary. 

Unconscious. — Unconscious  Conflict. — Here  we  are 
dealing  with  a  more  difficult  matter,  one  involving  some 
knowledge  of  the  unconscious  and  conscious  minds,  and 
the  importance  of  instincts. 

The  unconscious  may  be  looked  upon  as  a  storehouse  for 
memories  and  ideas,  which  are  constantly  flowing  in  and 
out  vid  the  conscious  mind.  It  has  two  divisions,  one 
where  the  ideas  and  memories  may  be  returned  unchanged, 
and  the  other  usually  containing  infantile  ideas  and 
memories  which  are  opposed  to  all  moral  and  ethical 
standards  of  the  individual,  and  are  therefore  repressed, 
but  they  may  gain  expression  in  the  conscious  by  symbo- 
lisation  or  other  roundabout  method. 

The  incidence  of  the  neuroses  depends  largely  on  the 
extent  of  these  ideas  and  memories,  and  the  incomplete 
success  of  the  repressing  factor. 

The  conscious  mind  in  its  relation  to  the  unconscious 
may  be  likened  somewhat  to  the  janitor,  or  keeper,  of  the 


MEDICAL  249 

storehouse,  under  appropriate  conditions  certain  ideas  or 
memories  are  linked  up,  and  thus  trains  of  thought  are 
allowed  to  become  conscious. 

Affective  states  or  emotions  seem  to  be  able  to  pass 
into  conscious  quite  readily,  while  the  unconscious  ideas 
associated  with  it  are  repressed,  and  thus  we  get  a  condi- 
tion at  times  of  a  free  emotion,  which  may  be  readily  fixed 
on  some  conscious  object  which,  in  some  way  simulates 
the  unconscious  object  which  really  aroused  the  affective 
state. 

Instincts. — Without  the  instincts  we  should  be  devoid, 
to  a  very  large  extent,  of  all  mental  and  physical  activity. 

I  cannot  improve  on  McDougal's  definition :  "  An 
instinct  is  an  inherited  or  innate  psycho-physical  disposi- 
tion, which  determines  its  possessor  to  perceive  and  pay 
attention  to  objects  of  a  certain  class,  to  experience  an 
emotional  excitement  of  a  particular  quality  upon  per- 
ceiving such  an  object,  and  to  act  in  regard  to  it  in  a 
particular  manner,  or  at  least,  to  experience  an  impulse 
to  such  action." 

I  will  attempt  to  translate  this  in  terms  of  the  conscious 
and  the  unconscious. 

The  conscious  and  unconscious  perception  of  an  object 
vid  the  unconscious  produces  a  conscious  emotion,  which 
results  in  a  conscious  and  unconscious  desire  for  action. 

Now,  I  want  to  bring  to  your  notice  what  I  call  "  race 
preservation  instinct."  You  will  not  find  it  in  any  book 
on  psychology,  but  you  will  find  self-preservation  and 
sexual  instinct.  These,  I  contend,  are  fundamentally  the 
same,  but  must  be  looked  upon  as  bivalent ;  some  condi- 
tions bring  into  play  the  self-preservation  aspect,  others 
the  reproductive  or  sexual  aspect.  But  then  affective 
nature  is  the  same,  as  we  shall  shortly  see,  and,  as  far  as 
I  can  gather,  the  endocrine  reactions  are  closely  allied 
(excluding,  of  course,  those  associated  with  the  reproduc- 
tive organs.     I  shall  again  refer  to  this). 

I  will  now  give  you  an  example  of  the  self-preservation 
aspect  of  "  race  preservation  instinct  "  and  attempt  an 
explanation  of  it,  and  show  its  parallel  to  the  reproductive 
or  sexual  aspect  of  "  race  preservation  instinct." 

A  man  sees  an  overwhelming  enemy  approaching  and 
has  a  desire  to  run  away. 

Let  us  see  what  is  happening  in  the  conscious  and 
unconscious  minds  here. 


250    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

Conscious       \Tt         ,.        t  , 
Unconscious  [Perception  of  danger, 

Conscious. — Affective  tone — fear — desire  to  run 
away.  (Terror  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  present 
as  he  can  escape.) 

Unconscious. — Preparation  or  mobilisation  of  phy- 
sical forces — flight. 

(Cannon  has  shown  that  under  these  circumstances  the 
sympathetic  nervous  system  is  stimulated,  which  causes 
an  excess  of  adrenaline  to  be  poured  out  into  the  blood 
stream  ;  increased  blood  pressure,  increased  activity  of 
the  heart,  etc.,  and  a  corresponding  depression  of  the 
digestive  processes  ;  closure  of  the  pylorus,  etc.,  the  whole 
function  being  to  place  in  the  systemic  circulation  the 
maximum  amount  of  blood.) 

Action  for  change  of  environment  (flight) — safety 
of  individual : 

Conscious. — Release  of  tension  and  physical  expen- 
diture of  energy.     Desire  satisfied. 

Unconscious.  —  Desire  satisfied.  Body  resumes 
normal  functions. 

If  he  does  nothing  terror  supervenes.  Attached  to 
object. 

Now  suppose  he,  instead  of  fleeing  (changing  his  environ- 
ment), expends  his  energy  thus  liberated  in  some  purpose- 
less manner. 

Conscious. — Release  of  tension.  Physical  expendi- 
ture of  energy.     Desire  incompletely  satisfied. 

Unconscious. — Desire  incompletely  satisfied.  Fear. 
Body  continues  in  same  condition,  i.e., 
sympathetic  stimulation. 

Result :  Rapid  preparation  for  action  again  and 
affective  tone  of  fear.     Attached  to  object. 

Let  us  now  compare  the  reproductive  or  sexual  aspect. 

Under  certain  conditions  (with  which  we  will  deal  later) 
the  sexual  aspect  is  stimulated,  the  complement  (partner) 
being  willing  (likewise  under  stimulation)  ;  the  factors 
necessary  for  the  working  of  the  instinct  are  now  complete. 
There  is  no  true  conscious  cognative  aspect. 

Conscious. — (Perception  of  partner  ?)  (under  stimu- 
lation too.) 


MEDICAL  251 

Unconscious. — Danger  to  race  (see  Law  of  Fertility, 
later). 

Conscious. — Affective  tone — lust  (McDougal). 

Unconscious.  —  Preparation  or  mobilisation  of 
physical  forces  (endocrine  activity  in  a  condition 
of  sympathetic  stimulation,  as  before,  together 
with  that  of  the  organs  of  reproduction). 
Tumescence. 

Action. — For  change  of  environment,  i.e.,  ensuring 
next  generation.     Safety  of  race. 

Conscious. — Relief  of  tension.  Physical  expenditure 
of  energy.     Desire  satisfied. 

Unconscious. — Desire  satisfied.  Body  resumes  nor- 
mal functions. 

Again,  if  nothing  happens,  repressed  sexual  desire, 
advent  of  fear.  Noiv  unattached,  as  the  cognative  aspect 
is  unconscious. 

Again,  suppose  he,  instead  of  changing  his  environment, 
expends  the  energy  thus  liberated  in  some  purposeless 
manner  (contraceptive  methods).  (It  must  here  be  taken 
for  granted  that  the  use  of  contraceptives  is  known  to  the 
individuals  ;  if  known  consciously,  it  will  likewise  be 
known  unconsciously.) 

Conscious. — Relief  of  tension.  Physical  expenditure 
of  energy.    Desire  incompletely  satisfied. 

Unconscious. — Preparation  of  body  for  further 
action.  (Detumescence  result  of  relief  of  tension 
only.) 

Conflict  :  Conscious  or  physical  aspect  temporarily 
satisfied,  unconscious  not  satisfied. 

Result  :  Preparation  for  action  again  and  affective 
tone  of  fear  (unattached)  (apparent  at  first  as  apprehen- 
siveness). 

This  will  in  a  short  time  lead  to  further  pseudo- 
gratification,  and  thus  causing  undue  loss  of  vital  energy 
and  leading,  via  the  anxiety  states,  to  true  neurasthenia. 

The  only  difference  being  that  in  the  former  the  danger 
is  to  the  individual  and  is  conscious,  and  in  the  latter  the 
danger  is  to  the  race  and  unconscious  ;  a  corresponding 
effort  is  made  in  each  case  to  combat  it. 

Jung  has  remarked  that  criminals  about  to  be  executed 


252     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

have  seminal  emissions,  and  it  has  also  been  noted  that 
men  on  their  death-beds  have  desire  for  intercourse. 

Was  this  in  any  way  related  to  the  tremendous  increase 
of  venereal  disease  during  the  War  ? 

If  we  continue  the  simile,  we  can  now  understand  that 
mysterious  dictum  of  the  psycho-analysts  that  repressed 
sexual  desire  changes  to  its  opposite,  i.e.,  fear. 

In  our  former  example  bf  the  self-preservation  aspect 
terror  did  not  obtrude  itself  in  the  field  of  consciousness 
as  long  as  action  for  change  of  environment  is  in  progress. 

Treatment. — There  is  a  line  of  treatment  that  can  be 
adopted  here  other  than  psychological.  Dr.  Stoddart 
has  demonstrated  that  the  administration  of  prostatic 
and  orchitic  extract  ameliorated  the  conditions.  This 
is  probably  due  to  the  neutralising  of  one  group  of  endo- 
crine activity  by  another  and  bringing  about  a  temporary 
physical  stability. 

I  trust  I  have  made  my  point  clear,  i.e.,  that,  to  obtain 
satisfactory  control  of  an  instinct,  we  must  understand 
the  cognative  aspect,  or  the  conditions  which  bring  about 
stimulation  of  the  instinct,  rather  than  the  conative  aspect, 
or  the  line  of  action  which  the  instinct  indicates  when  once 
stimulated. 

(It  is  easier  to  stop  a  machine  gun  firing  by  pulling 
a  lever,  i.e.,  understanding  the  mechanism,  than  by  putting 
something  in  front  of  the  muzzle.) 

This  now  leads  us  directly  on  to  our  next  problem, 
finding  the  law  of  fertility.  If  we  undertake  Birth  Control 
we  must  be  able  to  help  the  sterile  woman  as  much  as  the 
over-prolific. 

Doubleday,  in  1837,  enunciated  :  "  A  corresponding 
effort  is  invariably  made  by  Nature  for  its  preservation 
and  continuance  by  an  increase  in  fertility,  and  that  this 
especially  takes  place  when  such  danger  arises  from 
diminution  of  proper  nourishment  or  food,  so  that  conse- 
quently the  state  of  depletion,  or  deplethoric  state,  is 
favourable  to  fertility  and  that,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
plethoric  state,  or  state  of  repletion,  is  unfavourable  to 
fertility  in  the  ratio  of  the  intensity  of  each  state." 

A  little  reflection  will  show  that  this  is  true  but  does 
not  contain  the  whole  truth. 

Spencer  enunciated  :  "  The  degree  of  fertility  varies 
inversely  with  the  cost  of  individuation." 

If  we  compound  these  two  and  add  a  rider,  I  think  we 


MEDICAL  253 

shall  have  a  good  working  proposition  :  "  All  organisms 
multiply  in  the  presence  of  an  excess  of  food  or  when  in 
danger  of  extinction,  providing  always  that  they  have 
sufficient  vital  energy  to  efficiently  complete  this  function." 

Before  attempting  the  application  of  this  law  to  bio- 
logical conditions  it  is  interesting  to  note  the  vital  energy 
required  in  the  case  of  the  male  is  much  less  than  that 
in  the  female  to  efficiently  complete  this  function,  so  it  is 
obvious  that  the  occasion  or  call  for  sexual  intercourse 
should  come  from  her  and  not  the  male. 

Animals,  especially  in  their  wild  state,  show  this  clearly 
to  be  the  case. 

The  general  principle  is  well  worked  out  by  statistics, 
which  show  that  there  is  a  definite  relation  between  the 
birth  and  death  rates  of  any  country. 

The  unicellular  organisms  conform  to  the  principle 
asexual  multiplication  in  favourable  circumstances  and 
conjugation  under  adverse. 

The  vegetable  kingdom  gives  us  many  examples.  The 
more  blooms  one  plucks  from  the  sweet  pea  the  more  the 
plant  flowers. 

Darwin  noted  many  plants  preserved  in  perfect  condi- 
tion in  hot  houses  rarely  produced  seed  ;  wild  plants 
under  cultivation  became  sterile.  Also,  to  make  European 
vegetables  in  the  favourable  climate  of  India  seed,  it  is 
necessary  to  artificially  check  their  growth. 

On  the  other  hand,  our  sterile  wild  plant  under  cultiva- 
tion when  it  has  become  adapted  to  its  environment  will 
again  seed,  but  in  much  less  quantity  than  before,  and 
now  its  seeds  depend  on  the  quality  of  the  ground  (corn, 
for  example). 

The  animal  kingdom  presents  several  problems,  but  it 
works  on  the  whole. 

Rabbits  have  overrun  Australia — favourable  conditions. 

Animals  mate  in  the  spring  when  there  is  a  shortage  of 
food.  (Westermark's  "  History  of  Human  Marriage  ' 
explains  this,  that  the  mating  season  is  fixed  so  that  the 
offspring  may  be  born  at  the  most  favourable  season  of 
the  year.  This  is  still  a  question  needing  considerable 
research.) 

Darwin  and  Spencer  noted  that  pigs  and  cows  were 
more  fertile  when  not  in  the  best  condition. 

Let  me  try  and  explain  the  apparent  discrepancy  of  the 
law  when  applied  to  the  human  race  and  domestic  animals. 


254    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

Animals  in  their  natural  state,  once  they  have  reached 
maturity  keep  an  almost  constant  weight,  the  hibernators 
excluded. 

William  Aird  carried  out  numerous  experiments  on 
food  values  and  types  of  food,  natural  to  various  species, 
and  found  there  was  a  selective  mechanism  in  the  ali- 
mentary canal  that  accounted  for  this  phenomenon. 

He  demonstrated  that  when  an  excess  of  natural  food 
was  taken  it  was  passed  out  unchanged,  only  that  quantity 
required  by  the  organism  being  absorbed  ;  likewise  he 
showed  that  foods  not  natural  to  the  species  on  being 
liquefied  by  digestion  were  absorbed,  and  then  acted  as 
stimulants,  a  corresponding  effort  being  made  by  the  body 
to  eliminate  them. 

The  Classics  give  us  an  excellent  example  of  the  effect 
of  unnatural  food  acting  as  a  stimulant.  Diomedes,  King 
of  Thrace,  fed  his  mares  with  the  flesh  of  miserable 
strangers,  cut  in  pieces  for  the  purpose,  which  made  them 
so  fierce  and  unmanageable  that  they  were  obliged  to  be 
kept  in  stalls  of  brass  and  tied  up  with  iron  chains. 

There  are  many  other  examples  of  unnatural  feeding  of 
animals  to  produce  states  of  stimulation,  e.g.,  the  domestic 
hen  laying  nearly  an  egg  a  day  during  the  laying  season. 

Now  let  us  review  the  human  race  with  these  factors  in 
mind.  We  need  only  touch  on  those  questions  now  under 
discussion. 

Why  should  the  average  woman  menstruate  monthly 
when  the  periodicity  of  animals  tends  to  correspond  with 
their  gestation  period  ? 

Again,  the  frequency  and  method  of  sexual  intercourse 
is  out  of  all  proportion  when  compared  with  that  of 
animals  in  their  natural  state. 

I  venture  to  suggest  that  a  solution  will  be  found  when 
we  can  revert  to  natural  foods  which  have  not  lost  their 
vitamines  ;  this  in  its  natural  course  producing  a  desire 
for  simpler  living. 

May  I  again  repeat,  before  we  can  advance  along  the 
lines  of  Birth  Control  we  must  work  out  the  Law  of 
Fertility,  and  I  trust  I  may  have  here  given  a  few  sugges- 
tions for  your  further  consideration  and  research. 


MEDICAL  255 

THE  FERTILITY  QUESTION. 
By  C.  E.  Pell. 

I  am  somewhat  at  a  disadvantage  in  that  I  came  here 
in  the  expectation  of  having  to  defend  my  views  rather 
than  expound  them,  but  I  will  give  you  as  good  an  idea  of 
them  as  I  can  under  the  circumstances.  I  am  an  advocate 
of  Birth  Control  with  the  emphasis  upon  the  word  "  con- 
trol." I  hold  that  at  present  we  are  not  controlling,  but 
failing  to  control,  the  birth  rate,  and  that  unless  we  obtain 
a  real  measure  of  control  we  shall  ultimately  witness  the 
decline  and  fall  of  our  present  civilisation.  My  view  is 
that  a  merely  falling  birth  rate  is  not  a  controlled  birth 
rate,  and  that  the  present  decline  is  due,  not  to  the  use  of 
contraceptives,  but  to  a  natural  law  which,  as  I  have 
shown  in  my  book,  "  The  Law  of  Births  and  Deaths,"  can 
be  traced  in  its  action  throughout  the  animal  and  vegetable 
kingdoms,  and  even  among  unicellular  organisms.  All 
this  can  be  proved  by  an  overwhelming  array  of  facts. 

Mere  opinions  do  not  constitute  evidence.  The  only 
evidence  of  any  real  value  is  that  which  is  based  upon 
facts.  A  witness  in  a  court  of  law  is  told  that  he  is  there 
to  give  evidence  as  to  facts,  not  to  express  opinions.  Now, 
all  the  real  evidence  contained  in  the  report  of  the  National 
Birth  Rate  Commission — all  the  substantial  facts,  that  is — 
told  with  decisive  force  in  favour  of  the  view  that  the 
decline  in  the  birth  rate  is  the  result  of  natural  causes. 
Not  a  single  material  fact  was  quoted  in  support  of  the 
opposite  view,  yet  the  Commission  proceeded  to  ignore  its 
own  evidence,  and  it  based  its  report  upon  mere  opinions — 
the  opinions  of  so-called  "  authorities  "  who  offered  no 
proof  in  support  of  their  views,  and  who  were  obviously 
repeating  each  other. 

The  evidence  in  support  of  the  view  that  the  decline  of 
the  birth  rate  is  due  to  causes  beyond  the  control  of 
married  couples,  is  overwhelming  and  decisive.  For 
instance,  the  Commission  reported  the  results  of  three 
distinct  inquiries  carried  out  by  three  different  parties, 
and,  taken  together,  covering  a  very  considerable  body  of 
people.  The  result  of  all  three  inquiries  showed  that 
those  people  who  took  no  contraceptive  measures  had 
families  no  larger  than  those  who  were  using  contraceptives  ; 
while  no  more  than  a  third  were  taking  any  really  effective 


256    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

contraceptive  measures  at  all.  The  inference  to  be  drawn 
from  these  facts  is  obvious  and  irrefutable,  and  no  attempt 
has  yet  been  made  to  meet  them. 

A  few  years  ago  a  leading  Paris  journal  published  a  list 
of  the  leading  families  in  Paris,  the  heads  of  which  had 
distinguished  themselves  by  their  advocacy  of  a  higher 
birth  rate.  Of  445  marriages,  no  less  than  176,  or  well 
over  one-third,  were  absolutely  childless,  while  the  average 
number  of  children  per  family  worked  out  at  one  and  a 
third.  Another  case  was  that  of  twenty-five  of  the 
leading  men  in  France  who  constituted  themselves  as  a 
committee  for  the  express  purpose  of  agitating  for  larger 
families.  These  twenty -five  distinguished  men  had  nine- 
teen children  between  them.  The  facts  I  mention  are 
given  in  Dr.  Drysdale's  book :  "  The  Small  Family 
System."  It  is  monstrous  to  assume,  without  a  scrap  of 
evidence  in  support,  that  the  ablest  and  most  far-sighted 
people  in  France  are  mostly  deliberate  hypocrites.  Deli- 
berate hypocrisy  is  very  rare,  and  why  should  we  assume, 
without  reason,  that  they  were  not  only  hypocrites  of  the 
most  barefaced  type,  but  that  they  wantonly  mounted 
public  platforms  to  denounce  what  they  were  secretly 
practising  and  practically  invited  other  people  to  expose 
them  ? 

All  the  leading  countries  of  Europe  and  America  show 
exactly  the  same  phenomena.  You  will  find  in  the 
United  States  among  the  millionaires,  among  the  ablest 
people,  and  among  the  very  oldest  and  best  families,  that 
from  one-quarter  to  one-third  are  absolutely  childless  ; 
and  the  same  is  true  of  the  British  peerage.  Are  we  really 
justified  in  assuming  that  anything  up  to  one-third  of  the 
ablest  and  best  elements  of  all  the  leading  countries  of  the 
world  are  such  unmitigated  lumps  of  egotism,  selfishness, 
and  cowardice,  that  they  deliberately  refuse  to  rear  a 
single  child  ?  I  am  ready  to  make  a  friendly  bet  with  any 
one  present  that  from  one-quarter  to  one-third  of  the 
married  members  of  this  audience  are  childless,  and  not 
because  they  do  not  want  children.  It  is  the  fact  that 
nearly  every  married  couple  want  one  or  two  children  that 
makes  the  number  of  childless  marriages  the  best  test  as 
to  whether  there  has  or  has  not  been  a  decline  of  fertility 
due  to  natural  causes. 

The  matter  is  becoming  one  of  life  and  death  for  our 
modern  civilisation.     The  figures  for  the  French  Census 


MEDICAL  257 

of  last  year  show  that  since  the  Census  of  1911  France 
has  been  losing  her  native  population — as  distinct  from 
population  of  foreign  origin — at  the  rate  of  40,000  per 
year,  or  400,000  in  ten  years.  Only  the  foreign  element 
maintains  the  population  at  its  present  level  and  prevents 
the  birth  rate  from  falling  below  the  death  rate.  In  the 
United  States  the  Anglo-Saxon  element  is  steadily  dying 
out.  In  1901  the  city  of  Providence,  which  has  the  best 
statistics  in  America,  had  a  population  consisting  of  two- 
thirds  native  and  one-third  foreign,  but  the  foreigners 
produced  two-thirds  of  the  birth  rate  ;  while  the  birth 
rate  of  the  native  section  was  considerably  below  the 
death  rate.  If  that  was  so  twenty  years  ago,  what  will  be 
the  position  now  ?  In  Canada  the  birth  rate  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  element  is  appallingly  low — as  low  as  10 
per  thousand  in  some  provinces.  Yet  at  present  we  talk  of 
Birth  Control  when  there  is  no  control,  and  attempt  to 
ignore  these  facts. 

It  would  be  far  wiser  to  grapple  with  the  question  in  a 
scientific  way  and  force  the  issue  to  the  front.  If  it  is  not 
successfully  grappled  with  it  will  ruin  our  civilisation, 
which  will  go  the  way  of  ancient  Rome  and  Greece,  ruined 
by  exactly  the  same  causes.  In  order  to  grapple  success- 
fully with  this  problem,  it  is  essential  to  force  it  to  the 
front  and  advertise  it,  for  propaganda  is  essentially 
advertising.  It  is  only  by  concentrating  the  attention  of 
thousands  of  experimental  biologists  and  physiologists 
all  over  the  world  upon  the  problem  of  overcoming  this 
constantly  increasing  sterility  that  we  can  hope  to  solve 
it.  It  is  the  accumulated  observations  of  thousands  of 
different  workers  and  observers  which  lead  to  progress. 

I  am  quite  prepared  to  treat  the  matter  as  an  open 
question  myself,  pending  the  results  of  further  inquiry,  if 
only  because  I  am  confident  as  to  what  the  result  of 
inquiry  must  be.  And,  after  all,  the  members  of  the 
Malthusian  League  have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  truth  if 
their  objective  is  really  a  controlled  birth  rate.  For  if 
the  result  of  inquiry  should  be  to  prove  that  there  is  no 
natural  law  at  work,  you  will  be  able  to  point  out  that  there 
is  no  alternative  to  the  use  of  contraceptives.  But  if  it 
turns  out  that  there  is  such  a  law,  we  are  bound  to  find 
some  means  of  ensuring  fertilisation  at  will  before  we  can 
control  the  birth  rate.  When  that  is  accomplished,  how- 
ever,  there  will  be  no  need  for  Dr.  Norman  Haire  to 

B.C.  S 


25S     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

agitate  for  the  sterilisation  of  the  unfit,  because  both  the 
slum  types  and  the  slum  birth  rate  can  be  abolished  by 
simply  abolishing  the  slums.  And  when  the  birth  rate 
falls  below  the  death  rate,  as  it  ultimately  must,  you  will 
be  able  to  calculate  the  number  of  additional  births 
required,  and  then  obtain  them  from  the  ablest  sections 
of  the  population,  who  are  best  able  to  rear  them,  the 
result  being  an  enormous  improvement  in  the  physical 
and  mental  development  of  the  people.  When  you  can 
do  this  you  will  be  well  on  the  way  to  a  really  controlled 
birth  rate. 

A  MALTHUSIAN  VIEW  OF  DEATH  RATES   AND 
OF    THE  AVERAGE  DURATION  OF  LIFE. 

By  B.  Dunlop,  M.B. 

The  great  Thomas  Robert  Malthus  (clergyman  and 
Professor  of  Economics,  who  died  in  1834)  pointed  out  in 
his  "  Essay  on  the  Principle  of  Population,"  that  all  living 
things  ordinarily  reproduce  themselves  far  in  excess  of 
their  food  supply,  a  doctrine  which  led  to  the  doctrines 
of  evolution  and  of  neo-Malthusianism.  He  realised  that 
population  cannot  increase  faster  than  the  food  supply, 
and  that  man  increased  his  food  supply  so  slowly  that  there 
had  practically  never  been  food  enough  for  all  in  any 
country,  and  never  would  be  unless  the  birth  rate  were 
greatly  reduced.  He  urged  that  countries  should  keep 
accurate  registers  of  population,  births,  deaths  and  mar- 
riages, and  thereby  he  doubtless  hastened  the  advent  of 
the  international  vital  statistics  which  we  now  have. 
Malthus,  as  he  himself  said,  was  not  at  all  concerned  about 
the  far-distant  time  when  the  world  might  have  more 
inhabitants  than  it  could  possibly  feed  properly  ;  what 
concerned  him  was  the  ever  here-and-now  difficulty, 
namely,  that  the  food  supply  could  only  be  increased 
slowly  (i.e.,  at  a  very  much  slower  rate  than  the  rate  at 
which  man,  in  the  days  before  contraception,  tended  to 
produce  children),  and  that  man  consequently  tended  to 
press  very  heavily  upon  his  means  of  subsistence — as  he  is 
still  doing  in  India,  China,  and  other  high-birth-rate 
countries.  To  use  my  own  analogy,  Malthusians  are  not 
concerned  as  to  when  the  national  or  the  world  hall  may 
be  absolutely  full  up,  but  merely  as  to  the  fact  that  people 


MEDICAL  259 

can  only  pass  into  and  fill  the  hall  very  slowly  owing  to  the 
narrowness  of  the  entrance. 

International  vital  statistics  have  further  verified 
Malthus's  principle  of  population,  as  Mr.  C.  V.  Drysdale, 
D.Sc,  has  demonstrated.  Examining  them  up  to  1914 
(and  this  cannot  be  conveniently  done  without  the 
pamphlet  of  Dr.  Drysdale's  epoch-making  "  Diagrams  of 
International  Vital  Statistics,"  price  lOd.,  post  free),  we 
find  that  (1)  when  a  country  had  a  high  birth  rate  it  had 
a  high  death  rate  ;  (2)  when  a  country  had  a  falling  birth 
rate  it  had  a  falling  death  rate  ;  (3)  when  a  country  (see 
Russia,  Roumania,  Jamaica  and  Ireland)  had  a  nearly 
stationary  or  horizontally-oscillating  birth  rate  it  had  a 
nearly  stationary  or  horizontally-oscillating  death  rate  ; 
and  (4)  when  a  country  (see  Bulgaria,  Ceylon  and  Japan) 
had  a  rising  birth  rate  it  had  a  rising  death  rate.  The 
very  highly  correlated  variation  of  the  death  rate  with  the 
birth  rate  in  whichever  direction  the  birth  rate  moved 
(and  Dr.  Drysdale  has  rightly  called  his  supremely  impor- 
tant demonstration  "  the  law  of  correspondence  of  birth 
and  death  rates  ")  can  only  be  accounted  for  by  the 
Malthusian  doctrine.  Food  shortage — the  time-old  cause 
of  the  struggle  for  existence  and  of  evolution — had  clearly 
continued  to  exist.  In  all  but  one  or  two  of  the  new 
countries  of  the  world,  the  death  rate  up  to  1914  was  still 
determined  by  the  birth  rate  and  the  food  increase  rate, 
and  not  at  all  by  medical  activities.  Those  who  still  say 
that  the  decline  in  Europe's  death  rate  (which  began 
about  1876)  was  due  to  medical  progress  and  sanitation 
have  to  explain  why  the  death  rate  remained  practically 
stationary  or  rose  in  those  countries  in  which  the  birth 
rate  remained  practically  stationary  or  rose,  respectively. 

When  medical  science  reduced  the  mortality  from  any 
particular  disease,  it  did  not  thereby  reduce  the  general 
death  rate.  This  fact  necessarily  follows  the  food  shortage 
fact.  As  a  proportion  of  people  could  not  get  sufficient 
food  to  maintain  health,  there  was  necessarily  a  corre- 
sponding proportion  of  deaths  beyond  the  normal  deaths 
from  old  age  and  other  unavoidable  causes  ;  for  medical 
science  cannot  keep  alive  the  underfed.  There  will  always 
be  germs  to  kill  the  underfed.  Thus  we  have  had  Professor 
E.  L.  Collis  saying  in  the  May  Hospital  and  Health  Review 
that  "  food,  rather  than  housing,  is  the  important  influence 
in  poverty  which  concerns  the  prevalence  of  phthisis." 

a  2 


260    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

Food  shortage  thus  caused  an  excessive  death  rate  which 
could  only  be  reduced  in  one  or  both  of  two  ways — by 
increasing  the  food  supply  faster,  and  by  bringing  in 
babies  more  slowly.  But  owing  to  the  difficulties  (e.g.,  the 
fertiliser  difficulty)  of  increasing  the  food  supply  faster, 
reduction  of  the  birth  rate  has  practically  been  the  only 
way  of  reducing  the  death  rate. 

It  has  happened  that  countries  have  suddenly  become 
able  to  increase  their  food  supply  faster,  and  have  done  so. 
England  and  Wales  gave  a  very  striking  example  of  this 
in  the  eighteenth  century.  From  1700  to  1750  the  birth 
rate  was  high  (i.e.,  over  30  per  thousand  a  year),  yet  the 
population  remained  practically  stationary  from  1700  to 
1750.  The  population  remained  practically  stationary 
because  the  food  supply  remained  practically  stationary, 
and  the  high  birth  rate  was  therefore  largely  cancelled  out 
by  an  almost  equally  high  death  rate.  "  The  children 
died  like  flies,"  as  Sir  L.  C.  Money  has  said  of  these  times. 
After  1750  there  was,  owing  to  the  industrial  revolution 
or  change,  a  great  increase  of  food  imports  ;  so  the  death 
rate  fell  to  a  lower  (though,  according  to  present  ideas, 
still  very  excessive)  figure,  and  between  1750  and  1800  the 
population  increased  from  six  millions  to  nine  millions  ! 
Clearly,  the  fall  of  the  death  rate  and  consequent  spurt  of 
population  were  due  to  a  reduction  of  the  food  shortage, 
and  not  to  sanitary  and  medical  progress. 

If  the  food  supply  is  increased  slowly,  the  population 
can  only  increase  slowly,  however  energetic  the  doctors 
and  sanitarians  may  be.  If  a  country's  food  increase  rate 
is  too  slow  for  the  birth  rate,  it  is  absurd  to  say  that  the 
death  rate  could  be  reduced  by  ordinary  medical  measures. 
It  would  be  equivalent  to  saying  :  "  We  doctors  can  enable 
population  to  increase  faster  than  the  food  supply  !  ' 

Perhaps  the  most  striking  and  deplorable  example  of 
the  overlooking  of  the  Malthusian  principle  has  been  the 
frequent  suggestion  made  by  doctors,  that  India's  very 
high  death  rate  could  be  reduced  by  medical  activities, 
such  as  by  measures  against  plague.  For  it  is  admitted 
that  famine  is  endemic  in  India,  as  Sir  Frederick  Treves 
has  well  said,  and  that  India's  food  supply  cannot  be 
increased  any  faster — if,  indeed,  it  can  now  be  increased 
at  all.  So  the  one  and  only  way  to  reduce  India's  very 
high  death  rate  is  to  reduce  her  very  high  birth  rate.  Yet 
one  never  reads  of  an  English  doctor  in  any  way  depre- 


MEDICAL  261 

eating  India's  very  high  birth  rate.  The  International 
League  of  Red  Cross  Societies  has  similarly  maintained  a 
deplorable  silence  about  high  birth  rates,  notwithstanding 
that  its  publications  have  often  included  underfeeding 
among  the  causes  of  high  morbidity  and  mortality  from 
particular  diseases. 

To  me  it  seems  clear  that  even  in  the  relatively 
prosperous  years  immediately  before  1914  the  world's 
food  supply  was  being  increased  so  slowly  that  only  a 
small  percentage  of  couples  in  the  world  could  get  sufficient 
food  for  more  than  two  children. 

The  Average  Duration  of  Life. 

I  now  come  to  the  second  part  of  my  paper.  The 
decline  of  the  birth  rate  lessened  the  time-old  food 
shortage  (as  also,  of  course,  but  to  a  lesser  degree,  had 
man's  successive  advances  in  food  production  lessened  it), 
and  thus  caused  a  decline  of  the  death  rate — in  other 
words,  caused  a  rise  in  the  average  duration  of  life. 
This  rise  in  the  average  duration  of  life  was  not  due  to  the 
proportion  of  centenarians,  nonagenarians  and  octo- 
genarians having  increased,  for  it  had  not.  It  was  due 
to  the  decline  of  the  birth  rate  causing  an  ever-increasing 
proportion  of  individuals  to  be  less  starved  and  thus 
to  escape  dying  in  infancy,  childhood  or  adolescence. 

How  is  the  average  duration  of  life  calculated  ?  Dr. 
John  Brownlee  says  in  his  monograph  on  the  use  of  death 
rates  as  a  measure  of  hygienic  conditions,  recently  pub- 
lished by  the  Medical  Research  Council,  that  he  has  had 
the  greatest  difficulty  in  convincing  members  of  borough 
councils  in  England  that  the  average  duration  of  life  is 
not  obtained  by  dividing  1,000  by  the  death  rate  (per 
thousand)  unless  the  population  be  stationary.  Doctors, 
doubtless,  know  better  than  borough  councillors.  I  fear, 
however,  that  there  are  many  doctors  who  would  say 
that  if  two  countries  have  the  same  death  rate  their 
inhabitants  must  be  equally  healthy.  Yet  their  inhabi- 
tants may  not  be  equally  healthy,  for  the  birth  rate  of 
the  two  countries  may  be  different.  The  point  is  that,  in 
calculating  the  average  duration  of  life,  the  natural 
increase  (if  any)  of  population  has  to  be  taken  into 
account.  We  must  not  simply  divide  1,000  by  the  death 
rate  (per  thousand)  ;  we  must  divide  1,000  by  the  death 
rate  (per  thousand)  plus  a  fraction  of  the  survival  rate — 


262    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

the  survival  rate  being  the  rate  of  natural  increase  of 
population,  i.e.,  the  birth  rate  minus  the  death  rate.     The 

fraction  varies  from  —  (i.e.,-^)  to—,  according  as  the 

survival  rate  is  very  low,  low,  high,  or  very  high,  and 
for  absolute  accuracy  the   average  duration  of  life  has 

to  be  calculated  by  the  formula  2,303  — —~ tst^ —  or 

J  B  —  D 

-p      -ry.  •     I  find,  however,  that  the  fraction  -^ 

los  I1  +  W ) 

suffices  for  all  practical  purposes  ;  in  other  words,  a 
result  sufficiently  similar  to  the  logarithm  one  is  got  by 
dividing  1,000  by  the  death  rate  plus  nine-twentieths  of 

the  survival  rate,  i.e.,  by  a  formula  — - — -r — .     For  it  is 

only  with  the  countries  which  have  the  combination  of  a 

very  low  death  rate  and  a  very  high  survival  rate  that 

9 
there  is  an  appreciable  discrepancy  if  ^  be  used,  and 

New  Zealand,  Australia,  and  perhaps  Canada,  America 
and  Holland,  are  the  sole  ones  with  this  combination. 
And  even  in  these  very  exceptional  cases  the  discrepancy 
is  negligible,  for  even  in  the  extremest  case — that  of  New 
Zealand,  with  its  extraordinarily  low  death  rate  and  high 
survival  rate — my  formula  under-estimates  the  average 
duration  of  life  by  about  2*5  years  only.     It  is  almost 

equivalent  to  the  formula  ■_'     ^  which  Dr.  Drysdale  gave 

in  the  Economic  Section  for  roughly  estimating  the 
average    duration    of   life.      But   although    my   formula 

'—q —  is  more  complicated,  I  prefer  it  because  it  gives 

D+2~0S 

results  approximating  more  closely  to  the  logarithm  ones, 
because  it  more  clearly  indicates  the  important  point 
that  the  average  duration  of  life  is  determined  by  the 
death  rate  plus  a  fraction  of  the  survival  rate,  and  because 

9 
/  wish  to  suggest  to  you  that  the  divisor,  D  +  —S,  might  be 

regarded  as,  and  called,  the  real  death  rate. 


MEDICAL  2G3 

As  I  have  already  said,  the  death  rate  divided  into 
1,000  does  not  give  the  average  duration  of  life  (except  in 
the  extremely  rare  cases  of  countries  in  which  the  death 
rate  equals  the  birth  rate).  But  the  death  rate  plus  nine- 
twentieths  of  the  survival  rate  approximately  does  so  ; 
therefore  the  death  rate  plus  nine-twentieths  of  the 
survival  rate  may  be  taken  as  the  real  death  rate. 

Let  me  show  you  how  this  idea  of  the  real  death  rate 
enables  one  effectively  to  compare  different  countries 
almost  at  a  glance.  Before  the  war  Germany's  death 
rate  was  about  15  per  thousand  a  year,  and  France's 
about  18*5  ;  therefore  many  people  thought  that  the 
Germans  were  much  better  nourished  or  fitter  than  the 
French.  But  what  was  the  real  death  rate  in  each  case  ? 
Germany's  birth  rate  was  about  27  per  thousand  and  her 
death  rate  about  15,  therefore  her  survival  rate  was 
about  12  ;  and  as  nine-twentieths  of  12  is  5'4,  her  real 
death  rate  was  about  20*4  per  thousand  a  year,  for  15  -f-  5*4 
=  20*4.  France's  birth  rate  was  about  19*5  per  thousand 
a  year  and  her  death  rate  about  18*5,  therefore  her  survival 
rate  was  about  1  per  thousand  a  year  ;  and  as  nine- 
twentieths  of  1  is  0-4,  her  real  death  rate  was  about  19 
per  thousand  a  year,  for  18*5  -f-  -4  is  practically  19. 
So  Germany's  real  death  rate  was  about  20*4  per  thousand 
a  year,  and  France's  19,  showing  that  the  French  were 
better  nourished  or  fitter  than  the  Germans.  As 
Germany's  birth  rate  and  death  rate  had  only  recently 
fallen  so  low,  one  ought  to  compare  the  average  real 
death  rates  in  the  previous  decade,  and  this  would  show 
the  Germans  to  have  been  much  more  behind  the  French. 
When  one  merely  takes  the  latest  year  or  the  current 
average,  one  is  only  saying  :  "If  this  birth  rate  and  death 
rate  should  continue,  the  average  duration  of  life  in  this 
country  will  be  so-and-so."  The  French  people,  although 
they  are  notorious  for  the  practice  of  contraception, 
have  so  neglected  the  theory  of  neo-Malthusianism  that  I 
should  be  glad  to  hear  that  there  are  many  Frenchmen 
who  realise  that  the  average  duration  of  life  was  higher 
in  France  than  in  Germany,  and  also  that  their  average 
duration  of  life  was  not  yet  as  high  as  it  should  be,  indi- 
cating that  France,  too,  had  not  yet  in  1913  entirely  got 
rid  of  food  shortage. 

Here,  to  simplify  my  next  two  paragraphs,  I  shall  make 
another   arithmetical  explanation.      It  is  this  :    if   1,000 


264    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

divided  by  the  death  rate  plus  nine-twentieths  of  the 
survival  rate  gives  the  average  duration  of  life,  it 
follows  that  1,000  divided  by  the  average  duration  of  life 
will  give  the  death  rate  plus  nine-twentieths  of  the  sur- 
vival rate,  i.e.,  will  give  what  I  am  calling  the  real  death 
rate. 

Before  1877,  the  year  when  contraception  began  to 
spread  rapidly  and  to  reduce  Europe's  birth  rate,  the 
birth  rate  and  death  rate  of  England  were  high  and  the 
average  duration  of  life  was  only  about  35" 7  years.  (This 
means  that  the  real  death  rate  was  as  high  as  28  per 
thousand  a  year  ;  for  1,000  divided  by  35-7  equals  28.) 
The  average  duration  of  life  then  rose  gradually  as  the 
birth  rate  gradually  fell.  By  1913  it  had  risen,  as 
actuaries  will  tell  you,  to  about  52- 6  years.  (This  means 
that  the  real  death  rate  had  fallen  to  about  19  per  thousand 
a  year,  for  1,000  divided  by  52-6  equals  19.)  But  even 
in  1913  there  was  still  a  large  proportion  of  underfed 
individuals,  especially  if  one  considers  the  importance 
of  a  proper  diet  and  of  vitamines.  So  it  may  confidently 
be  claimed  that  the  average  duration  of  life  could,  and 
will,  be  raised  by  a  further  three  years.  In  other  words, 
it  may  confidently  be  claimed  that  the  average  duration 
of  life  in  a  well-fed  nation  would  be  over  55-5  years. 
This  means  that  in  a  well-fed  nation  the  real  death  rate 
would  certainly  fall  to  below  18  per  thousand  a  year, 
for  1,000  divided  by  55-5  practically  equals  18. 

It  is  possible  that  in  a  perfectly  well-fed  nation  the 
average  duration  of  life  would  rise  to  over  58*8  years. 
This  would  mean  a  reduction  of  the  real  death  rate  to 
below  17  per  thousand  a  year,  for  1,000  divided  by  58-8 
practically  equals  17.  But  most  people  probably  still 
consider  the  idea  too  optimistic  that  the  average  duration 
of  life  will  rise  to  58-8  years,  although  Dr.  Drysdale  says 
he  expects  it  to  rise  in  time  to  the  psalmist's  three-score 
years  and  ten.  So  for  the  present  I  shall  take  about 
55*5  years  as  the  height  to  which  the  average  duration  of 
life  will  rise,  and  shall,  therefore,  provisionally  take 
about  18  per  thousand  a  year  as  the  ideal  or  normal  real 
death  rate,  i.e.,  I  shall  take  it  that  the  real  death  rate 
of  a  really  well-fed  nation  would  be  18  per  thousand  a 
year,  or  only  a  small  fraction  below  18,  and  shall  assume 
that  it  will  be  impossible  to  reduce  it  to  17. 

If,  then,  the  normal  real  death  rate  of  a  well-fed  nation 


MEDICAL  265 

be  18,  or  a  small  fraction  below  18,  per  thousand  a  year, 
it  enables  one  to  state  several  very  important  things. 

(1)  It  enables  one  to  state  that  no  country  should  have 
a  recorded  death  rate  (whether  crude  or  corrected)  of 
more  than  18  per  thousand  a  year,  because  the  death  rate 
plus  nine-twentieths  of  the  survival  rate  should  together 
not  exceed  18.  If  a  country  has  a  death  rate  of  over  18 
(like  France  before  the  war,  as  I  have  already  indicated), 
it  is  certainly  suffering  from  food  shortage,  and  should 
either  reduce  its  birth  rate  or  increase  its  food  supply 
faster,  or  should  do  both.  But  if  a  country  has  a  death 
rate  of  18,  or  less  than  18,  per  thousand  a  year,  one  cannot 
say  that  it  suffers  from  food  shortage,  unless  one  proceeds 
to  calculate  the  real  death  rate  and  finds  that  the  real 
death  rate  is  18  or  more. 

(2)  It  enables  one  to  state  that  the  death  rate  of  a 
country  will  certainly  go  on  falling  with  the  birth  rate 
until  the  real  death  rate  has  thereby  been  reduced  to 
less  than  18  per  thousand  a  year. 

(3)  It  enables  one  to  state  that  the  population  of  a 
country  will  not  decline  (except  by  emigration  or  war) 
until  the  birth  rate  falls  below  18  per  thousand  a  year, 
because,  so  long  as  the  birth  rate  is  18  or  more,  the 
death  rate  must  be  18  or  less,  since  otherwise  the  real 
death  rate  would  not  be  under  18. 

(4)  It  enables  one  to  state  approximately  what  the 
birth  rate  and  death  rate  of  a  country  should  be  if  one 
knows  the  survival  rate. 

For  if  the  normal  real  death  rate  of  a  country  be  about 

18  per  thousand  a  year,  any  particular  survival  rate  should 

have  the  particular  birth  rate  and  death  rate  in  which 

9 
D  +  ^rrS  will  equal  about  18.     This  can  be  seen  in  the 

subjoined  table — a  correct  table  kindly  worked  out  for 

me  with  logarithms  by  Mr.  G.  W.  Stallard.     In  it  the 

birth    rate    and    death    rate    in    every    vertical    column 

together  make  for  an  average  duration  of  life  of  55-5  years  ; 

and  they  also  give,  in  all  but  the  last  three  columns,  I 

was  very  pleased  to  find,  a  real  death  rate  of  practically 

18  per  thousand  a  year  when  they  are  submitted  to  my 

9 
formula  D  +  ^--  S,  thereby  well  supporting  my  suggestion 

g 

that  D  -f-  j^S  should  be  regarded  as  the  real  death  rate. 


266    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 


Birth  rate    . 
Death  rate  . 

18  190 

18   17-1 

20  0 
16-2 

210 
15-4 

22  0 
14-7 

23 
14 

24-0 
13-3 

25-0 
12-6 

26 
12 

27-0 
11-4 

28-0 
10-9 

290 
10-4 

30 
10 

Survival  rate 

0 

1-9 

3-8 

5-6 

7*3 

9 

10-7 

12-4 

14 

15-6 

171 

18-6 

20 

If,  then,  a  country's  survival  rate  be  about  zero,  its 
birth  rate  and  death  rate  ought  (always  taking  18  per 
thousand  a  year  as  the  lowest  possible  real  death  rate)  to 
be  about  18  per  thousand  a  year  ;  if  its  survival  rate  be 
about  1*9  per  thousand,  its  birth  rate  ought  to  be  about 
19  and  its  death  rate  about  17- 1  ;  if  its  survival  rate  be 
about  9  per  thousand,  its  birth  rate  ought  to  be  about  23 
and  its  death  rate  about  14  ;   and  so  on. 

Thus  the  table  also  enables  one  to  say  that  if  a  country 
has  a  birth  rate  of  about  19  per  thousand  a  year  its  inhabi- 
tants are  trying,  in  effect,  to  increase  their  population  at 
a  rate  of  about  1*9  per  thousand  (even  although  food 
shortage  may,  in  fact,  be  making  them  increase  at  a  rate 
of  much  less  than  1*9)  ;  that  if  a  country  has  a  birth  rate 
of  about  23  per  thousand  its  inhabitants  are  trying,  in 
effect,  to  increase  at  a  rate  of  about  9  per  thousand  (even 
although  food  shortage  may,  in  fact,  be  making  them 
increase  at  a  rate  of  much  less  than  9  per  thousand)  ;  that 
if  a  country  has  a  birth  rate  of  about  30  per  thousand, 
its  inhabitants  are  trying,  in  effect,  to  increase  at  a  rate 
of  about  20  per  thousand  (even  although  food  shortage 
may,  and  most  probably  will,  in  fact,  be  making  them 
increase  at  a  rate  of  much  less  than  20  per  thousand)  ; 
and  that  if  a  country  has  a  birth  rate  of  over  30  per  thou- 
sand, its  inhabitants  are  trying,  in  effect,  to  increase  at  a 
rate  of  over  20  per  thousand — thereby  merely  causing  a 
terrible  and  dangerous  pressure  of  population  on  the  means 
of  subsistence. 

Lastly,  the  table  illustrates  another  very  important 
point,  namely,  how  the  death  rate  must  rise  if  the  birth 
rate  continues  falling  after  the  maximum  possible  average 
duration  of  life  has  been  attained.  Thus  (still  assuming 
55*5  years  or  56  years  to  be  the  maximum  possible  average 
duration  of  life)  if  a  well-fed  country  had  a  birth  rate  of 
about  30  per  thousand  a  year,  its  death  rate  would  be 
about  10  per  thousand  ;  if  its  birth  rate  declined  to  about 
29,  its  death  rate  would  rise  to  about  104  (for  otherwise 


MEDICAL  267 

the  average  duration  of  life  would  not  still  be  about 
55 '5  years)  ;  if  its  birth  rate  declined  to  about  26,  its  death 
rate  would  by  then  have  risen  to  about  12  ;  if  its  birth  rate 
went  on  to  fall  to  18,  its  death  rate  would  by  then  have 
risen  to  18,  and  the  population  would  be  stationary  apart 
from  immigration  ;  and  if  its  birth  rate  were  to  fall  below 
18,  its  death  rate  would  have  risen  to  over  18,  and  the 
population  would  actually  decline  unless  it  were  kept  up 
by  immigration. 

Resolution. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  session  the  following  resolution 
was  put  to  the  meeting  : 

"  That  this  meeting  of  the  Fifth  International  Neo- 
Malthusian  and  Birth  Control  Conference,  consisting 
chiefly  of  members  of  the  British  medical  profession, 
considers  that  it  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  the 
provision  of  hygienic  Birth -Control  instruction  should 
become  part  of  the  recognised  duty  of  the  medical 
profession,  and  that  such  instruction  should  especially 
be  given  at  all  hospitals  and  public  health  centres  to 
which  the  poorest  classes  and  those  suffering  from 
hereditary  disease  or  defectiveness  apply  for  relief." 

Carried  unanimously. 

(Signed)     C.  Killick  Millard, 

President  of  the  Section. 


Friday,  July  \<tth. — Private  Afternoon  Session.* 

CONTEACEPTIVE  SECTION. 

President     .     Norman  Haire,  Ch.M.,  M.B. 

The  President  opened  the  session  by  reading  a  paper 
on  : — 

CONTRACEPTIVE  TECHNIQUE. 

My  Lord,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  it  gives  me  great 
pleasure  to  have  the  privilege  of  welcoming  this  afternoon 
such  a  large  gathering  of  medical  men  and  women,  includ- 
ing so  many  of  the  more  eminent  members  of  our  profession. 

I  believe  that  this  is  the  first  occasion  when  medical  men 
and  women  have  gathered  together  in  this  country  to 
attend  a  Conference  devoted  to  the  study  of  the  technique 
of  contraception. 

My  own  work  in  this  field  is  only  of  seven  years'  duration, 
and  I  should,  therefore,  have  hesitated  to  accept  the 
Presidency  of  this  session,  but  we  were  unable  to  find  any 
one  who  had  devoted  special  study  to  this  subject  among 
those  medical  men  and  women  who  would  publicly  avow 
their  interest  in  Birth  Control. 

Why  are  medical  practitioners  so  ignorant  of  contra- 
ceptive technique  ?  I  think  it  is  because  the  subject  has 
been  entirely  neglected  and  omitted  from  the  curriculum 
of  our  medical  schools,  both  in  Great  Britain  and  in  the 
British  Dominions.  It  is  still  regarded  by  many  with  that 
aversion  attaching  to  any  subject  connected  with  sex,  and 
is  considered  as  "  not  quite  nice."  Doctors  must  pick  up 
their  knowledge  of  contraception  casually,  when  and  how 
they  can,  and  the  result  is  that  much  of  it  is  quite 
unreliable. 

When  a  doctor  tells  a  woman  that  she  should  have  no 
more  children,  or  when  she  asks  him  for  safe  and  hygienic 

*  Note. — This  session  was  open  to  members  of  the  Medical  Profession 
only. — Editor. 


CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  269 

contraceptive  advice,  he  is  usually  unable  to  give  her  a 
satisfactory  answer. 

This  neglect  on  the  part  of  the  medical  profession  has 
opened  the  way  for  the  quack  and  the  charlatan. 

Our  business  this  afternoon  is  to  study  the  technique  of 
contraception.  We  are  not  here  to-day  to  discuss  the 
rights  and  wrongs  of  Birth  Control,  or  its  social,  moral  or 
religious  aspects,  but  to  consider  the  various  methods  of 
contraception  available  and  their  respective  advantages 
and  disadvantages. 

You  may  think  me  dogmatic,  but  my  experience  has  led 
me  to  believe  that  all  methods  but  one  are  faulty.  I  have 
found  only  one  method  which  has  given  me  up  to  the 
present  100  per  cent,  of  successes.  Methods  which  may 
succeed  and  may  fail  are  not  of  much  practical  use.  We 
want  something  that  is  sure,  safe  and  simple.  I  believe 
I  know  such  a  method. 

For  conception  to  occur  it  is  necessary  that  a  male 
element  or  spermatozoon  should  meet  with  a  female  element 
or  ovum.  The  union  of  the  male  and  female  elements  is 
the  original  biological  aim  of  sexual  intercourse.  In  the 
gradual  process  of  evolution,  however,  sexual  intercourse 
in  man  has  acquired  other  values  and  significances  in 
addition.  Man  does  not  now  perform  the  sexual  act  only 
when  he  desires  offspring  to  result.  More  often  civilised 
man  has  intercourse  with  the  definite  hope  that  the  union 
will  not  be  fertile. 

Before  detailing  the  various  methods  of  preventing 
conception,  the  question  of  sexual  abstinence  must  be 
considered  in  its  medical  aspect.  I  believe  that  there  are 
adult  persons  who  are  able  to  abstain  from  sexual  inter- 
course permanently,  or  for  long  periods,  without  any 
apparent  harm  resulting.  I  believe,  however,  that  long- 
continued  abstention  from  sexual  intercourse  produces,  in 
the  majority  of  adults  of  both  sexes,  more  or  less  severe 
psychical  symptoms,  and  often  physical  symptoms  in 
addition.  This  applies  even  to  individuals  who  have  had 
no  previous  experience  of  sexual  intercourse.  In  the  case 
of  married  persons,  already  habituated  to  coitus,  and 
living  in  an  intimate  relationship  with  their  partners, 
sharing  the  same  room  and  perhaps  the  same  bed,  pro- 
longed sexual  abstinence  can  usually  only  be  attained  by 
a  degree  of  repression  which  is,  I  believe,  definitely  and 
demonstrably  harmful. 


270    FIFTH    INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

The  next  point  to  consider  is  the  so-called  "  safe  period." 
The  temporal  relation  between  ovulation  and  menstrua- 
tion is  still  undetermined.  It  was  formerly  thought  that 
these  two  phenomena  were  nearly,  or  quite,  coincident, 
and  that,  therefore,  copulation  just  before  or  just  after  the 
menstrual  period  was  likely  to  prove  fertile,  while  copula- 
tion in  the  middle  fortnight  of  the  intermenstrual  period 
was  absolutely  or  comparatively  safe.  This  view  is  no 
longer  held  by  competent  authorities.  We  do  not  know 
at  what  time  in  the  menstrual  cycle  the  ripe  ovum  is  set 
free.  We  do  know  that  the  sperm  may  live  for  days  or 
weeks  in  the  female  body,  and  that  it  can  presumably 
fertilise  an  ovum  many  days  after  it  has  been  emitted  by 
the  male.  In  some  hundreds  of  cases  which  I  have  inves- 
tigated personally  I  have  asked  whether  any  reliance  had 
been  placed  on  the  safe  period,  and  in  over  95  per  cent. 
of  cases  I  have  found  it  fail  sooner  or  later.  Besides, 
and  this  is  important  from  the  practical  point  of  view, 
I  have  found  most  couples  unwilling  to  abstain  from 
the  fundamental  relationship  underlying  marriage  dur- 
ing one  half  of  every  month,  especially  since  it  is 
that  half  in  which  many  women  experience  desire  most 
strongly. 

Some  people  are  under  the  impression  that  a  woman  is 
immune  from  the  possibility  of  conception  while  she  is  still 
suckling  her  last  child,  and  with  this  idea  many  women 
try  to  avoid  pregnancy  by  prolonging  the  period  of 
suckling  up  to  eighteen  months,  or  even  longer.  In  my 
experience  this  generally  fails  to  prevent  conception.  I 
believe  that  suckling  women  are  less  liable  to  conception 
than  usual,  but  no  real  reliance  is  to  be  placed  in  it,  and 
the  prolonged  lactation  is  often  harmful  to  both  mother 
and  child. 

There  remain  the  so-called  "  artificial "  methods  of 
contraception,  and  it  is  with  these  that  we  are  mainly 
concerned  this  afternoon.  Now  at  the  very  outset  I  will 
ask  you  to  realise  that  perfection  has  not  yet  been  reached 
in  this  field,  as  well  as  in  many  others.  There  is  no 
method  which  is  at  once  harmless  and  certain,  and  which 
does  not  call  for  a  minimum  of  intelligence  and  care  on  the 
part  of  the  user.  I  know  of  no  appliance  which  can  be 
expected  to  be  successful  in  the  hands  of  the  imbecile  or 
the  intoxicated.  But  short  of  absolute  perfection,  we 
have  one  method — the  Dutch    pessary — which  is  highly 


CONTRACEPTIVE   SECTION  271 

satisfactory,  and  which  should  be  available  for  the 
vast  majority  of  people.  For  the  small  minority  for 
whom,  on  account  of  their  own  stupidity  or  carelessness, 
it  will  never  be  available,  another  alternative  exists. 
These  two  matters  I  shall  leave  to  the  end.  Let  us  first 
treat  of  the  methods  of  contraception  which  are  in  com- 
mon use,  but  which  I  consider  for  one  reason  or  another 
imperfect. 

Withdrawal  or  "  Coitus  Interruptus." — This  consists  in 
the  removal  of  the  penis  from  the  vagina  before  the 
emission  of  semen.     It  has  the  advantages  that  it  costs 
nothing,  requires  no  apparatus  and  no  previous  prepara- 
tion.    But  it  has  many  disadvantages.     It  requires  an 
amount  of  self-control  which  many  men  do  not  possess. 
It  is  uncertain,   because  if  only  one  drop  of  semen  is 
emitted  in  the  vagina  or  even  on  the  external  female 
genitals,  pregnancy  may  result.     If  a  second  connection 
occurs  without  a  previous  thorough  cleansing  of  the  male 
genitals,  some  of  the  semen  from  the  first  emission  may  be 
introduced  into  the  vagina  at  the  second  coitus  and  cause 
pregnancy.     Another  objection  is  that  it  spoils  sexual 
pleasure  for  many  men  and  leaves  many  women  still 
tumescent,  and  without  the  relief  of  the  orgasm  which 
should  normally  follow  that  tumescence.     In  every  case 
that  comes  to  me  for  contraceptive  advice,  both  in  my 
private  practice  and  at  the  free  maternity  centres  at 
which  I  work,  I  inquire  whether  withdrawal  has  been 
practised  and  with  what  success,  and  in  more  than  95  per 
cent,  of  cases  I  have  found  it  fail.     But  the  main  objection 
to  withdrawal  is  that  its  habitual  practice  is  generally 
accompanied   by  an  anxiety-neurosis.     That  these   two 
phenomena  are  related  as  cause  and  effect  I  cannot  prove, 
but  their  association  is  too  frequent  to  be  purely  fortuitous. 
It  may  be  that  the  uncertainty  attaching  to  withdrawal, 
and  not  withdrawal  itself,  is  the  cause  of  the  neurosis.     Be 
that  as  it  may,  I  have  found  that  the  neurosis  almost 
always  disappears  when  a  different  method  of  contracep- 
tion is  substituted. 

Chemical  contraceptives  may  be  used  in  the  form  of 
vaginal  suppositories,  or  as  oils,  jellies  or  ointments,  or  in 
watery  solution.  They  all  aim  at  killing  the  spermatozoa 
by  chemical  action,  and  some  aim  at  entangling  the 
spermatozoa  and  some  at  washing  away  the  spermatozoa, 
in  addition.     But  all  share  at  least  one  imperfection — 


272     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

they  can  affect  the  semen  only  while  it  is  in  the  vagina. 
It  is  believed  that  at  the  moment  of  female  orgasm  some 
or  all  of  the  semen  may  be  aspirated  into  the  uterus.  If 
this  is  so,  any  semen  so  aspirated  into  the  uterus  will  be 
immune  from  the  action  of  the  chemical  contraceptives. 
There  is  another  objection  which  applies  in  some  degree 
to  all  chemical  contraceptives.  A  substance  which  kills 
spermatozoa  does  so  in  virtue  of  the  fact  that  it  is  a  proto- 
plasmic poison.  It  is  difficult  to  find  a  spermaticidal 
substance  which  will  not  have  a  deleterious  effect  on  the 
body-cells  as  well.  Most  spermaticides  will,  at  least  if 
used  without  the  greatest  care,  damage  the  genital  passages 
or  cause  some  degree  of  poisoning  through  absorption. 
And  even  if  eventually  we  find  some  perfect  chemical 
contraceptive,  it  will  be  a  matter  of  difficulty  to  ensure 
that  the  average  person  shall  obtain  that,  and  not  some 
imperfect  or  harmful,  but  commercially  more  profitable, 
substitute,  from  the  dealer. 

Suppositories  are  most  often  seen  in  the  form  of  the  so- 
called  "  quinine  pessary."  This  consists  of  a  small  mass 
of  cocoa-butter  or  gelatin,  in  which  is  incorporated  a 
certain  amount  of  quinine.  One  of  these  is  placed  in  the 
vagina  before  intercourse,  and  is  supposed  to  melt  and 
spread  over  the  vaginal  interior  ready  to  kill  the  sperma- 
tazoa  when  they  are  shed  into  the  vagina.  The  quinine 
pessary  has  many  disadvantages.  First,  it  cannot  affect 
any  semen  aspirated  directly  into  the  uterus.  Secondly, 
a  large  manufacturer  of  quinine  pessaries  has  informed  me 
that  it  is  very  difficult  to  ensure  the  equal  mixing  of  the 
quinine  and  the  cocoa-butter.  In  the  process  of  manu- 
facture the  quinine  tends  to  sink,  so  that  those  pessaries 
made  from  the  upper  part  of  a  batch  may  contain  no 
quinine  at  all,  while  those  made  from  the  lowest  part  may 
contain  so  much  as  to  cause  irritation  of  the  vaginal 
mucous  membrane  or  even  symptoms  of  quinine  poisoning. 
Thirdly,  some  quinine  pessaries  are  made  with  such  a  high 
melting-point  that  they  do  not  readily  dissolve  at  body- 
temperature,  and  one  patient  assures  me  that  she  has 
found  the  remains  of  a  quinine  pessary  still  undissolved 
when  she  douched  the  vagina  the  morning  after  inserting 
it.  Fourthly,  I  have  unquestionable  evidence  that  a 
great  many  so-called  quinine  pessaries  sold  in  London  are 
deliberately  manufactured  without  any  quinine  or  other 
active  spermaticide  at  all,  in  order  to  afford  an  additional 


CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  273 

profit  to  the  dealers.  Fifthly,  in  a  woman  with  a  normal 
amount  of  vaginal  secretion,  the  additional  moisture  of  a 
quinine  pessary  is  an  unpleasant  feature,  though  in  a 
woman  with  deficient  secretion  the  lubrication  may  be  an 
advantage. 

A  mixture  of  oil  and  quinine  is  sometimes  used.  This 
has  all  the  disadvantages  of  the  quinine  pessary  except 
No.  3,  and  the  additional  disadvantage  of  requiring  the 
use  of  a  special  syringe  for  its  injection. 

Contraceptive  jellies  are  much  used  in  Germany.  One 
preparation,  called  Patentex,  was  very  highly  spoken  of, 
and  Mr.  Porter,  of  Cambridge,  had  a  specimen  analysed 
with  the  following  result : — 

Patentex. 

Starch     .          .  20  grams        .  ) 

Glycerine          .  130  millilitres  .  I        Q,        .        f          , 

Distilled  water  30  millilitres  .  (  ~  wycerme  ot  starcn- 

Boric  acid         .  20  per  cent.    .  J 

A  friend  of  mine  ordered  some  Patentex  from  the  manu- 
facturer, but  received  instead  what  the  latter  described  as 
an  improvement  on  it,  entitled  Metag.  A  specimen  of  this 
was  analysed,  and  the  analyst  reported  : 

"  Careful  search  was  made  for  substances  with  a 
contraceptive  action  and  other  alkaloids,  salicylic 
acid,  and  metallic  salts.  None  was  detected.  Starch 
was  absent,  and  a  minute  trace  only  of  boric  acid  was 
present,  together  with  a  little  tragacanth.  A  micro- 
scopical examination  revealed  the  presence  of  a  very 
large  number  of  vegetable  organisms,  including 
diatoms  and  algse,  together  with  a  smaller  number  of 
animal  organisms,  small  fleas,  etc.  In  my  opinion 
the  sample  consists  solely  of  a  tragacanth  mucilage 
(18  grains  of  tragacanth  to  the  ounce)  prepared 
with  ditch-water  and  containing  a  trace  of  boric 
acid." 

The  jelly  is  contained  in  a  collapsible  tube,  like  an 
ordinary  tooth  paste  tube.  When  the  cap  is  removed  a 
long  glass  nozzle  is  screwed  on,  the  nozzle  is  inserted  into 
the  vagina,  and  an  inch  or  two  of  the  jelly  squeezed  into 
the  vaginal  fornix. 


B.C 


274    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

It  is  possible  that  some  form  of  contraceptive  jelly  may 
be  found  which  will  kill  the  spermatozoa  without  harming 
the  patient.  Dr.  Davidson  has  suggested  a  preparation 
of  1  per  cent,  lactic  acid  in  mucilage  of  tragacanth.  This 
will  kill  spermatozoa  in  vitro,  whether  it  will  do  so  in  vivo 
is  still  undecided.  That  it  will  kill  the  spermatozoa  in  any 
semen,  aspirated  directly  into  the  uterus,  I  find  it  difficult 
to  believe.  We  have  here,  however,  a  field  for  future 
investigation. 

There  is  a  device  on  the  market  known  as  Baxter's 
Control  Patent  Outfit,  or  K.P.O.  This  consists  of  a 
vaginal  speculum  with  a  plunger.  The  plunger  is  inserted 
into  the  speculum,  leaving  a  small  space  at  the  end  which 
is  filled  with  a  contraceptive  ointment,  consisting  of 
quinine  in  vaseline.  The  instrument  is  then  inserted  into 
the  vagina,  the  plunger  is  pushed  home,  and  by  manipula- 
tion of  the  instrument,  the  ointment  is  supposed  to  be 
distributed  over  the  vaginal  vault  and  the  portio  vaginalis 
of  the  cervix.  I  have  no  experience  of  this  instrument. 
It  is  admirably  adapted  for  purposes  of  female  masturba- 
tion. Its  market  price  is  a  guinea.  I  doubt  if  the  average 
woman  would  be  able  to  use  it  so  as  to  distribute  the 
ointment  in  the  manner  intended.  Its  greasiness,  and  the 
danger  of  faulty  dispensing  of  the  ointment,  are  additional 
objections. 

Watery  solutions  of  chemical  contraceptives  are  used  in 
two  ways.  They  are  used,  firstly,  as  douches.  Here  the 
chemical  action  of  killing  the  spermatozoa  is  supplemented 
by  the  mechanical  action  of  the  douche  in  washing  away 
the  semen.  Douching  is  often  successful  if  carried  out 
immediately  after  coitus.  But  the  necessity  for  getting 
out  of  a  warm  bed,  and  using  a  douche,  immediately  after 
connection,  is  not  only  highly  unaesthetic,  but,  I  believe, 
physiologically  harmful,  in  that  it  disturbs  the  natural 
rest  that  should  follow  sexual  intercourse.  Further,  it  is 
not  to  be  expected  that  a  woman  will  get  up  out  of  a  warm 
bed  on  a  cold  night,  to  prepare  hot  water  for  a  douche. 
In  the  case  of  the  lower  middle  classes  and  the  poor,  who 
have  insufficient  privacy  and  very  imperfect  sanitary  and 
heating  conveniences,  it  is  out  of  the  question.  Frequent 
douching  with  spermaticidal  solutions  often  gives  rise  to 
vaginal  inflammation  and  discharge.  Finally,  douching 
cannot  act  on  any  semen  which  has  already  entered  the 
uterus. 


CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  275 

If  douches  are  used,  I  recommend  : — 

(a)  £  to  1%  solution  of  lactic  acid. 

(b)  Normal  saline. 

(c)  Vinegar,  1  dram  to  the  pint. 

(d)  Permanganate  of  potash,  1  in  4,000. 

I  have  found  that  Lysol  and  Milton,  which  are  frequently 
used  as  douches,  often  give  rise  to  a  discharge. 

Watery  solutions  are  often  used,  secondly,  to  soak  a 
sponge  or  a  tampon  of  cotton  wool,  which  is  then  inserted 
into  the  vagina  with  the  object  of  occluding  the  external 
os.  We  have  already  considered  the  possible  harmful 
effects  of  the  chemical.  The  action  of  the  sponge  or 
tampon  remains  to  be  considered.  If  it  is  too  small  it 
may  obviously  be  pushed  into  one  of  the  fornices  and 
fail  to  cover  the  os.  If  it  is  large  enough  to  ensure  that 
the  whole  of  the  vault  is  protected,  its  bulk  usually  causes 
discomfort  and  interferes  with  sexual  satisfaction.  The 
physical  nature  of  an  animal  sponge  renders  it  difficult 
to  keep  clean.  If  this  method  is  to  be  used  at  all,  an 
artificial  rubber  sponge,  which  can  be  boiled,  or  a  cotton- 
wool tampon,  which  must  be  used  only  once,  is  preferable. 

There  are  a  number  of  contraceptive  instruments 
which  aim  at  mechanically  preventing  the  semen  from 
reaching  the  uterus.  The  first  of  these  is  the  condom, 
or  French  letter.  This  consists  of  a  sheath  of  rubber  or 
animal  gut,  which  fits  on  the  penis  and  receives  the 
seminal  fluid  at  emission.  These  can  be  obtained  in 
reliable  brands  at  moderate  cost,  and  if  tested  before  use 
by  blowing  up  with  air  or  filling  with  water  to  detect 
faults,  they  are  safe  and  harmless.  Many  persons, 
however,  find  that  they  diminish  sexual  satisfaction  so 
greatly  as  to  be  objectionable. 

Another  rubber  device  is  known  as  the  Female  Sheath. 
This  consists  of  a  stout  rubber  sheath,  which  is  pushed 
into  the  vagina,  and  which  has  a  sort  of  apron  to  cover 
the  external  female  genitals.  It  is  lubricated  inside  and 
out  before  use.  It  is  certainly  a  reliable  preventive,  but 
it  diminishes  sexual  pleasure  so  greatly  as  to  be  quite 
unsuitable  in  ordinary  cases. 

Persons  suffering  from  venereal  disease  should  abstain 
from  sexual  intercourse.  If  they  will  not  do  so,  they 
should  use  a  condom  or  a  female  sheath,  or  both. 

There  are  a  number  of  different  types  of  Intrauterine 
Pessaries.     The  first  is  known  as  the  "  Gold  Pin,"   '  Wish- 

T  2 


276    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

bone,''''  "  Butterfly "  or  "  Brooch  Piw."  It  is  usually 
made  of  gold  and  silver  or  gold  and  platinum.  The 
button  remains  in  the  vagina  outside  the  cervix,  while 
the  hollow  stem  occupies  the  canal  of  the  cervix  and  the 
uterine  cavity.  It  must  be  inserted  by  a  doctor.  As 
it  is  hollow  it  can  be  left  in  during  the  menstrual  period. 
It  is  left  in  for  six  or  twelve  months.  It  was  originally 
introduced  for  facilitating  impregnation  in  cases  of 
stenosis  of  the  cervix,  and  is  not  a  preventive  of  conception. 
Conception  often  takes  place  in  spite  of  it,  or  perhaps 
because  of  it,  and  if  the  pessary  is  not  soon  removed, 
abortion  follows.  The  cervix  is  kept  patent  by  it,  and 
the  way  is  thus  left  open  for  the  entry  of  septic  organisms 
from  the  exterior  which  may  reach  the  uterus  and  give 
rise  to  pathological  conditions.  The  use  of  this  instru- 
ment has  been  followed  by  abortion  and  by  inflammatory 
conditions.  It  is  not  a  reliable  contraceptive  ;  it  often 
acts  as  an  abortifacient,  and  in  my  opinion  it  is  a  dangerous 
instrument. 

In  Germany  a  much  cheaper  pessary,  consisting  of  a 
glass  button  with  strands  of  silkworm  gut  to  form  the 
stem,  is  used  for  the  same  purpose.  I  consider  it  is 
open  to  the  same  objections. 

There  are  several  slightly  differing  types  of  Stud  Pessary, 
made  of  gold,  silver,  aluminium,  bone,  ebonite,  or  other 
material.  The  base  of  the  stud  remains  in  the  vagina 
and  the  stem  occupies  the  cervical  canal,  and  protrudes 
more  or  less  into  the  uterine  cavity.  It  is  claimed  that 
the  stud  prevents  the  entry  of  spermatozoa  or  other 
matter  from  the  vagina,  but  permits  the  escape  of  the 
menstrual  fluid.  In  many  cases  these  instruments  have 
given  rise  to  inflammation,  discharges,  and  dysmenorrhea. 

There  is  a  tiny  Silver  Cap  which  fits  on  the  cervix  like 
a  thimble  on  the  finger.  The  correct  size  and  shape  must 
be  found  for  each  person,  it  is  difficult  to  introduce 
properly,  and  it  must  be  removed  and  replaced  at  each 
menstrual  period.  As  this  necessitates  a  visit  to  a  doctor 
every  month,  and  as  it  may  cause  irritation,  I  do  not 
advocate  this  method. 

There  is  a  tiny  Rubber  Cap  of  the  same  sort.  This  has 
much  the  same  defects. 

Then  there  is  the  Small  Check  Pessary.  This  is  a  small 
hemispherical  rubber  cap  with  a  thickened  rim.  The 
diaphragm  covers  and  fits  tightly  the  vaginal  portion  of 


CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  277 

the  cervix,  and  is  supposed  to  adhere  to  it  by  suction. 
It  is  made  in  three  sizes  and,  if  accurately  fitted  and  applied 
in  cases  for  which  it  is  suitable,  it  is  relatively  safe.  But 
in  my  experience  the  majority  of  women  find  it  extremely 
difficult  to  apply  correctly,  owing  to  the  distance  of  the 
cervix  from  the  vaginal  orifice  and  their  ignorance  of 
their  own  anatomy.  Indeed,  I  know  of  one  medical 
woman,  married  and  a  mother,  who,  even  with  her 
professional  knowledge  of  her  own  anatomy,  is  unable 
to  fit  it  in  herself.  Further,  if  the  cervix  is  much  scarred 
or  deformed  by  previous  pregnancies,  it  is  often  quite 
impossible  for  a  gynaecologist  to  fit  a  check  pessary. 

The  Mizpah  Pessary  is  a  little  better.  In  this  type  the 
cap  and  the  ring  are  separable,  but  the  principle  is  the 
same,  and  the  same  objections  apply,  though  perhaps  in 
slighter  degree.  Good  results  are  reported  from  America 
with  this  pessary. 

And  now,  lastly,  we  come  to  what  I  consider  to  be  the 
best  contraceptive  method  available.  These  are  the  two 
types  of  rubber  pessary  which  have  been  widely  used  in 
Holland  for  some  forty  years  past,  and  which  I  introduced, 
or  perhaps  re-introduced,  into  England  about  a  year  ago. 

The  Mensinga  Pessary  is  a  simple  rubber  ring  enclosing 
a  flat  watch  spring,  and  closed  by  a  rubber  diaphragm. 
It  is  introduced  preferably  so  that  the  convex  surface 
is  towards  the  cervix  and  the  concave  surface  towards 
the  vaginal  opening.  The  ring  rests  anteriorly  behind  the 
pubic  bone  and  posteriorly  on  the  back  wall  of  the  vagina, 
high  up.  Thus  the  whole  of  the  vault  of  the  vagina  is 
occluded  and  the  semen  denied  access  to  the  os.  The 
spring  and  the  muscular  walls  of  the  vagina  adapt  them- 
selves to  each  other  even  during  the  movements  of  coitus. 
Once  it  is  in  position  the  patient  is  not  conscious  of  its 
presence,  and  the  husband  would  not  know  it  was  there 
unless  he  were  told.  It  does  not  interfere  in  any  way 
with  the  normal  pleasure  of  intercourse.  It  is  made 
in  a  dozen  sizes,  varying  from  50  to  90  millimetres  in 
diameter.  It  is  essential  that  it  should  be  fitted  first 
by  a  medical  practitioner,  for  if  a  size  too  large  or  too 
small  is  used  it  will  not  protect  adequately.  Once  the 
patient  knows  the  right  size  and  has  been  shown  how  to 
place  it  in  position,  she  can  use  it  with  ease  and  security. 
It  may  be  inserted  during  the  afternoon  before  the  husband 
comes  home  from  work,  and  she  can  then  forget  about  it. 


278    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

If  intercourse  occurs  during  the  night,  she  need  not  get 
up  and  take  any  precautions,  but  may  go  to  sleep  without 
fear.  The  next  morning  she  should  douche  with  soapy 
water  or  any  other  simple  solution,  remove  the  pessary, 
and  douche  again.  This  method  has  been  used  in  Holland 
for  forty  years  with  a  very  small  percentage  of  failures, 
due  to  stupidity  or  carelessness,  and  I  myself  have  used 
it  in  nearly  200  cases  in  the  past  year  without  a  single 
failure,  either  among  my  private  patients  or  among  the 
less  intelligent  patients  at  the  welfare  centres.  In  a  few 
cases,  owing  to  perineal  deficiency  or  uterine  displacement, 
a  slightly  different  shape  of  pessary  on  the  same  principle, 
known  as  the  Matrisalus,  is  preferable. 

I  said  at  the  beginning  of  this  paper  that  this  method 
was  available  for  the  vast  majority  of  people,  and  that 
for  the  small  minority  another  alternative  existed.  The 
alternative  I  referred  to  is  permanent  sterilisation.  I  think 
that  all  people  who  can  be  determined  as  definitely  unfit 
for  parenthood,  e.g.,  the  insane,  the  epileptic,  the  hsemo- 
philic,  and  those  suffering  from  any  other  disease  which 
would  probably  be  transmitted  to,  or  would  seriously 
damage  the  offspring,  should  certainly  be  sterilised. 
Women  suffering  from  diseases  which  would  be  seriously 
aggravated  by  pregnancy  should  also  be  sterilised.  I 
believe  that  the  time  will  come  when  all  but  the  very 
lowest  intellectual  grades  will  be  using  Birth  Control,  and 
that  then  the  great  majority  will  say  to  the  small  minority, 
"  If  you  are  too  stupid  or  too  lazy  to  use  contraceptives 
in  the  interest  of  society,  then  society  compels  you  to 
submit  to  sterilisation,  so  that  you  may  no  longer  con- 
taminate the  race." 

I  understand  that  sterilisation  may  be  effected  by 
X-rays,  but  the  questions  of  dosage,  duration  of  effect, 
and  possible  damage  to  offspring  propagated  after  the 
return  of  fecundity,  have  not  yet  been  worked  out.  At 
present  this  method  is  uncertain. 

The  method  which  I  advocate  and  which  I  practise  at 
the  request  of  the  patient  in  suitable  cases  is  surgical 
sterilisation.  In  the  male  this  is  effected  by  removing 
an  inch  or  two  of  the  vas  deferens  on  each  side.  An 
incision  is  made  in  the  scrotum,  or  over  the  external 
inguinal  ring.  The  spermatic  cord  is  drawn  out  of  the 
wound,  the  vas  deferens  isolated,  tied  in  two  places  an 
inch  or  two  apart,  and  the  intervening  piece  cut  out.     All 


CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  279 

vessels  and  nerves,  even  the  most  delicate,  should  be 
preserved,  as  their  destruction  may  lead  to  damage  of 
the  testicle.  By  this  procedure,  sterilisation  of  the  male 
can  be  easily,  safely,  and  effectively  carried  out  without 
any  bad  influence  on  the  general  health  or  sexual  life. 
The  patient's  desire,  potency  and  pleasure  are  undi- 
minished. He  still  has  an  ejaculation  at  orgasm,  but  the 
ejaculate  consists  of  the  secretions  of  the  prostate  and 
other  accessory  sexual  glands  and  contains  no  spermatozoa. 
Steinach  and  his  followers  have  claimed  that  in  a  very 
large  number  of  cases  this  operation  is  followed  by  an 
improvement  in  the  general  health,  and  my  own  experi- 
ence, though  small,  corroborates  this. 

The  female  is  best  sterilised  by  removal  of  the  Fallopian 
tubes  through  a  mid-line  incision.  This  operation  of 
double  salpingectomy  has  no  ill-effect  on  the  general 
health  or  the  sexual  life,  and  the  menstrual  cycle  remains 
unaffected. 

It  may  appear  to  some  unnecessary  to  labour  the  point, 
but  as  I  know  that  most  people,  and  even  many  medical 
men  and  women,  think  one  means  castration  or  double 
ovariotomy  when  one  speaks  of  sterilisation,  I  wish  to 
emphasise  the  fact  that  surgical  sterilisation  need  only 
mean  vasectomy  or  salpingectomy,  and  that  it  need  in 
no  way  unsex  the  patient. 

In  many  of  the  States  of  the  American  Union  this 
operation  is  prescribed  or  permitted  by  law,  and  is  carried 
out  in  State  institutions  on  habitual  criminals  of  certain 
types,  and  on  incurably  insane  persons,  after  a  duly 
thorough  examination  and  consultation  by  expert  autho- 
rities. To  my  knowledge  some  4,500  cases  have  been 
done  in  this  way  with  satisfactory  results.  In  this  country 
it  is  legal  if  carried  out  at  the  patient's  request,  and  in 
my  own  practice  I  have  had  an  epileptic,  a  person  who 
had  formerly  been  insane,  and  an  incurable  alcoholic 
among  the  men  who  spontaneously  came  to  me  for 
sterilisation.  In  the  case  of  women  sterilisation  is,  of 
course,  much  less  unusual,  and  therefore  far  less  repugnant 
to  the  average  medical  practitioner. 

Two  points  remain  to  be  touched  on.  It  has  been  said 
by  some  people  that  in  normal  sexual  intercourse  the 
woman  absorbs  through  the  vaginal  mucous  membrane 
certain  unknown  substances  from  the  semen  which  are 
beneficial  to  her.     As  evidence  in  support  of  this,  one 


280    FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

prominent  non-medical  writer  on  the  subject  announces 
that  she  found  that  if  iodine  was  placed  in  the  vagina 
traces  of  it  could  be  discovered  in  the  saliva  soon  after- 
wards. This  is  no  proof  whatever.  Iodine  is  a  proto- 
plasmic poison  and  may  act  on  the  vaginal  cells  in  such 
a  way  as  to  overcome  their  resistance  so  that  it  is  absorbed. 
Semen  is  not  a  protoplasmic  poison.  While  we  do  not 
deny  the  possibility  of  such  an  absorption,  we  can  state 
quite  definitely  that  at  present  this  theory  is  purely 
fanciful  and  unsupported  by  any  evidence. 

A  suggestion  worthy  of  deeper  consideration  has  been 
made  by  Thompson,  who  considers  that  absorption  of 
the  semen,  in  whole  or  part,  may  occur  through  the 
mucous  membrane  of  the  uterus.  He  points  out  that  it 
is  much  more  probable  that  absorption  should  occur 
from  this  epithelium  than  from  the  squamous  epithelium 
of  the  vagina,  and  he  quotes  microscopical  appearances 
which,  in  his  opinion,  support  his  hypothesis. 

The  other  point,  the  psychological  effects  of  contra- 
ceptive methods,  is  one  which  we  must  leave  to  the 
psychologists. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  urge  upon  you  the  necessity  for 
the  serious  study  of  contraception,  and  for  much  research 
and  experiment  in  this  field.  I  would  remind  you  that 
there  is  a  Welfare  Centre  for  Prematernity,  Maternity 
and  Child  Welfare,  at  East  Street,  Walworth,  which  was 
founded  by  the  Malthusian  League,  and  of  which  I  am  in 
charge,  where  every  married  woman  requesting  it  is 
instructed  in  a  safe  and  hygienic  method  of  Birth  Control. 
I  would  impress  upon  you  the  need  for  other  such  centres  in 
other  districts,  not  only  for  the  relief  of  over-prolific  families, 
but  also  as  places  for  study  of  this  important  question. 

I  am  anxious  to  form  a  Medical  Society  for  the  Study 
of  Contraception,  and  I  invite  any  of  you  who  would  care 
to  join  such  a  society  to  communicate  with  me  either  at 
the  close  of  the  meeting  or  later.* 

Sir  Arbuthnot  Lane  :  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  I  think 
all  I  can  do  is  to  congratulate  the  reader  of  the  paper  on 
the  excellent  way  in  which  he  has  put  this  subject  before 
us.  I  think  the  subject  is  one  of  enormous  interest,  and, 
although  I  have  had  little  practical  experience  myself, 
I  think  one's  philanthropic  instincts  make  one  support  a 

*  Dr.  Norman  Haire's  address  is  71,  Harley  Street,  London,  W.  1,  England. 


CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  281 

man  who  is  doing  such  magnificent  work  for  the  benefit 
of  humanity.  I  only  differ  from  him  in  this  point,  that 
I  am  sure  material  is  absorbed  through  the  vagina.  If  a 
woman  has  not  got  prostatic  secretion  in  the  ordinary  way, 
and  you  give  her  prostatic  extract  by  the  mouth,  you  get 
the  same  result  which  is  evidenced  by  changes  in  her 
breast.  I  have  little  or  no  practical  knowledge  of  this 
subject,  but  I  think  we  shall  be  glad  to  hear  the  opinions 
of  the  many  expert  people  present. 

Dr.  Leonard  Myer  :  I  support  Sir  Arbuthnot  Lane. 
Twenty  years  ago  he  said  the  same  thing,  when  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  dressing  for  him. 

Dr.  M.  I.  Finucane  :  I  listened  with  great  interest  to 
the  paper,  but  what  struck  me  throughout  was  the  absolute 
ineffectiveness  of  all  these  methods  which  you  have 
described,  and  also,  what  is  more  important  from  a 
doctor's  point  of  view,  the  absolutely  harmful  effect  of 
them.  So  far  as  I  can  see,  you  described  no  method 
which  you  can  say  is  absolutely  effective  in  producing 
Birth  Control,  and  I  think  every  one  is  in  itself  harmful. 
How  any  medical  man  can  justify  the  use  of  them  in  those 
circumstances  I  do  not  know. 

The  Chairman  :  I  apparently  did  not  make  myself 
clear.  I  am  of  opinion — and  I  thought  I  made  it  clear 
I  was  of  that  opinion — that  the  rubber  pessary  which  I 
spoke  of  last,  the  Dutch  rubber  pessary,  or  the  other  one — 
the  two  types  of  Dutch  rubber  pessary — are  as  near  per- 
fection as  we  can  expect  to  get.  They  are  available, 
without  any  fear  of  unreliability,  to  all  people — I  was 
going  to  say  of  average  intelligence,  but  it  applies  to  people 
of  far  below  average  intelligence.  Any  woman,  any 
intelligent  individual,  could  use  the  Dutch  pessary.  Any 
woman  not  intelligent  enough  to  use  it,  after  having  been 
shown  by  a  doctor,  must  be  classed,  I  think,  as  slightly 
mentally  deficient.  I  am  not  able  to  discover  any  harm- 
ful effects  of  the  Dutch  pessary  at  all.  If  you  can  tell  us 
any,  we  should  be  glad  to  know.  What  harmful  effects 
has  it  ? 

Dr.  Finucane  :  I  thought  this  paper  this  afternoon 
excluded  discussion  of  the  general  subject  of  Birth  Control, 
and  that  we  were  confined  to  contraceptive  technique. 
I  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  attending  other  sessions  of 
the  Conference,  or  I  should  have  been  quite  prepared 
to  say  something  against  the  whole  subject ;    but  you 


2S2    FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

opened  your  paper  by  excluding  anything  like  a  question- 
ing of  the  general  subject  at  all.  All  you  proposed  to 
discuss,  I  think,  were  these  various  methods,  and  I  only 
suggest  that,  on  your  own  showing,  none  of  these  methods 
are  effective  ;  and  I  think  I  gathered — I  may  be  wrong — 
that  some,  or  most,  of  them  were  absolutely  harmful. 

The  Chairman  :   Exactly  ! 

Dr.  Finucane  :  I  say  that  generally,  and  should  be 
prepared  to  prove  it,  I  think,  amongst  medical  men,  if  I 
had  time.  As  to  that  particular  method  you  speak  of, 
this  Dutch  affair,  or  whatever  it  is,  I  should  say,  speaking 
generally  as  a  medical  man  with  a  good  deal  of  experience 
of  general  practice,  and  special  practice  too  with  regard 
to  the  psychology  of  people,  that  it  was  extremely  harm- 
ful. I  say,  speaking  generally.  I  should  like  to  hear 
from  other  members  of  the  audience  who  are  experts, 
dealing  with  such  cases  every  day,  whether  that  is  so  or 
not.  I  appeal  to  my  medical  brethren  to  say  whether  any 
method  of  Birth  Control  is  not  harmful,  above  everything 
to  the  woman.  By  your  paper  I  am  debarred  from 
entering  into  the  general  question,  but  on  your  own  show- 
ing to-day,  from  the  paper  you  have  just  read,  you  have 
made  out  to  me  that  that  is  so.  You  have  not  produced 
evidence,  which  any  person  with  a  logical  mind  would 
demand,  that  the  methods  you  have  used  do  not  fail  in 
their  effectiveness.  All  of  them,  not  only  on  your  own 
showing,  but  from  my  personal  experience,  are  absolutely 
harmful. 

The  Chairman  :  I  intended  to  say  that  all  methods 
are  imperfect,  in  my  opinion,  except  the  Dutch  pessary, 
but  you  still  have  not  told  us,  sir,  why  you  consider  the 
Dutch  pessary  harmful.  When  I  said  we  were  not  here 
to  discuss  the  rights  and  wrongs  of  Birth  Control,  I  said 
that  because  this  is  a  discussion  on  contraceptive  technique 
— anything  that  applies  to  the  methods  of  Birth  Control 
from  the  medical  aspect,  but  not  from  the  moral  or 
economic  aspect.  We  have  no  time  to  discuss  that,  but 
anything  which  is  germane  to  the  subject  we  want  to  hear. 
Dr.  Stoddart  will  tell  us  what  he  thinks  of  it  as  a  psycho- 
logist. He  told  us  this  morning  at  the  Medical  Section 
and  will  now  kindly  repeat  it. 

Dr.  W.  H.  B.  Stoddart  :  The  point  to  which  I  wish 
to  refer  is  the  effect  upon  the  patient,  upon  the  individual, 
of  the  various  methods  of  Birth  Control,  and  I  think  one 


CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  283 

answer  to  Dr.  Finucane  is  that  some  people  adopt  methods 
of  Birth  Control  to  prevent  pregnancy  which  are  distinctly 
harmful  to  them.  I  refer  especially  to  coitus  interruptus, 
and  I  think  the  medical  profession  should  be  able  to  give 
advice  respecting  Birth  Control,  so  that  people  should  not 
employ  harmful  methods. 

The  various  methods  are  abstinence,  coitus  interruptus 
and  the  use  of  contraceptives.  Abstinence  does  no  harm 
in  the  absence  of  sexual  stimulus,  as,  for  example,  when  a 
husband  and  wife  occupy  separate  bedrooms  ;  but  if  they 
lie  in  contact  with  one  another  there  is  sexual  stimulus. 
Perhaps  the  stimulus  may  be  unconscious  and  unrecog- 
nised, but  it  does  occur  and  it  is  not  gratified.  I  mentioned 
this  morning  a  case  that  came  before  me  during  the  war. 
The  man  applied  to  me  for  a  certificate  of  exemption. 
Certainly  he  deserved  exemption.  He  suffered  from 
anxiety  neurosis.  The  practice  between  him  and  his  wife 
was  that  they  should  live  a  purely  spiritual  life  ;  that  they 
should  sleep  in  bed  with  one  another,  but  that  their  love 
should  be  purely  spiritual,  and  that  there  should  be  no 
sexual  connection.  The  result  was  that  they  were  both 
extremely  nervous,  both  suffering  from  severe  anxiety 
neurosis,  and  it  would  have  been  positively  cruel  to  send 
this  man  to  the  war  under  those  circumstances. 

Coitus  interruptus  has  the  same  effect  as  abstinence  in 
the  circumstances  I  have  described,  and  I  have  many 
cases  among  my  out-patients  at  St.  Thomas's  Hospital 
suffering  from  anxiety  neurosis.  In  every  case,  the  cause 
is  coitus  interruptus.  That  is  an  exceptional  thing  to  be 
able  to  say  on  a  medical  matter — that  there  is  one  definite 
disease  always  produced  by  one  definite  cause,  and  one 
definite  cause  invariably  causing  that  one  disease.  In  this 
particular  case  it  is  so. 

I  will  come  to  contraceptives  later,  although  what  I 
have  to  say  has  perhaps  already  been  said.  What  is  the 
mental  attitude  of  these  people  ?  What  is  their  psycho- 
logy ?  They  experience  a  desire  which  they  do  not  wish 
to  feel,  and  what  happens  in  the  mind  when  that  state  of 
affairs  occurs  is  that  the  desire  is  "  put  out  of  the  mind,"  as 
it  is  popularly  expressed  ;  but  as  we  psychologists  put  it, 
we  say  the  desire  is  "  pushed  deeper  into  the  mind  "  really. 
That  is,  it  is  repressed  into  the  unconscious  and  replaced 
in  consciousness  by  its  opposite — its  opposite  being  fear, 
dread  and  anxiety.     That  is  the  conscious  attitude  of 


284     FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

these  people,  that  they  suffer  from  constant  fear,  dread  or 
anxiety.  It  is  a  psychological  fact  that  any  emotion  may 
be  detached  from  the  original  idea  which  gave  rise  to  it, 
and  be  attached  subsequently  to  other  ideas.  That  is  to 
say,  an  effect  may  be  floating  about  loose,  so  to  speak. 
The  result  is  that  these  people  become  frightened  of  all 
sorts  of  things — frightened  of  a  closed  room,  knives,  water, 
and  even  if  the  postman  comes  with  a  letter  they  are 
frightened  that  it  may  contain  bad  news. 

That  is  their  mental  attitude,  but  there  are  a  large 
number  of  physical  signs  of  anxiety  neurosis — the  physical 
signs  arising  from  secretion  of  the  endocrines.  There  is  an 
affection  of  practically  every  system  of  the  body.  One  has 
known  people  suffer  from  attacks  of  unconsciousness. 
Even  fits  and  hallucinations  accompany  fear.  In  the 
circulatory  system  we  have  cardiac  attacks  and  palpita- 
tion. In  the  respiratory  system,  there  is  difficulty  of 
respiration,  attacks  of  asthma  and  attacks  of  air  hunger. 
In  the  alimentary  system  we  have  disturbances  of  diges- 
tion and  constipation,  sometimes  diarrhoea  and  sickness. 
In  the  urinary  system  people  suffer  from  frequency  of 
micturition.  There  are  not  all  the  symptoms  in  the  same 
patient,  but  some  in  one,  some  in  another.  I  have  seen  a 
case  of  goitre  in  a  man  who  practised  coitus  interruptus. 
It  disappeared  as  soon  as  his  sexual  life  was  regulated.  I 
took  the  trouble  in  one  case  to  count  the  number  of 
symptoms  of  anxiety  neurosis.  They  numbered  seventy- 
three — almost  all  physical  signs.  There  is  one  particular 
symptom  or  sign  I  have  been  rather  interested  in  lately, 
and  that  is  that  anxiety  neurosis  is  liable  to  give  rise  to 
visceroptosis,  but  where  this  takes  place,  as  Cannon  has 
shown,  there  is  filtration  of  much  adrenalin  into  the 
circulation.  The  effect  of  adrenalin  is  to  stimulate  the 
sympathetic.  It  closes  the  pylorus  and  inhibits  peris- 
talsis. The  result  is  dilatation  of  the  stomach.  A  dilated 
stomach  is  liable  to  be  missed  unless  you  look  for  it,  and 
where  the  trouble  is  caused  by  coitus  interruptus  you  will 
find  the  dilated  stomach.  And  it  is  not  merely  dilated, 
because  in  several  known  examples  X-rays  show  that  the 
stomach  descends  into  the  pelvis.  The  result  is  that  the 
transverse  colon  descends  also,  because  at  the  hepatic 
end  it  is  held  by  the  transverse  meso-colon  only.  It  is 
held  by  the  costo-colic  ligament  at  the  other  end.  The 
ascending  colon  comes  to  the  pelvis,  dragging  the  kidney 


CONTRACEPTIVE   SECTION  285 

out  of  its  bed  at  the  same  time.  That  is  why  a  floating 
kidney  is  associated  with  neurosis.  It  used  to  be  a  puzzle 
why  a  floating  kidney  caused  neurosis.  It  is  not  the 
floating  kidney  which  causes  neurosis,  but  the  neurosis 
which  causes  the  mobile  kidney.  The  result  is  that  the 
patient  suffers  from  fatigue,  pain  in  the  back,  and  it  gives 
rise  to  all  sorts  of  kinks.  It  gives  rise  also  to  constipation, 
so  much  so  that  occasionally  an  operation  becomes 
necessary.  At  any  rate,  the  condition  so  produced 
requires  special  treatment. 

Now  just  a  word  with  regard  to  the  effect  of  contra- 
ceptives. It  is  said  that  the  methods  of  Birth  Control 
are  harmful.  Are  contraceptives  harmful  ?  In  some  cases 
it  would  appear  they  are,  because  I  have  come  across  some 
cases  of  anxiety  neurosis  occurring  in  patients  using  them 
— quite  a  few  as  compared  with  the  others,  but  still  some 
cases.  It  is  usually  the  female,  by  the  way,  although 
sometimes  the  male.  In  these  cases,  always  the  female 
suffers  from  anxiety  neurosis,  although  she  has  experi- 
enced gratification  on  each  occasion  of  sexual  stimulation. 
During  coitus  she  has  experienced  gratification,  but  a 
contraceptive  has  invariably  been  used,  and  according 
to  Professor  Thompson,  we  may  conclude  that  the  uterine 
mucous  membrane  does  absorb  semen.  Five  grammes  are 
injected  into  the  vagina,  although  there  is  sometimes  an 
escape.  It  is  certain  the  whole  of  the  5  grammes  does  not 
escape.  What  becomes  of  it  ?  It  must  be  absorbed 
somewhere.  If  it  is  absorbed,  has  it  any  effect  ?  Professor 
Thompson  mentions  the  fact  that  after  a  first  coitus, 
perhaps  after  coitus  on  several  occasions,  the  thyroid  is 
enlarged,  showing  that  there  is  some  general  effect  on 
the  female,  and  Sir  Arbuthnot  Lane  has  referred  to  the 
effect  on  the  breasts.  Whereas  they  are  liable  to  become 
"  nobbly  "  in  the  absence  of  prostatic  fluid  being  injected 
into  the  uterus,  they  remain  soft  if  the  woman  does 
receive  prostatic  fluid.  There  is  a  curious  confirmatory 
piece  of  evidence  with  regard  to  this.  Probably  all  of 
you  have  heard  of  the  Abderhalden  reaction,  which  is  a 
reaction  between  the  serum  of  a  person  and  certain 
tissues.  The  Abderhalden  reaction  is  employed  for 
determining  whether  a  given  endocrine  is  in  excess.  It  is 
not  generally  known  that  there  is  a  reaction  for  coitus. 
Within  twenty-four  hours  after  coitus  the  female  blood 
gives  a  certain  positive  reaction,  and  that  reaction  does 


286     FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

not  take  place  if  a  contraceptive  has  been  used.  It  does 
not  take  place  unless  the  semen  has  been  absorbed  by 
the  female.  Those  are  a  few  of  the  remarks  which  I 
made  at  this  morning's  meeting. 

Another  point  to  which  I  did  not  refer  this  morning 
is  the  effect  upon  the  voice.  Professor  Thompson  men- 
tions that  singing  teachers  have  told  him  that  the  female 
voice  does  not  obtain  its  full  richness  until  after  coitus 
has  taken  place,  and  I  have  heard  there  is  every  con- 
firmatory evidence  of  that.  I  do  not  think  there  is  any- 
thing more  I  want  to  say. 

Dr.  C.  Killick  Millard  :  I  think  it  was  very  wise  to 
limit  this  discussion  to  the  purely  medical  aspect  of  the 
subject.  There  has  been  plenty  of  opportunity  at  the 
other  meetings  to  discuss  the  other  aspects,  but  there  is 
little  opportunity  in  this  country  to  approach  the  medical 
aspect,  and  I  think  it  would  have  been  disastrous  to  allow 
the  opportunity  to  be  frittered  away.  There  are  so  many 
medical  problems  awaiting  solution,  which  have  been 
so  sadly  neglected  in  the  past,  that  it  is  high  time  we 
addressed  ourselves  to  them.  Whatever  view  you  may 
hold  about  the  ethics  of  Birth  Control,  a  large  section 
of  the  public  want  and  mean  to  have  Birth  Control,  and 
if  the  medical  profession  will  not  advise  them  they  will 
go  outside  the  medical  profession.  It  is  for  us  to  be  in  a 
position  to  give  them  the  information  which  they  look 
to  us  to  afford.  Unless  we  discuss  it  scientifically,  how 
can  we  give  them  the  information  ? 

A  year  ago  I  brought  this  question  before  a  local 
medical  society  in  my  own  town  to  get  light  and  informa- 
tion. I  found  the  medical  profession  only  knew  as 
much  as  was  general  knowledge,  and  not  more.  I  consider 
the  address  we  have  had  from  the  Chairman  to-day  is 
of  the  utmost  value.  It  is,  as  far  as  I  know,  the  first 
serious  attempt  to  approach  the  question  in  a  scientific 
spirit. 

I  could  not  understand  Dr.  Finucane  saying  that  the 
Chairman,  on  his  own  showing,  had  admitted  the  methods 
were  injurious.  Dr.  Haire  said  nothing  of  the  kind.  He 
said  that  some  of  the  methods  were  unsatisfactory  and 
some  might  be  injurious,  but  he  certainly  did  not  say  they 
were  all  injurious.  On  the  contrary,  one  method  he 
specially  singled  out,  which  he  said  he  considered  as  nearly 
perfect  as  possible.     There  was  one  other  method  which 


CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  287 

Dr.  Haire  did  not  say  was  injurious  ;  all  he  said  was  that 
it  was  objected  to.  That  is  a  very  different  thing,  and 
that  is  the  method  I  will  refer  to  directly. 

I  may  say  that  I  have  recently  issued  a  questionnaire 
to  a  number  of  leading  gynecologists  in  this  country, 
medical  men  and  women  of  eminence,  to  find  out  the 
opinion  of  the  profession  on  this  question.  I  did  not 
expect  to  get  very  definite  light,  because  I  know  how  this 
question  has  been  neglected.  I  expected,  of  course,  to 
get  something  useful  from  Dr.  Haire,  who  has  been  giving 
special  study  to  the  subject.  Out  of  sixty-five  replies 
I  have  received  to  date  an  analysis  comes  out  as 
follows.  I  asked  whether  they  approved  of  the  use  of 
contraceptives,  and  a  very  large  majority  answered 
"  Yes  "  ;  some  said  "  Emphatically."  To  the  question 
"  Do  you  approve  of  married  couples  using  contraceptive 
methods  to  limit  the  size  of  the  family  '  thirty -seven 
answered  "  Yes  "  without  qualification,  thirteen  answered 
"  No,"  and  fourteen  gave  qualified  approval.  They  said, 
"  Only  after  one  child  or  two  children."  In  six  cases  they 
said,  "  On  health  grounds  only."  A  very  large  majority — 
three  to  one — was  in  favour  of  these  methods.  That  is  to 
say,  the  majority  of  leading  doctors  in  this  country, 
specially  qualified  to  answer  this  question,  are  in  favour 
of  the  use  of  contraceptives.  That  surely  justifies  us  in 
going  on  with  this  investigation. 

Then  I  asked  what  method  or  methods  they  considered, 
on  the  whole,  to  be  most  satisfactory,  and  I  want  to  repeat 
that  I  do  not  suggest  they  were  as  well  qualified  to  answer 
that  question.  Many  said  they  had  given  little  attention 
to  it,  as  Sir  Arbuthnot  Lane  said,  and  probably  they  were 
speaking  from  general  knowledge  ;  but,  still,  eighteen 
voted  for  the  condom,  five  for  the  condom  or  some  alterna- 
tive method,  that  is,  twenty-three  in  favour  of  the 
condom.  Eight  voted  for  quinine  pessaries,  three  for 
the  occlusive  pessary,  and  only  one  for  the  occlusive 
pessary  plus  the  quinine  pessary,  as  advocated  by  a 
distinguished  lady  whose  name  I  need  not  mention. 
Therefore,  I  say,  if  we  do  not  take  up  this  question,  the 
inevitable  result  will  be  that  the  laity  will  settle  it  them- 
selves. As  you  have  seen,  a  large  majority  voted  for  the 
condom.  That  is  the  method  which  Dr.  Haire  did  not 
say  was  ineffective  or  injurious,  but  merely  said  was 
objected  to  by  a  large  number  of  people.     But  I  think  we 


288    FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL   CONFERENCE 

are  bound  to  admit,  as  medical  men,  that  it  is  the  most 
effective  method  of  all.  I  venture  to  say  it  is  more 
effective  than  the  occlusive  pessary.  I  may  be  mistaken, 
but  I  suggest  it  is  the  most  effective  method.  It  is 
definite,  and  it  is  very  suitable  in  the  case  of  the  large 
class  of  men  who  are  not  quite  certain  whether  they  are 
cured  of  an  old-standing  gonorrhoea.  Surely,  in  a  case 
like  that,  where  there  is  a  remote  chance  that  the  gonor- 
rhoea may  return  and  infect  the  wife,  that  would  be  a 
justification  for  selecting  the  condom  rather  than  any 
other  method  ?  It  is  said  that  men  object  to  it ;  but  one 
must  recognise  that  Birth  Control  involves  self-control 
and  self-denial.  People  must  be  prepared  to  make  some 
sacrifice  in  this  matter,  and  the  majority  of  thinking 
people  are  prepared  to  make  some  sacrifice.  They 
recognise  that  it  is  not  right  to  bring  possibly  diseased 
and  defective  children  into  the  world.  They  recognise 
that  it  is  not  right  to  incur  responsibilities  which  there 
seems  no  reasonable  probability  of  their  being  able  to 
meet.  Therefore,  they  wish  to  restrict  the  size  of  their 
family,  and  they  say  :  "  We  want  a  reliable  method 
which  is  not  injurious  ;  we  do  not  mind  a  little  incon- 
venience or  expense." 

I  suggest  that  we  want  two  alternative  methods,  one 
essentially  for  the  male  and  one  essentially  for  the  female. 
It  is  no  use  recommending  a  male  method  to  the  wife 
when  the  husband  perhaps  will  not  be  bothered.  When 
the  man  does  not  wish  to  bother  his  wife,  I  suggest  the 
condom  is  the  proper  method  for  us  to  recommend. 
There  is  one  objection  to  the  condom  we  want  to  clear  up, 
and  that  is  the  point  recently  raised  by  Professor  Thomp- 
son. If  it  is  true,  as  he  suggests,  that  the  female  is  being 
deprived  of  something  which  is  beneficial  to  her,  and  that 
would  be  the  case  if  his  theory  is  correct  about  absorption, 
that  would  be  an  objection  to  the  condom.  Many 
people  would  say  the  disadvantage  can  be  no  less,  or  little 
less,  than  entire  abstinence  from  sexual  intercourse,  but 
that  is  a  point  that  wants  clearing  up.  I  am  not  in  a 
position  to  do  that ;  I  am  only  a  medical  officer  of  health. 
It  is  a  question  which  physiologists  and  gynaecologists 
want  to  address  themselves  to — whether  the  deprivation 
of  the  male  seminal  fluid  is  really  detrimental  to  the 
woman  in  this  matter. 

Dr.    Abraham   Wallace  :    As  an  old  student  of  this 


CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  289 

subject,  I  wish  to  offer  my  congratulations  to  Dr.  Haire 
and  to  congratulate  the  audience,  especially  the  younger 
members  of  it,  on  having  had  such  an  experience  as 
listening  to  this  paper.  I  have  been  a  student  of  this 
subject  for  thirty-five  years,  and  I  wish  the  President 
of  the  Congress  were  here  to-day,  that  I  might  congratulate 
him,  the  celebrated  son  of  an  equally  celebrated  man, 
Dr.  Charles  Drysdale,  who  many  years  ago  earned 
the  scorn  of  a  host  of  people.  If  he  could  see  to-day 
such  a  company  of  medical  men  to  listen  to  this  excellent 
paper,  he  would  be  very  pleased  indeed.  I  also  see 
Dr.  Dunlop  on  the  platform,  the  son  of  an  old  fellow- 
professor,  and  I  should  like  to  congratulate  him  as  the 
Medical  Secretary  of  this  Conference.  I  have  been  able 
on  one  or  two  occasions  to  come  to  the  sectional  meetings, 
and  I  wish  the  gentleman  on  my  left  (Dr.  Finucane)  had 
been  present.  He  would  have  learned  something  about 
these  things. 

I  have  used  these  methods  for  many  years,  but  you 
cannot  form  an  opinion  from  general  statements.  Almost 
every  case  must  be  considered  on  its  own  basis,  and  while 
I  congratulate  the  reader  of  the  paper  on  his  generalisation 
with  reference  to  the  various  methods  of  contraception, 
I  think  you  must  consider  each  case.  I  hope  the  young 
men  here — and  I  rejoice  to  see  so  many  of  them — have 
learned  something  from  the  excellent  paper. 

There  is  one  point,  sir,  that  you  did  not  bring  forward, 
and  that  is  that  we  sometimes  have  cases  where  women 
are  anxious  to  have  children,  and  yet  we  use  contraceptive 
means.  That  seems  a  paradox.  I  have  had  many  cases 
where  women  have  been  subjected  to  repeated  abortions, 
and  if  you  tell  the  husbands  that  some  means  ought  to  be 
taken,  they  do  not  adopt  it  ;  but  if  you  have  the  power 
of  putting  on  one  of  the  check  pessaries,  after  a  time 
you  take  it  off,  and  the  woman  conceives  and  bears  a 
child.  That  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  aspects  of 
the  case. 

Dr.  W.  H.  B.  Stoddart  :  I  omitted  to  mention  a  point 
in  connection  with  the  treatment  of  those  cases  of  anxiety 
neurosis  which  are  due  to  the  use  of  contraceptives.  The 
treatment  I  have  adopted  is  to  administer  prostatic 
extract  and  orchitic  extract  in  tabloid  form  by  the  mouth, 
with  the  result  that  the  patients  recover. 

Dr.  Huxley  :    I  think  Dr.  Haire's  paper  is  excellent, 

B.C.  U 


290    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

and  covers  the  whole  of  the  ground  which  has  to  be 
covered  at  the  moment.  I  do  think  it  extremely  desirable 
that  a  method  of  security  should  be  available,  both  for 
the  husband  and  for  the  wife.  The  condom  is  safe  for 
the  husband,  but  I  have  not  yet  used  the  Dutch  pessary 
at  all. 

Then  I  think  any  woman  using  contraceptive  methods 
must  have  personal  help,  because  the  anatomical  structure 
is  so  different  in  different  women.  With  regard  to  the 
Dutch  pessary,  I  should  have  thought  there  was  a  loophole 
there,  because  in  fitting  any  ordinary  ring  pessary  one 
knows  there  is  often  rather  a  gap  in  front  between  the 
rim  and  the  symphysis.  If  you  make  it  so  tight  that  the 
ring  fits  against  the  symphysis,  there  is  often  discomfort 
from  the  ring  itself.  I  should  have  thought  there  was 
sufficient  gap  there  to  be  a  danger  to  the  patient,  although 
Dr.  Haire  says  it  is  not.  If  it  is  fitted  by  a  doctor 
and  practised  by  the  patient,  I  can,  however,  understand 
that  it  is  quite  successful  in  many  cases. 

Lord  Dawson  :  I  disapprove  of  bringing  the  subject 
of  venereal  disease  into  this  discussion.  Contraceptive 
methods  should  stand  or  fall  as  between  normal  healthy 
people  ;  carriers  of  the  gonococcus  require  separate  con- 
sideration. As  to  methods  of  contraception,  no  ideal 
method  has  yet  been  discovered.  The  best  method  in 
any  individual  case  depends  on  the  degree  of  importance 
of  prevention  of  conception.  If  absolute  security  be 
desired  the  only  way  of  securing  it  is,  in  my  opinion,  the 
use  of  the  penile  sheath.  An  important  criterion  by 
which  to  judge  a  method  is  whether  it  is  troublesome  to 
apply,  as  in  this  case  it  will  often  be  imperfectly  applied, 
and  will  fail.  Some  medical  women  have  assured  me  that 
it  is  possible  to  find  a  pessary  which  can  be  fitted  easily 
over  the  cervix  and  be  made  secure  when  applied,  but  I 
cannot  help  feeling  sceptical  on  this  point.  Many  women 
have  an  almost  sessile  os  uteri.  The  existence  of  tubal 
pregnancies  proves  how  small  an  aperture  can  be  nego- 
tiated by  a  spermatozoon,  and  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  a 
pessary  fitting  so  exactly  that  no  crevice  or  chink  would 
ever  allow  of  the  passage  of  spermatozoa.  The  incidence 
of  conception  may  well  be  reduced  by  this  means  ;  but 
some  men  are  so  fertile,  or  so  well  mated,  that  this  method 
of  contraception  would  surely  fail  on  occasion.  Another 
side  of  the  question  is  the  strong  psychical  element  in  the 


CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  291 

sex  act,  which  can  only  be  neglected  at  peril.  Some  men 
consider  it  a  pure  physical  act,  and  others  go  so  far  as  to 
convert  it  into  a  reflex  act,  an  attitude  fatal  to  married 
happiness.  Many  women  are  very  sensitive,  and  all 
must  have  their  desire  provoked  psychically.  Any 
elaborate  preparation  or  effort  will  often  suffice  to  crush 
out  all  sentiment,  and  some  women  find  the  insertion  of  a 
pessary  some  hours  before  anticipated  intercourse  dis- 
tasteful enough  to  produce  this  effect.  Soluble  quinine 
pessaries  have  the  great  advantage  that  they  are  so  easy 
to  use.  Many  marriages  have  been  wrecked  for  want  of 
understanding  of  the  woman's  attitude  ;  she  needs  wooing 
afresh  on  each  occasion.  The  use  of  the  sheath  involves 
a  measure  of  sacrifice.  The  man  has  to  pause  before 
proceeding  to  physical  consummation.  This  effort  of 
self-control  comes  early  enough  to  be  feasible,  and  both 
man  and  woman  can  without  let  or  hindrance,  or  anxiety, 
enter  into  that  complete  abandonment  which  is  essential 
to  the  complete  realisation  of  the  sex  act.  With  coitus 
interruptus,  on  the  other  hand,  the  strain  of  control  at  the 
wrong  time  is  bad  physically  and  psychically.  Reci- 
procity is  impossible  under  these  conditions,  and  instead  of 
abandonment  only,  followed  by  satisfaction,  exhaustion 
results.  I  regret  I  did  not  arrive  in  time  to  hear  the 
President's  views,  but,  in  my  opinion,  the  male  sheath 
and  the  use  of  soluble  pessaries  by  the  women  are  the 
most  satisfactory  methods  of  contraception  at  present 
available. 

Dr.  F.  Goldstein  (Berlin)  :  I  have  studied  the  demo- 
graphical  science  for  twenty  years,  and  I  know  what,  alas ! 
nobody  knows,  that  civilisation  is  menaced  by  a  huge 
danger — the  danger  that  its  borders  will  be  overwhelmed 
by  the  mass  of  the  proletariat,  as  happened  in  Germany. 
There  is  only  one  means  to  save  civilisation  from  this 
danger,  and  that  is  Birth  Control. 

Birth  Control  may  be  by  artificial  abortion,  which  is 
rejected  by  public  feeling,  or  by  contraceptive  means 
practised  by  doctors.  The  exact  situation  to-day  is  a 
very  unfavourable  one,  but  I  hope  when  knowledge  of  the 
imminent  danger  extends  that  the  position  will  slacken. 

Before  beginning  my  demonstration,  I  have  to  urge  two 
points.  The  first  is  the  safety  of  contraceptive  means. 
Doctors  ask  that  contraceptive  means  shall  be  absolutely 
safe,  and  when  they  hear  that  a  protected  woman  has 

D  2 


292    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

become  pregnant  they  say  all  contraceptive  means  have 
no  value.  Mankind  is  not  able  to  make  inventions  which 
never  fail. 

The  second  point  is  what  we  call  in  Germany  Kolle- 
gialitiit  (friendship  among  doctors). 

The  Chairman  :  I  am  afraid  I  must  ask  you  to  limit 
your  remarks  purely  to  the  methods  of  Birth  Control. 
We  have  asked  the  audience  to  do  that,  and  you  must  do 
the  same. 

Dr.  F.  Goldstein  :  Then  I  will  produce  the  contra- 
ceptive means  I  use.  One  is  the  silver  cap  (produced).  I 
have  heard  it  said  it  is  difficult  to  introduce.  Dr.  Haire 
said  so,  but  I  think  he  said  it  because  he  has  never  applied 
it.  It  is  very  easy  to  apply.  I  have  a  patient  who  intro- 
duces it  herself.  Of  course,  it  happens  that  it  is  difficult 
in  certain  cases.  There  are  several  sizes  which  I  apply  ; 
some  are  bigger,  some  are  smaller,  than  this  one. 

Contraceptive  means  were  discussed  by  the  Gynseco- 
logical  Society  of  Dresden.  Here  is  the  report.  I  will  read 
what  was  said  in  this  Society  about  this  silver  cap.  I  will 
prove  they  are  so  safe  that  it  is  difficult  to  remove  them. 
They  suck  quite  fast,  and  they  are  perfectly  sure.  They 
have  a  high  degree  of  safety. 

This  is  the  second  method,  which  I  apply  in  nearly  all 
cases.  (Pessary  exhibited.)  Among  the  women  pro- 
tected by  me  are  seventy-six  protected  by  the  sterilett. 
You  may  say  it  is  a  small  number  ;  it  is  true,  but  it  is 
better  to  be  able  to  say  that  than  to  speak  of  prejudice. 
The  first  sterilett  I  used  was  a  short  one,  with  a  barbarous 
Latin  name,  and  the  first  time  I  used  it  I  found  it  was  too 
short.  This  big  one  must  pass  the  orifice.  This  external 
plate  has  no  protective  power  ;  it  is  only  this  bit  which 
projects  from  the  uterus.  It  is  said  this  form  of  pessary 
must  produce  inflammation.  I  have  never  seen  inflam- 
mation, but  it  must  be  properly  applied.  The  sterilett  is 
made  of  aluminium,  and  it  does  not  tolerate  heating  in 
water.  It  must  be  put  in  the  flame,  but  not  in  the  Bunsen 
flame,  only  in  the  white  flame.  This  sterilett  (exhibiting 
another)  I  do  not  now  apply,  because  there  are  failures. 
I  use  the  big  one  or  the  smaller  one  I  have  shown  you. 
Some  doctors  say  it  produces  abortion,  though  the  woman 
is  not  pregnant,  but  they  are  convinced  so  much  that  it 
produces  abortion  that  they  have  in  their  mind  an  abortion 
even  in  a  woman  who  is  not  pregnant.     (Laughter.)     It 


CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  293 

is  impossible  for  this  instrument  to  produce  abortion, 
because  the  length  of  the  uterus  is  7  cm.,  and  this  pessary 
is  only  5|  cm.  This  is  a  plate  with  a  smaller  diameter. 
(Specimen  exhibited.)  I  shortened  it  and  got  this  size. 
It  is  introduced  in  this  way.  This  bit  (the  stem)  must 
pass  the  orificium  internum.  You  know  you  have  passed 
it  when  you  know  the  woman  has  pain  and  you  have 
resistance.  It  is  introduced  with  the  speculum.  I  open 
the  vagina  and  I  find  the  cervix.  The  great  advantage  of 
the  sterilett  is  that  it  remains  in  the  cervix  for  six  months. 
The  women  forget  they  are  protected,  and  they  do  not 
come  to  me  for  six  months.  They  even  come  after  a  year 
or  eighteen  months.  I  tell  them  they  should  come 
sooner,  but  they  say,  "  I  did  not  feel  anything,  and  I  did 
not  think  it  was  necessary  to  come."  I  wish  my  colleagues 
to  examine  this  pessary  as  severely  as  possible,  to  see 
whether  I  am  wrong  or  whether  I  am  right. 

This  is  a  glass  and  silkworm-gut  pessary  invented 
by  Dr.  Brown.  I  have  no  experience  of  it,  and  it  is  not 
necessary  for  me  to  make  experiments  on  my  patients, 
but  I  am  told  by  other  doctors  it  is  quite  safe.  (Specimen 
exhibited.)  The  silk -threads  are  introduced  into  the 
uterus.  It  is  opened  and  introduced  in  this  way,  and  the 
plate  lies  upon  the  cervix.  It  can  be  worn  four  or  five 
months. 

The  conclusion  is  that  for  me,  on  the  ground  of  my 
experience,  the  demographic  question  is  solved.  It 
depends  now  only  on  the  doctors.  The  question  is 
whether  they  will  apply  these  contraceptives  or  not, 
having  in  mind  that  the  principal  thing  is  that  the  prole- 
tarians should  not  breed  so  many  children,  otherwise  they 
will  overwhelm  the  educated  classes,  as  has  happened  in 
Germany. 

Dr.  Anton  Nystbom  (Sweden)  :  I  only  wish  to  tell  my 
experience.  I  have  been  a  physician  more  than  fifty  years, 
and  have  been  occupied  especially  with  these  contraceptive 
means  for  more  than  forty  years.  I  only  wish  to  say  a 
few  words  about  bad  and  good  preventives. 

There  are  a  number  of  bad  preventives.  Absorbent 
material  is  one  (exhibited),  and  then  there  are  pastilles 
to  be  dissolved  in  the  mucus  of  the  vagina.  It  produces 
a  half -viscous  fluid  in  the  background  of  the  vagina,  and 
it  presents  no  obstacle  to  the  sperm  being  injected  direct. 

I  have  specimens  of  the  sterilett.     I  have  seen  some 


294    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

cases  of  inflammation,  and  I  have  seen  in  the  journals 
cases  where  pregnancy  has  followed  in  spite  of  the  sterilett. 

The  next  are  the  sponge,  condom  and  rubber  pessary. 
(Specimens  exhibited.)  They  are  all  reliable.  Perhaps  I 
should  say  no  means  are  really  reliable  in  all  circum- 
stances. It  depends  on  how  they  are  applied.  Therefore 
there  must  be  physicians  who  thoroughly  understand  the 
question.  They  must  know,  when  they  apply  this  Dutch 
rubber  pessary  with  the  steel  spring,  that  it  should  be 
properly  applied.  It  makes  no  obstacle  to  performance  of 
the  sexual  act.  A  physician  tells  a  woman  how  to  intro- 
duce it.  After  it  has  been  employed,  that  is  after  coitus, 
it  is  taken  out,  and  the  woman  must  employ  a  syringe  with 
water.  The  water  injection  is  given  after  the  pessary  is 
taken  out. 

As  for  the  sponge — the  absorbent  rubber  sponge — that 
is  only  of  use  when  the  uterus  has  its  normal  position, 
but  when  the  uterus  has  a  retroversion  the  sponge  is 
placed  in  the  posterior  fornix,  but  that  is  no  use.  When 
we  give  advice  we  must  always  examine  the  position  of 
the  uterus. 

As  for  the  condom,  it  is  absolutely  certain,  but  it  must 
be  tested  first.  It  must  be  filled  with  water.  That  is 
very  necessary.  It  is  an  excellent  precaution  used  by 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  women,  but  when  it  bursts — 
and  it  bursts  very  often — what  shall  we  do  ?  It  is  a  very 
serious  thing  to  give  advice  to  married  and  unmarried 
people.  It  is  all  very  well  for  those  in  the  great  towns  ; 
they  have  advice  from  specialists  about  these  things. 
I  found  during  the  war  that  condoms  were  made  so  badly 
that  they  frequently  burst.  A  patient  of  mine  bought  a 
dozen  condoms,  and  ten  of  them  burst.  In  such  a  case  I 
have  recourse  to  this  measure.  I  take  a  uterine  syringe 
(specimen  exhibited)  and  inject  sterilised  tepid  water 
into  the  uterus.  I  say  to  patients,  "  Within  two  days 
come  to  me,  and  I  will  give  you  an  injection."  That  it  is 
our  duty  to  do.  We  do  not  do  any  harm  by  injecting  the 
water.  I  have  done  that  in  hundreds  of  cases  and  always 
prevented  conception. 

Just  one  other  word  about  the  quinine  pessaries. 
They  are  supposed  to  melt  and  to  run  backwards.  But  by 
their  use  there  is  no  obstacle  to  the  sperm  entering  the 
orifice  of  the  uterus.    They  are  no  use  whatever. 

The  Chairman  :   I  think,  in  view  of  the  lateness  of  the 


CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  295 

hour,  we  had  better  declare  this  session  closed.  We  hope 
to  form  a  Medical  Society  for  the  Study  of  Birth  Control, 
and  I  shall  be  glad  to  receive  the  names  of  colleagues  who 
would  care  to  join. 

Resolution. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  session  the  following  resolution 
was  put  to  the  meeting  : — 

"  That  this  meeting  of  the  medical  members  of 
the  Fifth  International  Neo-Malthusian  and  Birth 
Control  Conference  wishes  to  point  out  that  Birth 
Control  by  hygienic  contraceptive  devices  is  abso- 
lutely distinct  from  abortion  in  its  physiological,  legal 
and  moral  aspects.  It  further  records  its  opinion 
that  there  is  no  evidence  that  the  best  contraceptive 
methods  are  injurious  to  health  or  conducive  to 
sterility." 

One   hundred   and  sixty-four  present.     Passed,   with 
three  dissentients. 

(Signed)        Norman  Haire, 

President  of  the  Section. 


Friday,  July  14$. — Evening  Session. 

SUPPLEMENTAEY    CONTRACEPTIVE 

SECTION. 

President     .         .     Norman  Haire,  Ch.M.,  M.B. 

[Editor's  Note. — Following  upon  the  Private 
Afternoon  Session  held  for  members  of  the  Medical 
Profession  only,  a  public  session  was  held  in  the 
evening  in  order  that  lay  members  of  the  Conference 
might  have  placed  before  them  certain  details  of  the 
afternoon  session.  The  paper  which  Dr.  Haire  read 
before  members  of  the  Medical  Profession  in  the 
afternoon  (see  p.  268)  was  read  again  by  him. 

Dr.  Somerville's  contribution  to  the  discussion 
which  followed  the  reading  of  Dr.  Haire's  paper  in 
this  section  has  been  printed  below,  as  it  was  felt  that 
his  expert  opinion  upon  this  subject  should  receive 
serious  consideration. 

Dr.  Tokijiro  Kaji's  paper  given  here  was  also  read 
at  this  session. 

No  resolution  was  put  before  the  meeting.] 

METHODS  OF  BIRTH  CONTROL  KNOWN 
AND  USED  IN  JAPAN. 

By  Dr.  Tokijiro  Kaji. 

There  was  no  Birth  Control  in  Japan  for  the  common 
people,  but  among  the  prostitutes  there  were  the  following 
methods : — 

(1)  Use  of  Paper  as  a  Pessary. — The  higher  class  of 
prostitutes  used  very  soft  and  tender  paper  called  yoshi- 
nogami,  and  the  lower  class  used  rather  hard  toilet  paper 
called  asakusagami.  These  papers  were  placed  just  to 
cover  the  mouths  of  the  womb,  to  prevent  the  entering  of 
the  male  germ. 

(2)  Douche  after  the  Sexual  Act. — It  was  specially  used 


SUPPLEMENTARY  CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  297 

for  sanitary  purposes,  but  prevented  conception  uncon- 
sciously. Japanese  prostitutes  called  this  douche  shimoyu. 
Immediately  after  intercourse  they  went  to  the  bath-room 
and  washed  the  vagina  with  hot  water  with  their  fingers 
till  all  the  secretions  were  out.  It  was,  of  course, 
originated  to  prevent  venereal  disease.  About  thirty- 
five  years  ago  most  of  the  prostitute  houses  began  to  have 
disinfecting  solutions  instead  of  hot  water.  Birth  Control 
among  the  prostitutes  seems  very  effective. 

Speaking  for  the  common  people,  Birth  Control  medicine 
was  first  introduced  by  Mr.  Sadao  Oguri,  a  friend  of  mine. 
He  came  back  from  England  twenty  years  ago  with  a  book 
on  Birth  Control.  He  translated  it  (ref.  the  article 
"  Birth  Control  Movement  in  Japan  ").  From  this  book 
he  got  the  idea  of  making  a  suppository  having  quinine 
as  its  chief  ingredient.  It  was  called  kijonotomo  (Lady's 
Friend),  and  is  in  the  market  now. 

Thirty  years  ago  (1892)  two  students  were  sent  from 
Japan  to  Germany  to  study  venereal  disease.  One  was 
the  late  Kentaro  Hayashida  sent  by  the  Government,  and 
I  went  from  my  own  interest  in  the  subject.  As  it  was 
after  the  Franco-German  War,  the  French  Government 
was  encouraging  her  people  in  Birth  Control.  Therefore 
I  had  a  chance  to  learn  about  capsule,  suppository,  tablet, 
and  simple  abortion  after  one  month's  conception. 

Returning  to  Japan,  I  taught  this  latter  method, 
especially  to  the  poor  and  to  people  suffering  from  ill- 
health.  As  the  Japanese  Government,  of  course,  did  not 
permit  propaganda  openly,  and  also  the  Japanese  people 
as  a  whole  had  not  much  interest,  I  limited  this  use  to  the 
prevention  of  venereal  diseases.  However,  I  finally  wrote 
about  the  necessity  for  Birth  Control  in  the  magazine 
Heimin  (Common  People)  last  year  (1921),  and  invited 
people  to  inquire  for  the  written  practical  method. 

The  method  is  as  follows  : — 

"Prevention  of  birth  of  an  unhealthy  child,  and  the 
protection  of  the  mother. 

"  Conception  should  be  avoided  when  there  is  tuber- 
culosis, syphilis,  gonorrhoea,  and  also  when  conception  is 
undesirable — when  the  mother  is  not  strong  enough  to 
bear  a  child.  Of  course,  in  any  case  a  physician  should  be 
consulted.  When  the  mother  is  considered  not  to  be  fit 
for  conception  the  best  methods  are  as  follows.  They 
seem,  after  many  experiments,  the  most  safe,  simple,  and 


298    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

effective.     There  are,  however,  methods  which  I  do  not 
recommend  for  the  reasons  given.     These  are  : 

"  (1)  Pessary  ;  this  is  very  difficult  to  adjust  by  women 
themselves.  Sometimes  even  the  advice  of  the 
physician  is  not  effective. 

"  (2)  Condom  or  sheath  ;  it  is  effective,  but  not  good 
for  the  magnetic  action  of  the  sexual  union. 

"  (3)  Suppositories  like  kijonotomo  (Lady's  Friend) 
have  the  power  to  kill  the  germ.  But  they  have 
not  enough  effect  when  used  in  small  quantities, 
and  decrease  lubricant  effect  when  used  too  strong. 

"  (4)  Douche  ;  bichloride  or  corrosive  sublimate  solu- 
tion can  clean  the  womb,  but  very  often  is  too 
strong  for  the  membrane. 

"  (5)  Paper  pessary  ;  when  the  paper  is  not  thick 
the  male  sperm  is  likely  to  get  into  the  womb, 
and  when  there  is  too  much  paper  it  takes  away 
the  pleasure.  Also  difficult  to  find  a  suitable 
solution. 

"  As  the  above  methods  are  not  always  effective,  I 
recommend  the  following  two,  especially  for  Japanese. 
These  are  very  simple  and  effective,  even  when  travelling  : 

"  (a)  Douche  ;  0-2  per  cent,  of  boric  acid  or  100  to  500 
times  salt  water  should  be  used  within  five 
minutes  after  the  sexual  act.  All  secretions  must 
be  thoroughly  removed. 

"(6)  Wiping  out;  'arubose'  solution  (camphor  solu- 
tion) for  disinfecting  purpose  diluted  in  from 
5  to  10  parts  of  hot  water.  Gauze  or  antiseptic 
cotton  should  be  soaked  in  this  solution.  Within 
five  minutes  after  the  sexual  act  all  secretions 
should  be  wiped  out  with  the  fingers  holding  the 
gauze  or  cotton. 

"  Washing  should  be  done  by  syringe,  not  washing- 
basins.  The  solution  should  first  be  put  into  hot  water, 
and  be  cooled  by  adding  cold  water.  Washing  should  be 
done  within  five  minutes  after  the  sexual  union,  in  the 
toilet  or  in  the  bath-room.  It  is  possible  to  judge  when 
sufficient  douching  has  been  carried  out  by  putting  the 
first  finger  into  the  mouth  of  the  womb  and  ascertaining 
if  there  is  still  any  secretion  or  not." 


SUPPLEMENTARY  CONTRACEPTIVE  SECTION  299 

Records  show  that,  of  more  than  500  people,  there 

was  no  conception  amongst  those  who  practised  these 

methods  faithfully.     As  many  Japanese  women  have  the 

habit  of  shimou  (douche  by  finger),  the  above  methods 

are  more  suitable  for  use  in  Japan  than  the  pessary,  etc., 

used  in  Europe  and  America. 

*  *  *  * 

Dr.  Somerville,  of  Oxford,  during  the  discussion  said : 

I  think  at  this  point  it  might  be  of  service  to  you  who 
are  engaged  in  this  work  if  I  say  a  word  about  disinfection. 
It  may  be  known  to  some  of  you  that  in  1904  we  took 
up  research  in  the  University,  not  merely  in  my  laboratory, 
although  there  was  continuous  research  in  my  laboratory, 
which  was  continued  from  1904  to  1910.  It  went  all 
over  England  and  passed  to  the  Bureau  of  Public  Health 
in  Washington,  and  as  this  bears  largely  on  the  whole  of 
the  chemical  products  used  for  contraceptives,  I  will  let 
you  have  the  results  of  our  findings. 

The  disinfectants  first  investigated  were  directed  first 
to  tiny  and  easily-destroyed  bacteria,  and  then  to 
spermatozoa.  It  was  found  that  there  was  no  chemical 
substance  we  could  inject  into  the  vagina  which  was  of 
service  for  disinfection,  for  this  reason  :  dead  organic 
matter  destroyed  the  germicidal  effects  of  all  these  active 
agents.  If  you  take,  for  instance,  a  1  in  4,000  wash  of 
permanganate  of  potash,  it  has  given  up  all  its  oxygen 
long  before  it  reaches  one-third  the  way  up  the  mouth 
of  the  vagina.  The  dead  cells  will  absorb  the  oxygen 
gradually  long  before  spermatozoa  in  the  neighbourhood 
will  be  attacked.  The  living  thing  is  always  last  attacked 
by  the  so-called  oxygen  disinfectant.  That  throws  out 
all  such  washes  as  permanganate  of  potash.  Any  stronger 
preparation,  like  salts  of  mercury  and  quinine,  to  be  of 
service,  must  be  far  too  powerful  to  allow  any  sensible 
doctor  to  introduce  it  into  the  tract.  We  used  practically 
every  disinfectant  placed  on  the  British  market,  and  also 
on  the  American  market,  of  the  coal-tar  type,  including 
Lysol  and  Milton,  which  are  bringing  enormous  revenues 
to  their  makers  all  over  England.  We  published  tables 
in  1906 — 1907.  Then  this  work  was  taken  up  by  the 
University  of  Cambridge,  under  Professor  Sims  Woodhead, 
and  they  carried  on,  and  their  findings  confirmed  ours. 

In  a  word,  I  would  say  that  disinfection,  so  far  as 
spermatozoa  are  concerned,,  of  the  vaginal  tract  is  not  to 


300    FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

be  done  by  chemicals.     You  may  throw  that  out  of  court 
right  away. 

I  was  employed  in  the  early  days  of  the  war  by  the 
Medical  Research  Committee,  now  the  Research  Council, 
on  investigation  work  in  France  in  the  matter  of  the 
hypochlorite  disinfectants,  suggested  for  killing  micro- 
cocci in  war  wounds.  I  made  a  research  in  1915,  and  went 
to  France  and  joined  the  French  Army,  and  saw  10,000 
men  treated  with  disinfectants  of  all  the  types  of  chemical 
substance  you  are  supposed  to  use  in  the  pessaries.  Not 
one  will  kill  bacteria  at  the  strength  you  can  afford  to 
use  it  in  the  vagina.  You  can  throw  your  chemical 
substances  overboard.  I  left  a  note  with  Dr.  Haire, 
urging  the  great  necessity  for  continued  research — patient, 
hard-working  research — so  that  you  may  save  yourselves 
from  being  trapped  and  let  down.  In  England  you  know 
the  attitude  of  those  who  are  engaged  in  ordinary  affairs. 
We  are  so  conservative,  especially  the  higher  members 
of  our  various  professions,  that,  if  anything  is  found  wrong 
in  the  first  years  of  a  movement  like  this,  the  whole  thing 
is  damned,  and  the  next  generation  has  to  take  it  up 
again. 

This  matter  of  disinfection  has  been  thoroughly  worked 
out  in  America,  and  all  Mrs.  Sanger  has  to  do  is  to  apply 
to  Professor  Anderson,  of  Washington,  and  he  will  give 
her  the  literature,  and  she  will  get  all  the  material  she 
wants  on  chemistry  in  that  section.  I  think  we  ought  to 
be  careful,  as  Lord  Dawson  said  this  afternoon,  in  what 
we  recommend  and  how  we  recommend  it.  You  can  do 
a  lot  of  damage  by  indiscriminately  using  disinfectants 
you  do  not  know  the  value  of.  We  began  with  coal-tar 
products — dilutions  of  1  in  50,000 — and  injected  them  into 
the  veins  of  animals.  We  ran  the  whole  thing  on  coal-tar 
products  in  that  year's  work.  Injected  into  the  veins 
of  a  dog,  it  did  no  damage,  but  killed  no  bacteria.  When 
we  got  anything  like  what  would  inhibit  the  movement  of 
bacteria,  to  say  nothing  of  killing  them,  we  killed  the 
dog. 

The  Chairman  :  When  I  recommended  1  in  4,000  wash 
of  permanganate  of  potash,  I  was  not  thinking  of  its 
chemical  action  ;  I  was  thinking  of  its  mechanical  action 
in  washing  out  the  spermatozoa.  It  will  do  that  to  some 
extent  even  if  it  has  given  up  its  oxygen. 


> 


Friday,  July  14th. — Afternoon  Session. 

PROPAGANDA  AND  GENERAL  SECTION. 

President     .     Professor  Knut  Wicksell  (Sweden). 

The  President  formally  opened  the  proceedings  and 
called  upon  Mrs.  Porritt  to  read  a  paper  on : 

PUBLICITY  IN  THE  BIRTH  CONTROL 
MOVEMENT. 

By  Mrs.  Annie  G.  Porritt 
(Managing  Editor,  Birth  Control  Review,  New  York). 

Every  movement  which  aims  at  a  change  in  public 
opinion  is  necessarily  dependent  on  publicity  for  its 
progress  and  success.  The  object  of  any  such  movement 
is  to  force  men  and  women  to  think,  to  take  stock  of  the 
ideas  that  they  have  held  on  some  particular  subject,  to 
revise  these  ideas  in  the  light  of  new  knowledge,  and  to 
change  their  beliefs  and  consequently  their  conduct. 
This  much  will  generally  be  conceded  ;  but  in  the  practical 
conduct  of  many  movements  the  psychology  of  publicity 
has  not  been  sufficiently  studied,  and  movements  have 
been  hindered  by  the  use  of  ineffective  methods. 

A  favourite  plan,  and  one  adopted  by  many  reformers, 
is  to  devote  their  whole  strength  to  appeals  to  the  in- 
telligence of  the  people.  Pamphlets  and  treatises  are 
written  and  spread  broadcast,  in  the  belief  that  through  a 
mere  reading  of  them  the  nation  will  embrace  the  new 
ideas.  The  reasoning  seems  so  clear  and  unanswerable  to 
the  writers  that  they  cannot  imagine  that  it  should  fail  to 
convince  the  readers.  Yet  a  movement  can  drag  along 
for  decades  and  even  for  centuries,  and  if  no  more  effective 
methods  of  publicity  are  employed  the  numbers  of  the 
converted  will  remain  few,  and  the  propaganda  as  a  whole 
will  be  futile. 


> 

302    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  in  very  many  movements  the 
advocates  utterly  fail  to  secure  effective  publicity  until 
their  opponents  practically  thrust  the  weapon  into  their 
hands.  Thomas  Malthus  lived  and  wrote  over  seventy 
years  before  his  arguments  touched  the  people  of  Great 
Britain  or  aroused  them  to  vital  interest  in  the  subject  of 
Birth  Control.  It  was  the  prosecution  in  1879  of  Charles 
Bradlaugh  and  Mrs.  Annie  Besant  that  brought  the 
Malthusian  movement  out  of  the  study  and  the  closet,  and 
flung  it  into  every  home,  made  it  the  subject  of  conversa- 
tion at  every  street  corner,  and  forced  people  to  revise 
their  ideas  concerning  the  responsibility  of  parents  for  the 
existence  of  their  children. 

A  similar  service — though  much  less  inconvenient  to 
the  sufferers — was  done  to  the  Birth  Control  movement 
in  the  United  States  when,  last  November,  just  after  the 
formation  of  the  American  Birth  Control  League,  the  New 
York  police  undertook  to  break  up  a  meeting  called  for 
the  consideration  of  the  question,  "  Is  Birth  Control 
Moral  ?  "  In  the  case  of  Charles  Bradlaugh  and  Annie 
Besant,  this  hero  and  heroine  of  the  movement  had  to 
suffer  loss  and  imprisonment  in  order  to  infuse  emotion 
and  interest  into  the  Malthusian  movement.  In  the  case 
of  Margaret  Sanger,  last  November,  the  opponents  did  the 
maximum  of  service  to  the  movement  with  the  minimum 
of  trouble  and  inconvenience  to  the  protagonists  of  Birth 
Control. 

Lest  I  should  appear  to  be  overlooking  the  fact,  I  must 
here  recall  that  Margaret  Sanger's  movement  was  not 
started  last  November.  It  had  been  under  way  for 
several  years,  and  in  1917  she  had  shown  her  readiness  to 
use  this  martyr  publicity  by  courting  arrest  while  carrying 
on  a  clinic  in  Brooklyn  for  the  instruction  of  mothers  who 
needed  Birth  Control  information.  In  fact,  it  was  her 
prison  sentence  that  had  aroused  the  interest  of  hundreds 
of  men  and  women,  and  had  set  in  movement  the  forces 
that  converged  in  New  York  in  November,  1921,  when 
the  First  American  Birth  Control  Conference  came 
together  to  take  counsel  as  regards  the  next  steps 
forward. 

Persecution  furnishes  perhaps  the  very  best  publicity. 
It  touches  people's  sympathy  and  arouses  their  indigna- 
tion as  they  cannot  be  aroused  by  cold  reasoning,  however 
marvellously  presented.     It  forces  the  discussion  of  the 


PROPAGANDA  AND  GENERAL     303 

questions  involved  and  compels  people  to  take  a  stand  in 
regard  to  them.  But  the  time  comes  when  this  form  of 
publicity  is  no  longer  available — the  movement  gets 
beyond  the  stage  of  persecution.  It  is  then  necessary  to 
study  and  utilise  the  same  psychology  in  order  to  keep 
the  movement  alive  and  not  to  allow  the  interest  of  the 
public  to  flag.  This  psychology  was  grasped  and  utilised 
by  the  Suffragists  both  in  England  and  America,  and  their 
understanding  of  it  enabled  them  to  keep  the  movement 
for  votes  for  women  before  the  public  night  and  day, 
month  in  and  month  out,  until  success  crowned  their 
efforts. 

To  take  the  examples  most  familiar  to  me,  I  would  recall 
the  activities  of  the  National  Woman's  Party — the  party 
that  concentrated  its  efforts  on  the  Federal  Suffrage 
Amendment  to  the  United  States  Constitution  ;  that  took 
this  amendment  out  of  the  limbo  of  forgotten  and  neglected 
politics,  held  it  on  high  before  the  nation,  and  finally, 
after  bringing  into  line  even  the  Suffrage  organisations 
most  opposed  to  itself,  passed  it  through  Congress  and 
secured  its  ratification  by  the  necessary  thirty-six  State 
Legislatures. 

The  whole  secret  of  the  success  of  the  National  Woman's 
Party  was  publicity.  They  used  every  means  of  interest- 
ing people  and  making  the  amendment  a  subject  of 
discussion.  Pageantry  was  employed  with  such  skill 
that  no  newspaper  could  overlook  the  displays.  Con- 
gresses and  conferences  were  organised,  and  when  all  other 
ordinary  and  extraordinary  means  failed,  Alice  Paul 
deliberately  courted  a  conflict  with  the  authorities  by 
nagging  the  administration  and  insulting  the  President 
until  patience  wore  out,  and  the  police  delivered  victory 
into  her  hands  through  persecution. 

I  wish  I  had  time  to  trace  out  the  publicity  campaigns 
of  the  National  Woman's  Party.  They  are  worthy  of  the 
closest  study  by  any  group  of  earnest  men  and  women  who 
desire  to  "  put  over  "  some  new  idea,  or  to  bring  about 
some  change  in  public  opinion.  The  point  I  want  to  make 
here  is  that  while  hundreds  of  women  have  deprecated  the 
conduct  of  the  Suffragists,  it  has  never  been  sufficiently 
recognised  that  this  conduct  was  guided  by  a  profound 
understanding  of  national  psychology,  and  that  it  was 
throughout,  not  an  emotional  outburst  or  series  of  out- 
bursts, as  many  people  seem  to  think,  but  a  calm,  well- 


304    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

calculated  publicity  campaign  waged  with  full  knowledge 
that  the  most  important  thing  for  the  success  of  any 
movement  is  to  make  the  idea  thoroughly  familiar  to 
every  man  and  woman  in  the  country. 

With  this  psychology  of  propaganda  in  mind,  the  great 
value  of  the  name  that  Mrs.  Sanger  has  given  to  the 
movement  in  the  United  States  will  be  recognised.  Many 
of  her  best  friends  were  opposed  to  the  adoption  of  this 
name.  They  felt  that  people  were  not  ready  for  such 
strong  meat,  and  that  the  name  would  antagonise  men 
and  women  who  might  otherwise  support  the  movement. 
But,  looking  back  over  the  few  months  that  have  elapsed 
since  the  American  Birth  Control  League  was  organised, 
and  the  few  years  since  the  Birth  Control  Review  was 
founded,  it  is  possible  to  form  an  estimate  of  gains  and 
losses  and  to  show  the  enormous  value  that  the  name  has 
been  to  the  progress  of  the  Birth  Control  movement. 

The  name  when  first  adopted  undoubtedly  produced  a 
feeling  of  shock  in  the  minds  even  of  those  who  were 
thoroughly  convinced  friends  of  the  cause.  On  the 
indifferent  the  shock  was  vastly  greater,  and  since  the 
communications  of  the  League  have  gone  out  with  the 
name  of  the  organisation  on  the  outside  of  the  envelope, 
many  have  been  the  protests  against  sending  such  indecent 
matter  into  homes  and  offices.  If  a  plebiscite  of  the  League 
had  at  any  time  been  taken  on  the  subject,  it  is  doubtful 
whether  the  name  would  have  been  allowed  to  stand. 
Fortunately  the  leaders  had  more  courage  and  vision  than 
the  rank  and  file,  and  the  banner  of  the  movement  was 
raised  high  whenever  its  name  was  even  mentioned. 

What  have  been  the  results  ?  The  newspapers,  at  the 
time  of  the  police  raid  on  the  town  hall,  were  obliged  to 
print  the  news,  and  the  name  of  the  organisation  was  a 
necessary  and  unavoidable  part  of  this  news.  In  fact 
the  name  had  its  publicity  value  for  the  public  Press — it 
made  their  news  interesting.  The  public  was  galvanised 
into  keen  attention.  The  Churches,  especially  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  came  to  the  aid  of  the  movement  through 
vigorous  attacks  on  it.  Long-drawn-out  controversies 
were  carried  on  in  some  of  the  most  widely  read — although 
not  the  most  highly  respected — newspapers  of  the  country. 
Articles  for  and  against  Birth  Control  were  solicited  from 
any  one  whose  name  was  sufficiently  known  to  attract 
attention,  and  these  signed  articles  appeared  in  papers, 


PROPAGANDA  AND  GENERAL     305 

under  the  same  proprietorship,  in  New  York,  in  Chicago, 
and  in  San  Francisco,  thus  accomplishing  for  the  move- 
ment without  expense  to  itself  what  would  have  cost  the 
League  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  if  it  had  under- 
taken  it  on  its  own  account. 

The  whole  of  the  United  States  has  in  the  few  months 
since  last  November  become  equilibrated  to  the  idea  of 
Birth  Control.  Even  the  most  conservative  and  reac- 
tionary people  now  speak  the  words  without  self-con- 
sciousness, and  the  words  so  fully  express  the  idea  that 
they  cannot  be  spoken  without  their  meaning  being  present 
in  mind.  Suppose  that  the  League  had  adopted  some  such 
name  as  the  League  for  Responsible  Parenthood.  Such 
a  name  could  be  spoken  and  written  without  any  of  the 
shock  produced  by  "  Birth  Control."  But  would  it  have 
got  the  idea  over  to  the  people  ?  Certainly  it  would  not. 
Some  would  have  understood  what  was  meant  by  it,  but 
by  far  the  greater  number  of  people  who  heard  it  would 
have  allowed  it  to  slip  by  without  attention  and  without 
interest. 

Arguments  are  necessary  in  presenting  a  new  idea. 
But  it  must  always  be  remembered  that  the  truest  con- 
verts are  those  who  convert  themselves.  Among  the 
thousands  of  active  workers  for  woman  suffrage,  there 
were  few  who  acknowledged  definite  conversion  from  a 
former  attitude  of  antagonism.  Many  had  been  indifferent 
until  their  minds  were  turned  to  the  question  through  the 
publicity  of  the  movement,  when  they  at  once,  for  them- 
selves, realised  the  justice  of  the  cause.  Many — perhaps 
the  majority  of  the  leaders — had  always  been  suffragists 
in  heart,  and  needed  only  the  shock  of  publicity  to  draw 
them  actively  into  the  movement. 

It  is  much  the  same  with  Birth  Control.  We  shall 
make  real  converts  as  we  go  on  ;  that  is,  through  our 
arguments  we  shall  make  men  and  women  who  have  been 
actually  opposed  to  the  idea,  revise  their  opinions  and 
accept  it.  We  shall  rouse  hundreds  of  people  who  would 
always  have  been  in  favour  had  they  thought  about  it, 
and  we  shall  bring  to  our  banners  the  thousands  who  have 
thought  about  it  and  believed  in  it,  but  have  been  isolated, 
and  have  not  known  that  others  were  thinking  on  the 
same  lines  and  working  towards  the  same  end.  These 
last  two  classes  are  the  fruitful  field  for  our  endeavours — 
the  people  of  the  first  class  who  are  as  yet  convinced 


*■ 


306    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

opponents,  are  for  the  present  negligible — they  are  not 
worth  the  tremendous  expenditure  of  time  and  trouble 
necessary  for  their  conversion,  while  these  expenditures 
can  be  utilised  so  much  more  profitably  in  arousing 
interest  among  our  potential  friends. 

One  of  the  great  values  of  the  name  "  Birth  Control  "  is 
that  it  automatically  acts  as  a  re-agent  for  the  recognition 
of  these  classes.  It  has  been  acknowledged  that  it 
shocks,  or  has  shocked,  many  of  the  friends  of  the  move- 
ment ;  but  while  it  temporarily  shocks  them  it  does  not 
alienate  them  from  the  cause.  Under  its  influence  the 
real  opponents  separate  themselves  out,  and  begin  to  aid 
us  by  violent  attacks.  These  attacks  arouse  our  friends, 
especially  those  who  are  temporarily  suffering  from  shock. 
They  come  to  our  aid,  and  by  the  time  they  have  defended 
the  cause  against  one  or  two  of  these  rabid  opponents, 
their  antagonism  to  the  name  has  disappeared — they  have 
got  used  to  it. 

I  have  gone  in  some  detail  into  the  publicity  value  of 
the  name  assumed  by  the  movement  in  the  United  States, 
because  it  is  an  excellent  illustration  of  the  psychology  of 
publicity  which  ought  to  be  studied  by  the  leaders  of  the 
movement.  It  may  be  that  in  some  of  the  countries 
where  Birth  Control  propaganda  is  going  on,  the  popular 
reaction  to  the  name  would  be  different.  Not  every 
country  has  so  strong  a  puritanical  strain  in  its  popular 
thought  and  opinions,  and  not  every  nation  would  be 
shocked  into  alert  attention  by  something  so  straight- 
forward and  simple  as  a  name  which  expresses  just  what 
an  organisation  stands  for.  But  whatever  the  conditions 
may  be,  the  same  general  principle  holds.  Any  movement 
to  succeed  must  have  publicity  which  arouses  warm 
attention.  The  attention  may  be  hot  with  resentment, 
or  fervid  in  advocacy  ;  in  the  first  place  it  does  not  much 
matter  which.  If  the  movement  is  good  and  is  in  the 
end  intellectually  acceptable,  it  will  succeed  whenever 
enough  interest  is  aroused  to  get  the  idea  into  the  minds, 
not  of  the  intellectuals  alone,  but  of  the  men  and  women 
who  make  up  the  bulk  of  the  nation. 

For  successful  publicity  three  principles  must  be 
adhered  to  : — 

1.  The  publicity  must  arouse  emotion.  The  Birth 
Control  movement  is  especially  favoured  in  regard  to  this 
element.     Anything  that  touches  parenthood  and  the  sex 


PROPAGANDA  AND  GENERAL     307 

relations  of  men  and  women  calls  out  the  strongest  feelings 
of  which  human  beings  are  capable.  Pity  and  sympathy 
for  the  women  and  children  victims  of  the  present  system, 
glowing  hopes  of  family  and  race  regeneration  on  the  one 
hand,  and  resentment  and  hatred  of  change  or  criticism  of 
moral  standards  on  the  other,  furnish  a  gamut  of  emotions 
which  can  hardly  be  equalled. 

2.  The  publicity  must  be  challenging  to  the  indifference 
of  the  average  man  and  woman  engrossed  in  other  interests. 
It  must  not  be  addressed  to  those  who  are  already  strongly 
for  or  against  the  propaganda.  It  must  be  a  trumpet 
call  to  the  unawakened,  and  must  address  them  through 
any  channel  of  interest  that  can  lead  to  their  attention. 

3.  It  must  be  intelligent,  well-based,  accurate  and 
capable  of  withstanding  hostile  criticism.  Although  this 
is  demanding  a  high  standard,  I  am  convinced  that  the 
publicity  of  the  Birth  Control  movement  measures  more 
closely  up  to  the  mark  in  regard  to  this  condition  than  in 
regard  to  principles  one  and  two.  It  is,  however,  no  use 
to  be  scientific,  accurate  and  exact  if  no  one  is  listening 
to  us,  and  I  assert  without  hesitation  that  our  propaganda 
profits  more  from  the  words  of  the  unlearned  that  are 
heard,  than  from  the  wisest  counsels  of  the  most  learned 
when  these  do  not  reach  the  ears,  the  minds,  and  the 
hearts  of  the  people. 

[Following  the  reading  of  this  paper  was  a  long  dis- 
cussion on  propaganda  and  general  subjects,  which  it  is 
regretted  has  had,  owing  to  considerations  of  space,  to  be 
deleted  from  this  Report,  as  have  all  other  discussions. 
Other  papers  were  to  have  been  read,  but  they  were  not 
forthcoming.  The  road  was  therefore  left  clear  for  general 
discussion,  which  because  of  the  particular  nature  of 
earlier  sections,  would  have  been  irrelevant  therein. — 
Editor.] 

Resolution. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  session  the  following  resolution 
was  put  to  the  meeting  : — 

"  The  Fifth  International  Neo-Malthusian  and 
Birth  Control  Conference  sends  its  heartiest  greetings 
to  the  Birth  Control  propagandists  in  all  parts  of  the 


308    FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONFERENCE 

world,  and  especially  to  the  newly-formed  societies 
in  Japan  and  India.  It  records  with  the  deepest 
satisfaction  the  great  advance  of  public  appreciation 
of  the  movement  in  many  countries,  as  evidenced  by 
the  success  of  this  Conference,  and  urges  all  propa- 
gandists to  use  their  strongest  efforts  to  induce  the 
Governments  of  the  respective  countries  to  recognise 
the  movement,  and  thus  to  promote  individual 
welfare,  race  improvement,  and  enduring  inter- 
national harmony  and  peace." 

Passed  unanimously. 

(Signed)  Knut  Wicksell, 

President  of  the  Section. 


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