Sprague: Constructive Aspect of Birth Control 



61 



Nations composed of mixed races are 

 weak in most of the things that make 

 for national strength and progress. 

 Lacking the unity of traditions, idealism 

 and national spirit they are hable to 

 have excessive individualism and turn 

 to materialistic goals. 



If in America we are to develop a 

 national unity, a great American art 

 and hterature, a full realization of 

 American genius for all classes and 

 races already with us, and a respectable 

 position of influence in the world's 

 progress and afifairs, we must have a birth 

 rate among all classes sufficient to 

 maintain, increase, and unify the people 

 of the United States into one great 

 social and national body. 



IDEALIZATION OF THE FAMILY 



This nation must set up a goal of the 

 normal American family and racial 

 independence. It must idealize the 

 family instead of the individual and 

 work for its success by all forms of 

 legal, social and economic readjust- 

 ments that are necessary for the 

 accomplishment of these ends. 



If we are ever to ripen and perfect our 

 civilization we must not depend upon 

 the pauperized villages of Europe, the 

 deserts of Asia and the jungles of Africa 

 for our population. We must determine 

 to rear our own population from our 

 own best stock, and so organize and 

 utilize the resources of the country 

 that all classes may bring their families 

 up to the high standards that are possi- 

 ble to us. 



America was founded on great prin- 

 ciples which the world needs to have 

 preserved, but without a sufficient birth 

 rate the old population will pass away 

 and her mission to the world will not 

 be fulfilled. 



Let us have birth control, but let it 

 be preached as a part of the nation's 

 larger program for racial independence 

 and high standards of life. 



GENERAL REFORMS 



Nearly all great social problems 

 spring from some fundamental weakness 

 or nonadjustment at the base of the 

 social system. No one of these evils 

 can be cured entirely without purifying 



the soil from which they spring, and 

 thus affecting them all. Crime, prosti- 

 tution, drunkenness, and the evils of 

 too many and too frequent births among 

 the i^oor are largely the results of ignor- 

 ance and poverty. Any program which 

 raises the intellectual and social stand- 

 ards of the classes affected will cure them 

 all to a large degree. 



We have three great problems on 

 which we must work out solutions. 

 (a) The unequal distribution of prop- 

 erty, which I will not attempt to discuss 

 here; (6) our system of government, 

 which must be purified and redirected 

 toward the interests of all the people; 

 (c) our educational system, which has 

 been inadequate to giving all of our 

 young people the proper start toward 

 earning power which they ought to have. 



Raise the standards of the poor 

 through education and economic bet- 

 terment and birth control problems 

 will practically disappear. But then 

 we must face the larger question of 

 sufficient race enthusiasm to maintain 

 the normal family in all classes at high 

 standards. Here is where I wish to 

 offer a few suggestions as a program for 

 encouraging and sustaining the family. 



This program calls for three lines of 

 action : 



I. Conservation of htmian resources 

 already available. 



(a) Prevention of sickness by 

 health associations and in- 

 surance. 



(b) A broad program of sanitary 

 engineering and prevention by 

 control of disease. 



(c) Abolition of child labor. 



(d) Gradual extermination of ur- 

 ban and rural shmis. 



(e) Birth control. 



II. Use of Government and other 

 organized agencies for encouraging 

 and protecting the family and enab- 

 ling people of high standards to 

 maintain such. 



(a) Control of building sites and 

 districting of cities in the 

 the interest of homes and 

 family welfare. 

 {b) Ownership or control of local 

 public service utilities, water, 

 gas, lights, etc., so that the 



