Leaves from a Madeira Garden 



Our shrinking from discomfort, our fear of 

 pain and trouble, already point to the dwindling, 

 perhaps the extinction of our race. With so 

 many of our women determined to avoid the 

 trials of motherhood, of our men disinclined to 

 be the fathers of sons for whom they cannot 

 "adequately provide," we may not hope to 

 retain permanently our place among the peoples 

 of the earth. 



And here in the Church founded on a rock, 

 the Church which has withstood many assaults, 

 and weathered many storms, and the gates of 

 hell have not prevailed against her, — we may 

 see the antithesis to the stream of tendencies 

 on which we are drifting. Now as ever she 

 stands in the main for peace against the sword, 

 for the lowly against the mighty, for the raian 

 against the State. "A tithe of your goods 

 you shall give to the poor." Yes, but you 

 shall keep the other nine-tenths yourself And 

 perhaps the future may yet be hers ; for she 

 sets her face sternly and successfully against 

 any artificial limitation of the population, and 

 her children will in due time outnumber and 

 overwhelm the dwindling remnants of those 

 who ignore her teaching on this point. While 



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