186 SEX-LORE 



offspring born is still too high to be kept alive; the 

 result is that we find the killing of children before 

 and after birth very prevalent in olden times, and 

 among primitive races even now. It must by no 

 means be deduced therefrom that this is evidence of 

 deficient parental affection. On the contrary, there 

 is abundant proof that people who adopt this grue- 

 some practice are yet very fond of, and kind to, their 

 surviving children. As Tylor says: "Infanticide 

 comes from hardness of life rather than from hardness 

 of heart "; and he continues: " The parents will often 

 go through fire and water to save the very child as 

 to whom they were doubting a few weeks before 

 whether it should live or die." It is sometimes ex- 

 tremely difficult for a savage to find food enough for 

 himself, so that it is hardly to be wondered at if he 

 shirks the impossible task of supplying many mouths, 

 and tries to avoid it by killing off additional new- 

 comers. There may also be a dim idea in his mind 

 that he will save the child future suffering by dispos- 

 ing of its life at the very outset. Among the nomadic 

 tribes, besides having the hardship of finding suffi- 

 cient food, the parents are faced with the difficulty 

 of transporting children during their wanderings. 

 Thus we read that among the Queensland blacks 

 scores of babies were slaughtered yearly. When the 

 tribes were marching, each woman carried every- 

 thing belonging to the family; if she was over- 

 burdened, the first thing to be cast away was her 

 child, since her husband's wrath was tremendous 

 and its consequences disastrous to her if she dropped 

 any of their belongings. Among the Australians a 

 woman is taught to consider it wicked to burden the 



