I feel that I must write and explain why I advocate educating women to
the idea that they should not bring children into the world without
the means to provide for them. I know it is a most delicate subject,
and very great care must be used in introducing it, but still, a word
spoken sometimes does good. Someone has said that most of the trouble
with delicate children were caused by women trying to destroy life
in the early days of pregnancy. I do not, of course, recommend that
sort of thing. It is absolutely wrong. But it is terrible to see how
women suffer, even those that are in better conditions of life. I
will quote one or two personal experiences. My grandmother had over
twenty children; only eight lived to about fourteen years, only two
to a good old age. A cousin (a beautiful girl) had seven children in
about seven years; the first five died in birth, the sixth lived, and
the seventh died and the mother also. What a wasted life! Another had
seven children; dreadful confinements, two or three miscarriages, an
operation for trouble in connection with same. Three children died and
the mother also quite young. There are cases all round us much worse.
You find in the majority of cases that in large families a certain
number die and the others have less strength. Of course, there are
exceptions. The trouble is that it takes so very long in England for
things to be changed, and you are told to mind your own business and
let people do as they like; but I am pleased to see that many men and
women are getting wiser, to the benefit of the wives and families for
whom the poor husband has to provide.