When things are looking particularly bleak in society, I remind myself that most of this is not new.
For instance, in the following letter to the newspaper, the writer, identifying himself as a wage slave, complains of Christian charity workers dictating how many children a person can have. He also recommends better wages to support a growing family.
Our Rights as Parents
Editor Day Book – I have read with much interest the articles on the baby question published in The Day Book. I have also talked with several people who are interested in the same articles.
One of these people seemed to think that a charity worker has the right to tell a poor woman if she should have babies or not.
So I asked him what he would do if someone would question him or his wife in regard to their right to have children. He said he would be strongly tempted to throw them out of the house.
Of course that would only be human nature in my estimation. I should consider such matters my own private affairs.
If these good Christian charity workers who seem to think they have the right to tell us how many children we are, or are not to have, would spend the same time and energy in securing for us a suitable living wage, so that we may properly care for these “surplus” children, they would do far more good than they are now doing. Why do they beat about the bush and accomplish nothing.
Possible some good Christian friend can tell us.
Under a proper social system we could produce all the children we desired and care for them without looking to charity for help. But under the dog-eat-dog, skin-your brother, profit-gouging system of the present, even a jackrabbit must jump for a living.
How can we be expected to provide properly for our families?
Some charity worker tell us this time. Maybe we can expect some assistance from the newspapers, the so-called friends of the people, in regard to this seemingly unanswerable question.
Probably not, as they seem to favor the charity system.
The slaves in the south could have all the children they wished, so why can’t we free-born American working people have the same privilege? Some kind “Good Fellow” inform us this time, please.
As a last resort we will ask Theodore Roosevelt, or Willie Hearts.
–A Wage Slave.
Source: The day book. (Chicago, Ill.), 05 Jan. 1915.
