,,love--,,marriage--                    
,,birth ,,control                       
,being a ,speech delivered at the       
,church                 ,congress at    
,birmingham1 ,october1 #aiba3           
,,with ,a ,,foreword                    
,,by                           ,,lord   
,,dawson ,,of ,,penn                    
,illustration3 logo                     
,london                                 
,,nisbet  ,,co4 ,,ltd4                  
#bb ,,berners ,,street1 ,w4#a           
,first ,published ,january1 #aibb       
,reprinted ,january1 #aibb              
,reprinted ,february1 #aibb             
,reprinted ,april1 #aibb      ,all      
rights reserved                         
,,foreword   ,at the ,church ,congress  
held this autumn at ,birmingham ,i was  
honoured by an invitation to speak on   
,sexual ,relationships4  ,the           
subject-matter of that speech has       
aroused widespread interest and some    
controversy4 ,it is being published in  
response to numerous requests and       

because most of the reports1 being of   
necessity condensed1 inadequately and   
even in some instances incorrectly set  
forth the views ,i endeavoured to       
champion2 for any speech on a subject so
 difficult to handle needs to be read in
 its entirety if misapprehensions are to
 be avoided4  ,and first1 may ,i thank  
numerous correspondents2 and those in   
disagreement equally with those in      
agreement with me4 ,one and all they    
bear testimony1 if indeed such were     
needed1 to how widespread and           
responsible is the interest on this     
question1 and therefore to the wisdom of
 its full consideration4 ,amongst the   
letters are intimate human documents    
which pathetically disclose1 as does    
professional experience1 how frequently 
happiness is marred by ignorance of     
either the principles or the methods    
which should condition the true         
conception of sexual relationships4  ,i 
elected to deal with these relationships
 in their healthy rather than their     

morbid aspects1 because the study of    
health is a sure way to lessen disease4 
,mere denunciations of evil serve but   
small purpose4 ,the aim of statesmanship
 is rather to seek out causes and ponder
 over remedies1 and prominent among     
remedies is surely the study of the     
significance and purport of sex love in 
a well-ordered and ,christian community 
and provision for its healthy outlet4   
,to this the first part of my speech was
 devoted4 ,the view there upheld has    
brought forth a large measure of        
agreement and no reasoned disagreement4 
,the second part of my speech dealing   
with birth control 7or what in strict   
accuracy should be called conception    
control7 has aroused more controversy1  
but ,i venture to think that some1 at   
least1 of the criticism directed against
 my argument will disappear with a      
perusal of this full text of my speech4 
,therein will be found condemnation of  
infertile marriages and a strong plea   
that children are essential to the      

health and happiness of man and woman1  
are necessary to each other and of vital
 importance to the nation4  ,the        
difference between my critics and myself
 is not as to the vital necessity of the
 family following marriage1 but rather  
this--they would like to see the large  
families prevalent fifty years ago      
restored 7and where means and           
circumstances are favourable1 such large
 families may be the source of much     
happiness72 whereas under present-day   
conditions ,i should regard them as     
seldom attainable and desirable1 and    
would favour smaller families of        
children born at predetermined          
intervals4  ,a married couple who have  
produced four children in twenty years  
cannot be said to have ignored the      
precept be fruitful and multiply and    
replenish the earth because they have so
 selected the times for the conceptions 
of their children as to enable them to  
give those children a better upbringing 
rather than have selfishly left the     

sequence of their offspring to blind    
chance4  ,the argument that the nation  
should foster large families in order   
more quickly to people the untenanted   
portions of the ,empire1 and so add to  
the strength and wealth of the ,british 
,dominions1 requires serious attention1 
not in isolation1 but in conjunction    
with other considerations1 and calls    
forth varying opinions from economists4 
,on the other hand1 emigration into     
foreign lands would seem to be a source 
of weakness to a nation4 ,the feeding1  
clothing and educating of a young       
,briton cost the nation a definite sum  
of money1 say1 ,l#djj2 if at the age of 
twenty1 when he is ready to produce1    
that young ,briton emigrates to a       
foreign state1 he is a definite loss to 
the country of his birth and the country
 of his adoption is the gainer4  ,from  
another standpoint the criticism is made
 that ,i have not urged the paramount   
necessity of diminishing the population 
of these islands4 ,with the economic    

soundness of this view others are better
 fitted to deal1 but no economic        
considerations would outweigh the       
importance of child life inspiring the  
homes of the land1 and if the number and
 sequence of children can be regulated  
by the parents' circumstances1 these    
homes will increase in number1 will     
start when parents are younger and      
confer greater benefits alike on the    
family and the ,state4 ,if need be1 the 
,state could grant a progressive rebate 
of taxation1 and educational facilities 
for each of three children born after   
the second and where the father is      
twenty-five years of age or upwards4    
,it is held by some that artificial     
birth control is contrary to ,christian 
morals4 ,this is the view firmly held by
 the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 and since
 the governance of the ,roman communion 
is based on authority1 its decisions are
 binding on its members and command our 
respect4 ,but pronouncements of         
,protestant communions do not owe their 

force to authority1 but to the          
conviction they carry in the minds and  
consciences of their people1 and no     
clear scriptural sanction for the       
condemnation of birth control has been  
given1 nor does the report of the       
,lambeth ,conference vouchsafe any      
reasons why it is physically and morally
 harmful4  ,a distinguished prelate of  
our ,church has characterised the views 
herein set forth as very unguarded4#a   
,if by that expression he means         
careless1 he cannot have done me the    
honour of reading my speech1 which1     
whatever its demerits1 bears ample      
evidence of carefully considered thought
 and expression4 ,if by unguarded he    
means outspoken1 ,i will plead          
justification4 ,for is it not time that 
a question which deeply concerns not    
only the thought1 but the practice of   
the thinking portions of communities    
should be fully considered and its      
strength and its weakness disclosed by  
full discussion8 ,the world looks to its

 leaders for reasoned guidance1 not for 
assertion which may be but the husk of a
 thought that has gone4 ,what is wanted 
is reasoned consideration1 not          
unreasoned condemnation4 ,for churchmen 
and statesmen alike1 opportunism helps  
in situations which are small1 but never
 in those which are large2 there clarity
 of principle alone stands forth as a   
beacon to light the path4      ,footnote
 #a3 ,diocesan ,conference at ,york4    
,the fear that discussion of this vital 
problem will endanger morality surely   
loses sight of the fact of knowledge    
being so fundamental to our well-being1 
that incidental dangers encountered     
along its path must not deter us from   
its continued pursuit4  ,moreover1 it   
will be noticed that ,i have            
discriminated between the principle of  
birth control and the methods of its    
application1 the latter being preferably
 determined by the advice of the family 
doctor rather than by the perusal of    
books in general circulation4  ,the     

attitude of mind of the ,church towards 
the problems of sexual relationships is 
part of a larger question1 viz41 the    
ever-widening gap between the formal    
teaching of the ,church and the actual  
belief of the present generation1       
including many who by baptism and early 
training belong to her fold4  ,this gap 
between authority and actuality of      
belief imposes a strain on intellectual 
integrity and weakens the foundations of
 a real allegiance4 ,for those of us who
 are of mature years the gap is bridged 
by the tender associations of our       
childhood and the memory of parents1 for
 whom no such gap existed1 and whose    
faith and character have left indelible 
impressions on our lives4 ,but for the  
youth of to-day no such bridge exists4  
,the ,war has caused a hiatus and       
thought has broken with tradition4      
,thus1 youth is no longer willing to    
accept forms and formulae only on       
account of their age4 ,so it has set out
 on a voyage of inquiry1 and finding    

some things which are doubtful and      
others which are insufficient1 is       
searching for forms of expression more  
in harmony with the realities of life   
and knowledge4 ,although becoming       
estranged in thought from the ,church1  
it is possessed of deep religious       
feeling and1 firm on the rock foundation
 of faith1 is trying to build a         
superstructure more in accord with the  
progress of revelation1 not only in     
religion1 but in science1 and the needs 
of the world in which it moves and has  
its being4       ,far be it1 that ,i    
should write thee sin or blame1     ,or 
think thee unbefitting holiest place1   
,perpetual fountain of domestic sweets1 
,whose bed is undefiled and chaste      
pronounced1     ,present1 or past1 as   
saints and patriarchs used4     ,here   
,love his golden shafts employs1 here   
lights     ,his constant lamp1 and waves
 his purple wings1     ,reigns here and 
revels2 not in the bought smile     ,of 
harlots1 loveless1 joyless1 unendeared1 

,casual fruition2 nor in court-amours1  
,mixed dance1 or wanton mask1 or        
midnight ball1     ,or serenate1 which  
the starved lover sings     ,to his     
proud fair1 best quitted with disdain4  
,these1 lulled by nightingales1         
embracing slept1     ,and on their naked
 limbs the flowery roof     ,showered   
roses1 which the morn repaired4         
,paradise ,lost1                        
,book ,,iv4                             
,,love--,,marriage--,,birth ,,control   
,may ,i make certain preliminary        
observations8 ,painters and poets depict
 ,love to us in golden hues and arouse  
in us happy and sympathetic1 and1 ,i    
trust1 reminiscent response1 helping us 
to realise that life without the love of
 man and woman would be like the world  
without sunshine4  ,though1 therefore1  
the social student in his approach to   
the subject is not helped by the        
beauties of colour and song1 it behoves 
him to avoid undue solemnity1 and still 
more an air of portentous foreboding4   

,in each age customs have been deplored 
as heralds of evil1 but the evils have  
seldom materialised4  ,one of the       
difficulties of this subject is that    
those who are called upon to give       
counsel are apt to forget the strength  
of the forces to be dealt with1 for it  
is during youth especially that sex     
attractions are so powerful1 and1 may ,i
 add1 so delightful4 ,middle-aged people
 may be divided into three classes4     
,those who are still young4  ,those who 
have forgotten they were young4  ,those 
who were never young4  ,and it is with  
the first class before my eyes that ,i  
am privileged to address this audience4 
,i will confine my attention to the     
sexual relationships between unrelated  
adult people in youth and prime4  ,it is
 common ground that sex love between    
such people should be the physical      
expression of a lasting affection1 and  
be so intimately blended with the       
feelings of helpfulness1 sympathy1 and  
intimate friendship as to form a union  

of body1 mind and spirit4 ,it further   
should be associated with the love of   
and desire for children4  ,this complex 
is best secured by the institution of   
marriage4  ,all its constituent         
features1 except two1 are vividly       
realised in intimate friendship1 and    
above all1 in that unique bond between  
mother and son which with some of us is 
the most wonderful thing in our lives4  
,its two exclusively distinctive        
features are3 sex love and child love4  
,these are the real problems before us  
to-day1 particularly the former1 and if 
in these remarks ,i seem to concentrate 
on the problems of sex love1 be it      
understood ,i do so from a desire to    
save the time of the meeting and not    
because ,i think sex love should reign  
alone in unbalanced supremacy4  ,and by 
sex love ,i mean that love which        
involves intercourse or the desire for  
such4  ,it is necessary to my argument  
to emphasise that sex love is one of the
 clamant dominating forces of the world4

 ,not only does history show the        
destinies of nations and dynasties      
determined by its sway--but here in our 
every-day life we see its influence1    
direct or indirect1 forceful and        
ubiquitous beyond aught else4           
,,an ,,imperious ,,instinct4  ,any      
statesmanlike review1 therefore1 will   
recognise that here we have an          
instinct--so fundamental1 so            
imperious--that its influence is a fact 
which has to be accepted3 suppress it   
you cannot4 ,you may guide it into      
healthy channels--but an outlet it will 
have1 and if that outlet is inadequate  
or unduly obstructed1 irregular channels
 will be forced4  ,we uphold the control
 of sex love outside marriage by the    
individual--and that we are right in so 
doing is incontestable4 ,but let us     
realise that in practice self-control   
has a breaking point1 and that if in any
 community marriage is difficult or late
 of attainment1 an increase of irregular
 unions will inevitably result4  ,that  

the ,church recognises this is shown by 
the statement that marriage was         
instituted to prevent sin4 ,in          
considering the problem of illicit      
intercourse and its attendant evils the 
social conditions that make for a       
wholesome life are of more efficiency   
than ,acts of ,parliament to suppress   
vice4  ,my desire1 however1 on this     
occasion is rather to consider sex love 
in relation to marriage4 ,the first     
point ,i wish to make is that people    
need more knowledge of the scientific   
bearings of sex relations and more      
clearly defined guidance of their       
rightful purport and practice4 ,they are
 imperfectly provided with both4 ,we    
talk about instructing the young when we
 are neither clear nor agreed amongst   
ourselves1 and the young are endangered 
as much by crudity as by absence of     
instruction4  ,all are agreed that union
 of body should be in association with  
union of mind and soul2 all are agreed  
that the rearing of children is a       

pre-eminent purpose4 ,but what purport  
is there beyond these8 ,here there is a 
lack of precision4                      
,,the ,,church ,,and ,,marriage4  ,what 
does the ,church service say8 ,it says  
,marriage was ordained for a remedy     
against sin1 and to avoid fornication2  
that such persons as have not the gift  
of continency might marry and keep      
themselves undefiled members of         
,christ's body4  ,now this is a very    
negative blessing4 ,it implies that     
where unfortunately people cannot be    
continent that marriage gives the best  
way out--enables them to get relief     
within the pale of virtue4 ,this        
attitude affords to sex love no positive
 purport or merit of its own1 and is in 
striking conflict with the facts of life
 through the ages--facts which carry    
social approval4  ,the recent           
pronouncement of the ,church as set     
forth in ,resolution #fh of the ,lambeth
 ,conference seems to imply condemnation
 of sex love as such1 and to imply      

sanction of sex love only as a means to 
an end--namely1 procreation1 though it  
must be admitted it lacks that clearness
 of direction which in so vital a matter
 one would have expected4 ,it almost    
reminds me of one of those diplomatic   
formulae which is not intended to be too
 clear4 ,allow me to quote from it3--   
,in opposition to the teaching which    
under the name of science and religion  
encourages married people in the        
deliberate cultivation of sexual union  
as an end in itself1 we steadfastly     
uphold what must always be regarded as  
the governing consideration of          
,christian marriage4 ,one is the primary
 purpose for which marriage             
exists--namely1 the continuation of the 
race through the gift and heritage of   
children2 the other is the paramount    
importance in married life of deliberate
 and thoughtful self-control4           
,,the ,,facts ,,of ,,life4  ,now the    
plain meaning of this statement is that 
sexual union should take place for the  

sole purpose of procreation1 that sexual
 union as an end in itself--not1 mind   
you1 the only end--7there we should all 
agree71 but sexual union as an end in   
itself is to be condemned4  ,that means 
that sexual intercourse should rightly  
take place only for the purpose of      
procreation4  ,now the large majority of
 conceptions take place immediately     
after and before the monthly period4    
,quite a large family could easily      
result from quite a few sexual unions4  
,for the rest the couple should be      
celibate4 ,any intercourse not having   
procreation as its intention is sexual  
union as an end in itself1 and therefore
 by inference condemned by the ,lambeth 
,conference4  ,think of the facts of    
life4 ,let us recall our own love--our  
marriage1 our honeymoon4 ,has not sexual
 union over and over again been the     
physical expression of our love without 
thought or intention of procreation8    
,have we all been wrong8 ,or is it that 
the ,church lacks that vital contact    

with the realities of life which        
accounts for the gulf between her and   
the people8  ,the love envisaged by the 
,lambeth ,conference is an invertebrate 
joyless thing--not worth the having4    
,fortunately it is in contrast to the   
real thing as practised by clergy and   
laity4  ,fancy an ardent lover 7and what
 respect have you for a lover who is not
 ardent7--the type you would like your  
daughter to marry--virile1 ambitious1   
chivalrous--a man who means to work hard
 and love hard4 ,fancy putting before   
these lovers--eager and expectant of the
 joys before them--the ,lambeth picture 
of marriage4 ,do you expect to gain     
their confidence8  ,they ask for bread2 
you give them a stone4                  
,,allegiance ,,of ,,the ,,young4        
,authority1 and ,i include under        
authority the ,churches1 will never gain
 the allegiance of the young unless     
their attitude is more frank1 more      
courageous1 and more in accordance with 
realities4  ,and to tell you the truth1 

,i am not sure that too much prudent    
self-restraint suits love and its       
purport4 ,romance and deliberate        
self-control do not1 to my mind1 rhyme  
very well together4 ,a touch of madness 
to begin with does no harm4 ,heaven     
knows life sobers it soon enough4 ,if   
you don't start life with a head of     
steam you won't get far4  ,sex love has1
 apart from parenthood1 a purport of its
 own4 ,it is something to prize and to  
cherish for its own sake4 ,it is an     
essential part of health and happiness  
in marriage4 ,and now1 if you will allow
 me1 ,i will carry this argument a step 
further4  ,if sexual union is a gift of 
,god it is worth learning how to use it4
 ,within its own sphere it should be    
cultivated so as to bring physical      
satisfaction to both1 not merely to one4
 ,the attainment of mutual and          
reciprocal joy in their relations       
constitutes a firm bond between two     
people and makes for durability of their
 marriage tie4  ,reciprocity in sex love

 is the physical counterpart of         
sympathy4 ,more marriages fail from     
inadequate and clumsy sex love than from
 too much sex love4                     
,,passion ,a ,,worthy ,,possession4     
,the lack of proper understanding is in 
no small measure responsible for the    
unfulfilment of 7connubial7 happiness1  
and every degree of discontent and      
unhappiness may from this cause occur1  
leading to rupture of the marriage bond 
itself4 ,how often do medical men have  
to deal with these difficulties1 and how
 fortunate if such difficulties are     
disclosed early enough in married life  
to be rectified4 ,otherwise how tragic  
may be their consequences1 and many a   
case in the ,divorce ,court has thus had
 its origin4  ,to the foregoing         
contentions it might be objected you are
 encouraging passion4 ,my reply would   
be1 passion is a worthy possession2 most
 men1 who are any good1 are capable of  
passion4  ,you all enjoy ardent and     
passionate love in art and literature4  

,why not give it a place in real life8  
,why some people look askance at passion
 is because they are confusing it with  
sensuality4 ,sex love without passion is
 a poor1 lifeless thing4 ,sensuality1 on
 the other hand1 is on a level with     
gluttony--a physical excess--detached   
from sentiment1 chivalry1 or tenderness4
  ,it is just as important to give sex  
love its place as to avoid its over     
emphasis4 ,its real and effective       
restraints are those imposed by a loving
 and sympathetic companionship1 by the  
privileges of parenthood1 the exacting  
claims of career and that civic sense   
which prompts men to do social service4 
,now that the revision of the ,prayer   
,book is receiving consideration1 ,i    
should like to suggest1 with great      
respect1 that an addition be made to the
 objects of marriage in the ,marriage   
,service1 in these terms3 ,the complete 
realisation of the love of this man and 
this woman1 the one for the other4      
,,birth ,,control4  ,and now1 if you    

will permit me1 ,i will pass on to      
consider the all-important question of  
,birth ,control4  ,first1 ,i will put   
forward with confidence the view that   
birth control is here to stay4 ,it is an
 established fact1 and for good or evil 
has to be accepted4 ,although the extent
 of its application can be and is being 
modified1 no denunciations will abolish 
it4  ,despite the influence and         
condemnations of the ,church1 it has    
been practised in ,france for well over 
half a century1 and in ,belgium and     
other ,catholic countries is extending4 
,and if the ,roman ,catholic ,church1   
with its compact organisation1 its power
 of authority1 and its discipline1      
cannot check this procedure1 is it      
likely that ,protestant ,churches will  
be able to do so8--for ,protestant      
religions depend for their strength on  
the conviction and esteem they establish
 in the heads and hearts of their       
people4  ,the reasons which lead parents
 to limit their offspring are sometimes 

selfish1 but more often honourable and  
cogent4 ,the desire to marry and to rear
 children well equipped for life's      
struggle1 limited incomes1 the cost of  
living1 burdensome taxation1 are        
forcible motives2 and1 further1 amongst 
the educated classes there is the desire
 of women to take a part in life and    
their husband's careers1 which is       
incompatible with oft-recurring         
pregnancies4 ,absence of birth control  
means late marriages1 and these carry   
with them irregular unions and all the  
baneful consequences4  ,it is idle to   
decry illicit intercourse and interpose 
obstacles to marriage at one and the    
same time4  ,but1 say many whose        
opinions are entitled to our respect3   
,yes--birth control may be necessary1   
but the only birth control which is     
justifiable is voluntary abstention from
 connubial relations4 ,such abstention  
would be either ineffective or1 if      
effective1 impracticable and harmful to 
health and happiness4  ,to limit the    

size of a family to1 say1 four children 
during a child-bearing period of #bj-be 
years1 would be to impose on a married  
couple an amount of abstention which for
 long periods would almost be equivalent
 to celibacy1 and when one remembers    
that owing to economic reasons the      
abstention would have to be most strict 
during the earlier years of married life
 when desires are strongest1 ,i maintain
 a demand is being made which for the   
mass of people it is impossible to meet2
 that the endeavours to meet it would   
impose a strain hostile to health and   
happiness and carry with them grave     
dangers to morals4  ,imagine a young    
married couple in love with each        
other--the parents1 say1 of one child1  
who feel they cannot afford another     
child for1 say1 three years--being      
expected to occupy the same room and to 
abstain for two years4 ,the thing is    
preposterous4 ,you might as well put    
water by the side of a man suffering    
from thirst and tell him not to drink   

it4  ,and further than that1 if the     
efforts to abstain are seriously made   
the strain involved is harmful to the   
health and temper--if the efforts do not
 succeed the minds of husband and wife  
are troubled by doubts and anxieties    
which are damaging to their intimate    
relationships4 ,and1 moreover1 if this  
harmful restraint succeeds in preventing
 conception there eventuates the        
inevitable prevalence of sex excitement 
followed by abortive and half-realised  
satisfaction1 and the enhanced risk of  
the man or woman yielding to outside sex
 temptations4  ,no--birth control by    
abstention is either ineffective1 or1 if
 effective1 is pernicious4              
,,the ,,home',s ,,true ,,interests4  ,i 
will next consider ,artificial ,control4
 ,the forces in modern life which make  
for birth control are so strong that    
only convincing reasons will make people
 desist from it4 ,it is said to be      
unnatural and intrinsically immoral4    
,this word unnatural perplexes me4      

,civilisation involves the chaining of  
natural forces and their conversion to  
man's will and uses4 ,much of medicine  
and surgery consists of means to        
overcome nature4  ,when anaesthetics    
were first used at childbirth there was 
an outcry on the part of many worthy and
 religious people that their use under  
such circumstances was unnatural and    
wicked1 because ,god meant woman to     
suffer the struggles and pains of       
childbirth4 ,now we all admit it is     
right to control the process of         
childbirth1 and to save the mother as   
much pain as possible4 ,it is no more   
unnatural to control conception by      
artificial means than to control        
childbirth by artificial means4 ,surely 
the whole question turns on whether     
these artificial means are for the good 
or harm of the individual and the       
community6 ,do all contraceptive        
measures damage the individual8 ,the    
answer to that depends on the purpose   
for which they are used4 ,if they are   

used to render unions childless or      
inadequately fruitful they are harmful4 
,there are grounds for thinking that    
unrealisation of maternity favours      
sterility4  ,generally speaking1 birth  
control before the first child is       
inadvisable4 ,on the other hand1 the    
justifiable use of birth control is to  
limit the number of children1 and to    
spread out their arrival in such a way  
as to serve their true interests and    
those of their home4  ,that such        
applications of birth control produce no
 harm receives support from the study of
 the numbers and distribution of the    
children of the professional classes4   
,the advantage and disadvantage of this 
or that contraceptive is a technical    
matter for the doctors to determine4    
,again1 it has been stated that         
artificial control is harmful because it
 leads to excessive indulgence4         
,experience and evidence are against    
this being a fact4  ,contraceptives by  
the time and circumstance of their      

application involve prudence and        
control4 ,the proper and efficient      
restraints on undue sexual indulgence   
are to be found in mutual consideration1
 sympathy1 and tenderness and the       
pressing claims of life's duties4  ,the 
sensualist who is not deterred from     
excess by these considerations will be  
completely careless whether his         
indulgence results in children or       
not--he is moved by his selfish impulses
 alone4                                 
,,careful ,,distinction4  ,once more1   
careful distinction needs to be made    
between the use and the bad effects of  
the abuse of birth control4 ,that its   
abuse produces harm ,i fully agree--harm
 to parents1 to families1 and to the    
nation4 ,but abuse is not a just        
condemnation of legitimate use4         
,over-eating1 over-drinking1            
over-smoking1 over-sleeping1 over-work  
do not carry condemnation of eating1    
drinking1 smoking1 sleeping1 work4  ,but
 the evils of excessive birth control   

are very real4 ,there is first the      
individual--every woman is better in    
body and mind for child bearing--the    
periodic completion of the maternal     
cycle brings out the best1 preserves    
youth and maintains vital contact with  
life4 ,maternity gives to woman her most
 beautiful attributes4 ,fancy being mad 
enough to suppress it6 ,if one watches  
the woman with one child and all        
maternity finished before thirty1 and   
compare her at forty with the woman of  
the same age who has had1 say1 four     
children at proper intervals1 who       
usually has the advantage in            
preservation of youth and beauty8 ,not  
the former4  ,on the other hand1 it must
 be admitted that baby after baby every 
year or eighteen months wears and often 
exhausts a woman's strength4 ,the       
inference is that the use of birth      
control is good1 its abuse bad4  ,next1 
the children4 ,is it even necessary to  
refer to the failure of the single-child
 household8 ,poor little thing6         

,surrounded by over-anxious parents1    
spoilt1 no children to play with1 bored 
stiff by adults4 ,and then1 perhaps1    
illness1 and it may be death--and when  
it is too late to produce another4  ,of 
the many tragedies ,i met in the war    
none exceeded that attaching to the loss
 of only children4 ,it often means the  
end of all things2 nothing to live      
for--just blank despair4                
,,the ,,way ,,of ,,happiness4  ,the     
parents and the home both need children 
of varying ages4 ,that is the way of    
happiness and enduring youth4  ,and     
lastly1 the national aspect may be      
stated very briefly4 ,if ,england is not
 to lose her place in the world her     
population must be maintained4 ,unless  
fathers and mothers produce an average  
of over three children that population  
will not be maintained4  ,if you say to 
a young husband and wife with their one 
or two children1 ,do you like to        
contemplate that when you both leave    
life your country will1 through your    

action1 be worse off than when you      
entered life8 that is an appeal to      
patriotism1 and likely to be a          
successful appeal4  ,there are signs of 
a public opinion forming which will     
condemn the selfishness of marriages    
without their proper heritage of        
children1 but such public opinion will  
not be strengthened by an indiscriminate
 condemnation of birth control4  ,may ,i
 end my speech with an appeal that the  
,church approaches this question1 in    
common with certain others1 in the light
 of modern knowledge and the needs of a 
new world1 and unhampered by traditions 
which have outworn their usefulness8    
,,printed ,,in ,,great ,,britain ,,by   
,,the ,,whitefriars ,,press1 ,,ltd41    
,,london ,,and ,,tonbridge4