THE DECLINING POPULATION
Sta,—Will someone, through The Spectator, undertake to explain to mothers why an increase in the birth-rate is essential? Most of us either don't understand or else mistrust statistics; they certainly don't inspire us with passionate longing to rock cradles.
In spite of all that has been said about parental selfishness, a lot of us do like rocking cradles, but a long family is often hard on the elder children of a family. Many of us remember the hard times between the wars when young brothers struggled to find room to live and work in a crowded world.
England feels very full. Why is it essential to keep population to Vic- torian levels. I believe that in the seventeenth century we numbered some five millions. Too low certainly, but it is not possible to have some nostalgia for the small cities of the past; to regret the sprawling growth of towns; to appreciate quality beyond quantity in population. With these thoughts in our minds it is unlikely that at the bidding of statisticians we shall have more babies to people their empty world, which seems so full
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