But the amoeba's love feelings are extremely simple and lead to no complication for they imply no enduring companionship, no responsibilities to a mate nor to the "offspring."
What We Expect of the Modern Woman. The modern woman who is expected to be, not merely a sexual mate but a social and intellectual mate as well, a companion in our athletic diversions, a comrade-at-arms in the world's battles, and many other things, can no longer allow chance to interrupt her developmental strivings, to handicap her in the friendly race she is running with the mate of her choice for intellectual accomplishment by unexpected, unwelcome, inconvenient pregnancy and child bearing.
Every child claims two years of its mother's life and it seems reasonable that the mother should have something to say as to what number that chapter will bear in her biography.
As only the very weak-minded or very hypocritical offer as a remedy for frequent pregnancy male continence, we shall not even consider for one minute such an absurd, abnormal, biologically immoral solution.
The Only Solution. The only other solution which has ever been proposed is a system of sexual enlightenment which will enable a woman to prevent pregnancy until such time when she feels that she can in justice to herself and to her offspring bear a child, and will, further, enable her to have an abortion performed when, in spite of all contraceptive measures, pregnancy has begun.
This solution has been adopted by the entire civilised world, and in fact, I might say that the degree of civilisation of a race or nation can be accurately gauged by the number of individuals within that race or nation practicing birth control.
With very few exceptions, a large family betokens stupidity, poverty and ignorance. It is the poor, the stupid and the ignorant who are burdened with children and, in turn, that burden keeps them stupid, poor and ignorant. A vicious circle which seems hard to break.
The Human Milch Cow. Many a time when beholding some miserable female from the slums wrecked by repeated childbearing, dwarfed in mind, deformed in body, I have felt that sexual relations between her and her mate had probably reached the level at which they could only by an unusual stretch of one's imagination, be even distantly connected with love. To her and to her mate, every embrace, except after the onset of pregnancy, meant added suffering, added expense, further physical degradation and decay.
Since the "nice" people, however, know the remedy and apply it, why bother any longer? Because, while normally intelligent men and women know how to avoid pregnancy and to whom to turn when an accident happens, the greatest uncertainty about contraception obsesses their minds and panicky fears bring about many catastrophes when the unwelcome fruit must be removed from the mother's body.
Thousands of men and woman, enlightened in the mysteries of contraception by some one who is little less ignorant than themselves, are chilled in their enjoyment of lawful love by the thought of possible danger.