John: And the Law oughtn’t to be concerned with the personal side of it at all; but with the social—with the obligations to the children.
Gwen: Yes.... What would you do about children in your trial marriages?
John: There oughtn’t to be any; not until they’ve set out to be permanent.
[Up to this point the talk has been quiet; they have been helping themselves, and each other, to their teas.
[Now, John is impelled from within to move. His own convictions, with the sense of a world in opposition, trouble him; his sentences jerk out: all underlined, as it were.
John: But it’s just because as many permanent happy marriages as possible seems the best way it’s so damned important for people to make a good choice ... with full knowledge ... and so, with a real hope of being lasting and happy; and to help them out when they’ve made a mistake ... it wouldn’t be so difficult if people would be open-minded and sane about it ... people just point out difficulties and dangers, and think they’ve smashed our case ... of course there’d be difficulties and unhappiness; love’s not simple ... but look at it all now. That’s what they forget. Look at it now....
When one thinks of the Prejudices, and Intolerance; of all the Righteousness that stands between us and a happier world, it drives one mad.... Have you walked through a slum lately?
Gwen: No.
John: I did; yesterday; ... thousands of babies rolling about in filth; and you only see them outside, where at least there’s a square inch of open sky above them.
Think of them inside. Whole families in one room. The mothers and fathers, growing brothers and sisters, and new-born babies; all together; day and night; in every city in the civilised world.... Think of it, for a moment ... intimately.... Good God! Talk about leading little children astray. A civilisation that tolerates it ought to have a millstone round its neck; ... as a matter of fact, it has; the thing itself is a millstone; dragging us down; fast.