he rights and necessities of
children rather than an aversion to motherhood:

If reduced to its last analysis, it does not indicate a
loss, but rather a development, if not an actual exaltation
of the maternal function. American women recognize,
subconsciously, possibly, certainly not in definite terms,
but they nevertheless recognize, the force of the law
enunciated by Mr. Spencer that whatever conduces to the
highest welfare of offspring must more and more establish
itself, since children of inferior parents reared in
inferior ways will ever be replaced by children of better
parents reared in better ways.

A much greater danger, according to Dr. Reed, is overpopulation. As
influences inimical to the American family he classes "everything that
tends to the early and wide dispersion of its members," such as--

The development of residential schools, the extension of
far-reaching transportation facilities, the diversification
of industries, the industrial employment of women, the
popularization of hotels and apartments for residential
purposes, and, finally, the development of clubs for both
men and women at the expense of the home.

WORTH WHILE TO LIVE IN A LARGE CITY.

The Real Blessings of Urban Life Have
Been Too Much Neglected By
the Apostles of the Country.

City life has been more or less maligned--unintentionally. Unhealthful
crowding, lack of the inspiration of outdoor life, and greater immorality
are the principal charges. Lately, however, people have begun to believe
that the city is little if any more immoral, proportionately to its
inhabitants, than the country; that the absence of outdoor life has
compensations, especially when one can spend part of the year in the
country; that most of the dangers of crowding can be averted by improved
sanitary methods and a greater number of parks. Edward S. Martin, writing
in _Appleton's Magazine_, states the case attractively:

After all, there is an unrivaled attraction about human
society, and it is considerably wholesome. It takes superior
people to thrive on solitude even with quiet thrown in.
Feebler folk have been known to regenerate even in the
blessed country. It is no more possible in these days to
stop the country people from coming to town than to stop the
rivers from flowing to the sea.

The cities offer the best opportunities to the people who