that husbands will constantly change wives and wives husbands, and
that, owing to the absence of all responsibility on the part of the
parents for their offspring, over-population and consequent
pauperisation will take place. Therefore some Socialists think that "A
time will come when the patriot will consider it to be his duty, not
to kill as many enemies as possible in time of war, but to restrict
his family as far as possible in time of peace."[947] Socialist
daydreamers seem to be unaware that the best preventive against
over-population lies in the duty of parents to bring up and educate
their children, a duty which they wish to abolish.

As Aristotle pointed out 2200 years ago, the all-regulating State
would also have to regulate the increase of population. "If the State
is to guarantee wages, it is bound in self-protection to provide that
no person shall be born without its consent. The State is to sanction
the number of births; all others are immoral, because anti-social. As
national wealth increased, a larger number of births would be allowed,
or a larger sum would be expended on such as were allowed. An
unsanctioned birth would receive no recognition from the State, and in
times of over-population it might be needful to punish, positively or
negatively, both father and mother. As such births may be due to
ignorance or inefficiency of some check system, it would be the duty
of the State to scientifically investigate the whole system of checks,
and to spread among its citizens a thorough knowledge of such as were
harmless and efficient in practice."[948]

The State would control procreation. Intending couples would
apparently have to take out a procreation licence, which would be
granted only to those able to pass a searching examination. "Marriage
between the mentally weak will not be allowed. Imbeciles, lunatics,
and those with dangerous and ineradicable criminal tendencies will not
be permitted to reproduce their species at all."[949]

Unfortunately the writer fails to specify how unauthorised
reproduction of the species would be prevented, and how contravention
of the procreation laws would be punished. These details are furnished
by another writer. "All those actually certified as degenerates must
be prevented from procreating. Society has not only a right but a duty
to protect itself against such by-products, and it can only do this by
State control of marriage."[950] "Marriage without a satisfactory
med