Since early
in the history of the fishes paternal responsibility has been a factor
of ascending evolution. It has ever been a more and more responsible
thing to be a father. It is now proposed to reduce fatherhood to the
purely physiological act--as amongst, shall we say, the simpler worms;
and the proposal is only "a matter of detail."
Probably we had better go our own way, and waste no more time upon this
kind of thing. There remains to answer our question, how is motherhood
to be endowed; and the answer I propose is _by fatherhood_. Motherhood
is already so endowed in many a happy case. There are quite a number of
men to be found who take such a remarkable pride and interest in their
own children that their "share in the power of direction" is a real one,
and would never occur to them to be "a matter of detail." They regard
their earnings, these unprogressive fathers, as in large measure a trust
for their wives and children, and expend them accordingly. They are not
guilty of "sins and waste and carelessness"; and some of them are even
inclined to question whether they should pay for the results of such
sins on the part of other men: and since those who believe in the
"fetish of parental responsibility," to quote the favourite Socialist
_cliche_, can show that this is not a fetish but a tutelary deity of
Society, whose power has been increasing since backbones were invented,
they may be well assured that the last word will be with them.
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