Prologue

Part I (excerpt)

It was appointed by Government that all persons should be taught the more important
branches of this science in the public schools, as soon as they reached the age of twelve years together with the principles of social economy. It was considered a gross immorality on the part of parents to bring into existence a large family of children, whom they could not possibly rear with comfort to themselves, or with any degree of justice to their offspring.

But over and above the personal inconvenience of poor people being overburdened with children, the disadvantage of giving birth to large families was recognised by all from an economic point of view: for the world was becoming so thickly populated that it appeared obvious a difficulty would arise in providing foodstuffs for so many millions of human beings, notwithstanding the very material assistance the science of chemistry afforded in feeding the multitude.

All persons, therefore recognised the necessity of supporting legislative authority on this point, for being an intellectual people they saw it worked to their advantage from every point of view.

Inordinate reproduction interfered with a wife's ability to supplement her husband's income by following her own profession, and thereby making a very narrow income into an easy one.

In bygone clays if the mistress of a public school entered the marriage state she entered the schoolroom no more; custom decreed that with marriage all bread winning ceased on her side, and her husband's small income must suffice.

Of course the raison d'etre of this custom was not far to seek, for her child-bearing
duties, to which no limit was placed, would considerably interfere with those of her situation.

But at this advanced period public opinion decreed that such a course was the outcome of brute ignorance; for physiological and psychological science taught that the position of parent was the most responsible in all creation, and to bring any number of children into the world until Nature refused to do more, was a condition of life in its wildest state; for man in every other form of life controls the exuberance of Nature, for wise purposes.

As soon as a wife decided on becoming a mother, — and most women looked forward to
that position with keen interest, for the love of children is ever paramount in the female breast, — she would brace herself to the fulfilment of the duties of this great responsibility.

She realised that on herself alone rested, not only the building up of the physical frame of her unborn child, but also the formation of the pre-natal mind, with all its mental and moral capacities.

She knew that every thought, impulse, and action of hers would leave their impress upon the brain of her child; for a stimulus would be given to the development of the faculties in those directions, according to the degree in which she exercised her own.

In order, therefore to ensure herself the possession of a child perfect in physique, and intellect; and endowed with such faculties of mind as formed her beau ideal of a beautiful character, she underwent a course of self-denial and watchfulness throughout the whole period of pregnancy.

During this important period, the greatest in her life, she took heed that no emotion, thought, or action was indulged in on her part that she would object to seeing reproduced in her child, however modified these might be by the new individuality.

To ensure this she followed a system of wholesome and healthy employment, which served the twofold purpose of keeping her mind pure, and her muscle-power in practice. By experience it was found that the most beautiful characters had been given to the world by parents noted for their industry, morality and unselfishness.

Then there were the intellectual powers of the child's mind to consider, for it was not left to chance the arrangement of his talents, or capabilities for a profession.

Expectant parents took time by the forelock, for instead of waiting for the period when their son's schooling would be completed for the choice of a profession, they carefully considered the question long before he put in an appearance, and made their plans regarding his future with twentieth-century forethought.

If it so happened that the ambition of a couple was to see their son a professor of music then the mother-that-was-to-be took her rule accordingly.

During this interesting time she would devote herself almost exclusively to the pursuit of music; daily practising on the instruments she wished him to excel in; studying the theory of music, attending high-class musical entertainments; encouraging lovers of music at her house, and in fact, neglecting nothing that lay in her power to foster and encourage the growth of that group of faculties, whose possession makes the perfect musician.

Indeed, the friends of a lady enceinte would suspect her condition, not from seeing her lying about on the couch, or other indolent indulgences, but from her increased activities in a regular and definite direction.

'It's easy to see,' a neighbour would remark in fireside parlance, 'that Mistress Woodward is expecting a son; evidently they are going to make him a civil engineer. Mark, how she is slaving over mathematics and reading up every work on engineering she can lay her hands on. Why, her boudoir is filled with mechanical drawings: you would think she was about building all the sus-
pension bridges, and electrometers in the Empire. It is a son, you may be sure; she would hardly put a daughter to such a profession, seeing that when one conies she will be an heiress. Yes, the grandmother left all her property to the granddaughter, when she, arrives. I suppose they will have one; it goes without saying that they will, under the circumstances'
 

'It's coming off at last! They're going to give themselves a baby — poor things! 'Twas a silly love match, thou remembers, and their united incomes were as nothing compared with their ideas, brought up as they were in every luxury. However, the wife got a good appointment last October owing to the influence of her friends; result — she is going to have a baby — a girl, I am told. It is plain enough to see what trade the child is to follow, for the expectant mother is now running a laboratory and slaves in it nightly, besides attending the Government lectures on chemistry held weekly in the large hall of the Science Schools. Well, it is a useful profession, and will do equally well for a boy; it's just possible they may have made a mistake and the baby will prove to be a boy after all. I never thought either of them over intelligent — they are sure to blunder —
but what matters it? They can have a girl next time. Of course they will treat themselves to two children — they can now afford it.'

Still another sample of twentieth century table talk:

Mr. Brown. 'Hast thou seen Smithers lately? It is a long time since I set eyes on him; what is he doing? '

Mr. White. 'Oh, all his spare time is taken up showing Mistress Smithers how to manufacture flying machines. He takes her into his workshop daily, explaining the uses of this, that and the other. She has a lathe of her own, run by electricity, and she makes the parts and fits them together. Of course as soon as the baby is born she will drop it, for Smithers is well off now; capital business that flying machine one, especially with that new patent of his — it almost goes like the wind, and a lot steadier.'

Mr. Brown. 'Bless my life! why she went through all that fag four years ago, I remember very well I could never get a minute with him. As soon as ever his workmen were gone, in went the wife for her lessons, and mighty quick she was too, in taking it all in. Are they going to have two sons? '

Mr. White. 'Not if they know it! They made a mistake last time; it appears 'twas an order for a daughter that went, while they thought it was for a son, so Mistress Smithers has to go through all her exercises de novo; it is to be hoped they have made no blunder this time, for it is no joke after all, for the poor woman.'

Mr. Brown. 'The boy should be a genius when he comes, seeing that both parents are adepts in the business. Occasionally we have freaks of nature, — now, haven't we? Rememberest thou those Percys, they were going to have a poet, forsooth! but, ha, ha, ha, he turned out a simpleton!! He now takes the pence for the man who lends out his flying machine to boys. So much for manufacturing poets beforehand.'

Mr. White. 'It was a maxim of the ancients that poets must be born not made, and it still holds good in these days of light: for a great poet only comes once in an epoch. He is an intellectual giant, as it were, and the conditions under which he is formed are not yet fathomed. It is comparatively easy for a woman to take up any ordinary employment with a view of giving a certain bias to the child's faculties, but how in the name of goodness can a person all at once simulate the poet, and expect her child to come into the world a ready-made bard — why it is preposterous!'

Mr. Brown. 'We cannot limit the possibilities of the future: only a hundred years ago the possibility of arranging the sex of a child was laughed at as a simple absurdity. Now we arrange not only the number of our children but their sex also; and very properly too, for we can do greater justice to our progeny when we know what we are about, than if they came by blind chance, merely.'

Mr. White. 'We are twenty-first century people, now — let us remember that fact, two
thousand and two! Yea, verily, the world is growing very old and that blessed millennium
hasn't come yet! 'Mr. Brown. 'This is the millennium. We shall get no better. Is not the prophecy fulfilled of the ancient poets — "The wolf and the lamb shall he down together? "Where is
war? It has ceased to exist. Civilisation and science have worked out the miracle, and given to war its quietus.'

It is necessary to explain that by this time such a perfect knowledge of physiology
was obtained that the sex of the desired offspring could be regulated by parents. As soon as the discovery was made, and fully and completely tested, it was not locked up as a professional secret, but was given to the people by order of the Government in a handbook of health that was issued yearly at a nominal cost, which contained up-to-date information on hygiene, or general management of Health, and Home. By this means at least two-thirds of the children born were males, which kept the balance fairly even of the sexes. For notwithstanding the fact that Nature had at all times given the predominance of number to the masculine sex, yet owing to the numerous accidents that befell men while in the pursuit of their calling; and also to the severer strain on their constitution as the breadwinners, the mortality was consequently greater. From these causes mainly the nations found themselves mostly, with a redundance of adult females.

But a complete metamorphosis had now set in, for the people had eagerly taken advantage of the information afforded them, availing themselves of it to such an extent that the succeeding generation of males found themselves with a very inadequate supply of wives.

This awkward dilemma was, however, remedied in course of time, and eventually a fairly even number of the sexes was obtained.