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G.K.s WEEKLY London, England 25 June 1927 (page 470)
THE COCKPIT.
THE WISDOM OF A HERETIC
Dear Sir,—As only two thirds of a Heretic's remarks on “The Stupidity of Stopes” consists of vituperation, and only the remaining third of poor metaphysics, it is clear that none of the opponents of Birth-control are “either stupid or conceited or vulgar, or all three.”
This particular heretic's “Antipathy to birth-control is stronger in [him] than the fear of hell-fire.” I conceive (pardon so inappropriate a word in this connection!) that a slight prejudice is herein manifested. Divorced (pardon once more!) as it is from super-naturalism, Birth-control is a device for enabling people to avoid begetting more off-spring than they can comfortably maintain, and for aiding women to avoid over-painful and dangerous births. Purely utilitarian and scientific, it has no connection with “God,” “omniscience,” “judgment,” “soul,” and the rest of the mental rag-baggage beloved of the very mild “Heretic,” who objects, naturally to that “dreary,” “stupid” New Generation, which is blasphemously concerned merely with human welfare; that is, the increasing of human pleasures, and the alleviation of human suffering.
It is amusing to a Freethinker to note that our Heretic, whilst affirming that “Judgment is the hardest of all human tasks,” is not particularly gentle (or even gentlemanly) in dealing with Dr. Stopes when he has the misfortune to differ from her. But no doubt “religious” justice (or judgment, if you like) is concerned mainly with the unborn, and ceases with birth, a theory that I have long suspected to be true.
Finally, “A man” does not “buy rubber-goods in order to indulge his passions,” as a Heretic slipshoddily affirms; but in order that his quite natural (and therefore legitimate) sexual passion may have no unforeseen and undesired results. But all precautions must necessarily be “blasphemous” to one “whose God is in the skies.” Divine Providence, like Apollo, may be—and is!—“a bitter God to follow” but, unlike Apollo, he is decidedly not “a beautiful God to behold.”
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