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Sanger spoke to the North Harlem Community Forum at the 135 Street branch of the New York Public Library on March 1, 1923.
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Birth Control Advocate Speaks to Large Audience at Public Library
Mrs. Margaret Sanger, whose activities for birth control has brought her world wide attention, spoke last Thursday to a large audience in a meeting held by the North Harlem Community Forum, at the 135th St. Branch Public Library. She spoke on her recent trip to the Orient and told of her work in general.
"The women of China and Japan are very keen for their emancipation," she said, "much more so than American women."
"I am deeply disappointed in the women of America,," she said, "they have the vote but have accomplished almost nothing toward their emancipation."
Too Many Children.
"The women of the Orient are retarded by having too many babies," she said, "and they are beginning to understand this. They are eager for birth control. When I landed in Yokohoma a delegation of Japanese women came to see me and their spokesman said, 'When your message came it was the light that we had long sought in vain.' Even the ricksha man welcomed my message. Out of 105 leading newspapers 81 carried front page articles about birth control. Of course, the Japanese Government is oppposed to it."
She told of pathetic instances of American mothers who had applied to her for birth control information and of how she could not help because of the law preventing the dissemination of such information. She said 6,997 mothers had applied to her for information.
Rich Have Birth Control.
"American women are divided into two classes," said the speaker, "those who have birth control and those who have not. Rich women can get all the knowledge on this subject they want, and if it is good for them it is also good for the poor, who cannot afford to rear large families, like the rich.
"Mankind has always practised birth control. Infanticide and foeticide dates back to the earliest ages. In ancient Greece, Egypt, and Sparta unwelcome babies were exposed for 45 hours and if they survived were permitted to live. In China today girl babies are thrown into the canals. The modern system of birth control aims to restrict excessive populations in a more humane way. It also saves the strength and energy of the mother for her other duties, and for the care of such children she may already have."
Several policemen were on hand to see that Margaret Sanger issued no birth control information.