There can be no question of the need for State interference when the parents are leading a disorderly or immoral life; when they are ill-using or exploiting their child; when they are quite ignorant of the proper way of bringing up children; or when, owing to severe illness, alcoholism, morphinism, or utter destitution, they are obviously unfitted to bring up their own children. Since long drawn-out proceedings in the law courts are desirable in the interests neither of the parents nor of the children, it is better that the procedure in these cases should not in the first instance necessarily involve an application to the law courts. But the parents must have the right of appeal to the courts, if they consider they have been unjustly treated by depriving them of the custody of their child. Although the institution of such education under guardianship must not be made dependent upon the financial position of the parents, these latter should be made responsible for the greater part of the cost. Unless this were done, for parents to neglect their children would be a step towards shaking off a financial burden--those parents would be rewarded who failed to bring up their children properly; this would naturally still further weaken the parents’ sense of responsibility; and this again, by a vicious circle, would still further encourage them to neglect their children. Indeed, we have to ask whether, in the case of parents able to pay, an effective system of forced labour might not be introduced. The withdrawal of parental authority must on no account be regarded as a punishment. There may be cases in which the parents are quite blameless, and yet in the interests of the child it may be absolutely necessary to abrogate the parental authority; or, in similar cases, it may be necessary, for educational purposes, to remove the child from its home. Again, it often happens, for example, that only the father is to blame, and yet the mother cannot be permitted to exercise her parental authority, but the child must be removed from its home, because in no other way can the harmful influence of the father be overcome. There are worthy parents who, simply from an excessive blind affection for their children, fail to bring them up properly; there are worthy working-class parents who have positively no time to attend satisfactorily to the upbringing of their children. CHAPTER II MARRIAGE AND HEREDITY