“You said that the occupations of women became varied and ceased to be domestic in a majority of cases; what effect did that have on marriage and divorce?” I enquired. “Various causes tended to make marriage almost universal and celibacy became the rare exception. The chief cause was the assumption by the state of the care and education of the children. Another was the ability of women to support themselves. Men did not feel it such a burden to be married when they did not have to greatly exert themselves for the support of either wife or children. Women did not feel it such a burden when they were released from the care and responsibility of a household of children and servants. Marriage moreover has become less of a lottery than in your day, because men and women meet each other in business relations in which they act their natural selves. Neither is obliged to marry in order to live, and less art and deceit are used for the purpose of entrapping a partner. The property of neither man nor woman is affected by marriage, and neither acquires any rights over the property of the other except, that each is bound to care and provide for the other in case of sickness or disability. There are fewer conditions that are liable to produce inharmony, because greater freedom is conceded to the parties, and there are fewer points on which absolute unanimity is essential. Marriage is on the whole much happier than formerly, and although divorces are easily obtained they are much less frequent. These conditions have had a marked effect on the increase of population as you might suppose. There is no longer any temptation to avoid the natural results of marriage, and those unnatural expedients women formerly resorted to for that purpose, ruinous to health and morals, are now almost unknown. The health and strength of women have vastly improved. Women dress sensibly, and live natural hygienic lives, and the terrors of childbearing have practically vanished. As Americans took upon themselves the furnishing of native born citizens to people this country, immigration from Europe fell off rapidly and practically ceased sixty years ago. But notwithstanding this, the population has more than doubled three times, and for the territory that formed the United States in your day it is now over 600,000,000.” “Six hundred millions!” I repeated. “What an enormous number! It takes my breath to think of it. Is it possible so many people can be supported in that territory? Nearly all the really valuable land seemed to be taken up when the population was but 70,000,000.” “Aye,” said he, “six hundred millions are easily supported, and supported in greater comfort than when the population was but 70,000,000; and they may even double several times more before the capacity of the country is exhausted.”