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Show ADVOCATES TAX ON BABIES Frenchwoman Would Penalize Par nta of "Little Stranger," but Her Idea la Not New. A tax on babies I That Is tho remedy proposed by Mine, du Morlor of Versailles, France. Mme. du Morler declares 'that If parents par-ents had to pay a rax on babies people peo-ple would think moro carefully beforo be-foro bringing "llttlo Btrangora" Into the world, and that It would bo ono stop forward to "bettor babies." This would not bo tho first tax on babies, however, for In 1695 thero was on actual tax on babies In England. Eng-land. A tax of two shillings had to be paid at tho birth of each baby. This fell very heavily upon the parents, par-ents, for at that tlmo a shilling meant much more than It does today. Tho nobility, too, felt tho burden of the taxes, for each baby was taxed according to rank, and tho birth of a child of a duko added thirty pounds to tho revenue. Beards wero onco tho subject of taxation. In tho tlmo of Peter tho Grcnt each man was taxed one hundred hun-dred rubles If ho wore a beard. Queen Elizabeth put a tax upon beards, too, and each man was taxed three farthings for a beard of n fortnight's fort-night's growth. |
