Annie Wood Malthus

Annie Besant's "The Law of Population" is a Malthusian tract published by the British freethinkers in 1877. Besant and well-known atheist Charles Bradlaugh had created a scandal that year by publishing a book on birth control by one Charles Knowlton. It's not clear whether Besant's own book was published before or after the Knowlton affair, but she was clearly actively involved in Malthusian activism during this period, even being involved in the founding of a "Malthusian league". Later, Besant would become a Fabian socialist, and even later a Theosophist.

"A Law of Population" treats Malthus' propositions as uncontroversial. The bulk of the little book contains of extensive quotations from John Stuart Mill, Charles Darwin, Malthus himself, and others. Besant spins Malthusianism in a "leftist" direction by claiming that smaller families would almost automatically improve the lot of the poor and the workers. She then attacks conservatives who want people to marry late and/or live celibate lifestyles. This would simply lead to increased prostitution (!), unhealthy children and irresponsible adults. Besant's preferred solution to the problem of overpopulation is, of course, birth control. She discusses the rhythm method, coitus interruptus and pessaries, while condemning abortion as immoral.

Besant discusses two potentially serious counterarguments to her "liberal" Malthusianism: the observation that Britain *can* feed its population by expropriating the arable but unused land of the old aristocracy, or that U.S. agriculture could feed the hungry in the rest of the world through improved trade. Besant brushes aside both objections with the argument that she wants improvement now, not in the rosy future. However, since birth control was de facto illegal in Britain, the same argument could be used against Besant's own position. It didn't help anyone "now", either. In the end, Besant is forced to concede that birth control and a land reform should perhaps be demanded in tandem.

That being said, it's nevertheless ironic that Besant's new look Malthusianism would probably have shocked that priggish old reactionary, Reverend Malthus himself.