A Michigan Minister Once Wanted to Rid the World of Teddy Bears

Teddy bears have been beloved by children around the world for over a century. The Teddy bear was officially named "Teddy bear" back in 1903, but stuffed animals had been around for years prior to that.

But, shortly after the bears were given an official name, a minister in Michigan went on a tirade at the pulpit, calling for them to be eradicated from the Earth.

That Time a Michigan Minister Said Teddy Bears Would Lead to 'Race Suicide'

I came across an old article from the Detroit Free Press on Reddit, and was shocked that I had never heard about this before.

On Sunday, July 7, 1907, Reverend Michael G. Esper stepped up to the pulpit at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in St. Joseph, Michigan, and delivered a sermon that I'm sure most parishioners weren't expecting. Esper went on a rant about the beloved toy, the Teddy bear, and how it was harming children.

His issue with the beloved stuffed friend of millions of children? "Race suicide."

Rev. Esper believed that little girls playing with the stuffed ursine would ruin little girls, specifically. According to the report from the Free Press,

The toy beasts in the hands of little girls are destroying all instincts of motherhood, and in the future would be realized as the most powerful factors in the race suicide danger.

He implored parents to get rid of the bears and instead give their daughters dolls. (Which, I'm sure they also had?)

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He didn't stop after that request, however. He wanted to impart the importance of dolls in the lives of little girls, saying,

He didn't go as far as to tell local parents to get rid of the bears, but he made his point pretty clear.

West Michigan Teachers and Parents Respond to Call to Get Rid of Teddy Bears

At the time, this story garnered quite a bit of attention, enough so that the Grand Rapids Press did a follow-up article about it on July 20, 1907. The GR Press talked to local teachers and parents to get their take on it.

The article started out asking a very valid question,

Is the Teddy bear really a vicious little beast?

They talked to a priest from St. Andrew's Cathedral, Rev. Fr. Schmitt, who said,

I don't know anything about Teddy bears. But I think that parents should guard their children against any kind of useless play. There should be some kind of practical training in all play.

Schmitt went so far as to say that "work is play." But... this guy also seemed like a real piece of work because he went on to say that "children should be trained to be obedient, unselfish, and useful."

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They went on to talk to a teacher, Mrs. Goss, whose first name we don't know because she is merely referred to as "Mrs. Dwight Goss". According to the GR Press, she was a "teacher of long experience".

Mrs. Goss said that Teddy bears are great for kids because they are sturdier than most dolls. She said that they didn't believe that the stuffed toys caused a problem when it came to motherly tendencies, saying, "The maternal instinct will take care of itself."

A mother, Mrs. Jewell (again, first name unknown because she is just referred to as "Mrs. Harry D. Jewell"), also spoke in favor of the Teddy bear. She said,

I am grandmother to a Teddy bear. So the best that I can do to defend the members of my own family. My little daughter 'mothers' her dolls and Teddy bear alike, and insists that I be grandmother to both.

And frankly, her daughter was awesome, because Mrs. Jewell went on to say that the little girl planned to start a "Teddy bear fraternity".

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In the end, the Teddy bear didn't go anywhere, likely much to the chagrin of Reverend Esper of St. Joseph, Michigan.