- A District Attorney's outspoken stand on abortion lands him in trouble with the local community.
- While prosecuting a physician for the death of a client after an abortion, the district attorney discovers that his wife helped her society friends and the daughter of her maid obtain and pay for abortions from the physician--and was perhaps herself also a client.—Anonymous
- Behind the Portals of Eternity, the souls of little children waited to be born. Within the first space was the great army of "Chance children." Without a distinguishing mark they went forth to earth in great numbers. Then came those sad Unwanted Souls that were constantly sent back. They were marked morally or physically defective and bore the sign of the serpent. And then in the Secret Place of the Most High were those souls, fine and strong, that were only sent forth on prayer. They were marked with a cross. Richard Walton, District Attorney, was a great believer in eugenics. The sight of the poor defectives constantly passing through the police court always left him sad. It was a great grief to the District Attorney that his wife was childless, but never dreaming that it was her fault, he concealed his disappointment. His sister contracted a eugenic marriage, and Walton watched the result with interest. When her first child was born, his pride and delight in it was equal to that of the parents themselves. As the child grew up, Mrs. Walton watched with surprise her husband's interest and pride in it. A faint regret stirred in her that she had deliberately elected to remain childless. About this time, Mrs. Walton's chum, Mrs. Brandt, was disappointed to find herself on the road to motherhood. A coveted invitation to a smart house party made her further discontented with her condition. Confiding in her friend, Mrs. Walton referred her to her own physician, Dr. Malfit, and even escorted Mrs. Brandt to his office. Thus one of the "Unwanted Ones" returned, and a social butterfly was again ready for house parties. A case had come to trial that greatly interested the District Attorney. A fanatic on the subject of wellborn children had written a book and attempted to send it broadcast, in which the truth about unwelcome motherhood, birth regulation, and other sex questions were set forth. The District Attorney began to think more and more of his unborn children. It happened that Mrs. Walton's brother Roger, a young rake, was visiting her when the housekeeper's daughter Lillian came home from school. Having no place to put the girl, the housekeeper asked permission to keep her until some further arrangement could be made. It was inevitable that Lillian, young and innocent, should fall a prey to Roger's schemes and wiles. Presently another one of the "Unwanted Ones" came to Lillian. The District Attorney, who had come to enjoy the sight of this bright young creature about his place was one of the first to notice the change that came over her. At last Lillian realized what was wrong. In an agony of fear and grief, she sought Roger and confided her trouble. It was the same old story. Roger took the attitude of a badly-used man. His contempt for Lillian did more to break her heart than her condition. Trapped, Roger went to his sister to find a way out of his trouble, pretending he was interested in the case of a friend. Her suspicions aroused, Mrs. Walton soon discovered the truth; her fear that her husband would discover the situation was even greater than her horror of the deed. It was not hard to persuade her to give Dr. Malfit's name and address. This time the great Dr. Malfit blundered. Lillian lived long enough to tell her mother the truth, then she paid the price of her folly with her life. Her distracted mother confronted the family with the tragedy and although Roger escaped by leaving the country and Mrs. Walton's part in it was not discovered, the District Attorney got the one criminal of whom he knew. Dr. Malfit and brought all his efforts to bear upon convicting him. Fighting for his life, Malfit wrote to Mrs. Walton, threatening her with exposure unless she influenced her husband in his favor. This she was unable to do, but Malfit's effort to bring the names of his clients into the case were unsuccessful, and he was given a heavy sentence. In revenge he sent his day book to the District Attorney, with the pages marked on which Mrs. Walton's accounts with him were registered. In this way the District Attorney learned why his home was childless. A bitter scene endued that broke Mrs. Walton's spirit of selfishness forever, awakened her to a sense of the wrong she had committed, and brought repentance. Repentance came too late. The Portals were never again opened to her. Throughout the years with empty arms and guilty conscience she must face her husband's unspoken question, "Where Are My Children?" By: Moving Picture World synopsis
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
Top Gap
By what name was Where Are My Children? (1916) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer