That absent-minded professor is back with another job for you. This time, she’s doing an article on demography, and she remembers that Veblen had something witty to say about conspicuous consumption by children. She even jotted it down. It was:

The conspicuous consumption, and the consequent increased expense, required in the reputable maintenance of a child is very considerable and acts as a powerful deterrent. It is probably the most effectual of the Malthusian prudential checks.