New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-10-22
How France Is Losing Power ana Prestige.
GROWTH OF POPULATION m rnANoH.
Paris CORRESPONDENCE Of the \ ew York Times

paris Correspondence Of the Few York Times.l
Nothing could be more pitiable than the whining
manner in which the question Of the growth OF
population is treated in France. OF the great
powers of Europe the two Catholic powers
France and Austrla-but especially France, do
not increase much in population, while the non
Catholic powers-Russia England and PRUSSIA
do. Now, as the soil and climate of France are
admirable; as her situation is unsurpassed ior the
development of industrial and commercial! re-
sources Of every kind, and as her people are porn
with the ordinary share Of brain, the soiuuon OF
this question of the non-in2rease OF population
becomes a grave one. The nations winch sur
round France not only increase IN raho lrlple OF
uuadruple that of France, but-most menacing OF
all-they are agglomerating their power, as IN
Italy and Germany, and are thus surrounding
France with swelling, overlapping wave, Whleh
may break over and submerge the country at any
time
The safety of France does not, therefore, rest
in her military esprit, nor her heavy armament; ;
she must increase her population. This is>the
solution Of the problem, and it requires her !nme"
date attention, for the danger is great, and IS only
few years distance from us. This, too, IS ad-
mitted to be the solution, and what do you sup
pose is proposed to meet it? a universal non
possunlus? Instead of looking the difficulty in
the face, instead Of looking ab9utto flnd remedy
they sit down and whine, and say they can do
nothing. Et la nerqTlonte soQjoaTs Ii you want
a redonbt or fortified town taken, If you want
handsome house built or anarchitectural or arts
tic problem solved, the FrenchInan is the man to
do it, but if you open upon him the subject OF
common school education for the masses, or the
elevation of the peasantry--of anything, in fine,
which trenches upon the attributes of the church
and the priesthood, he is unnamed, and avows
his mpuissance.
And vet in the instruction of the masses lies the
question Of the increase in population. Fewer
/ children are born in France than the surrounding
| nations because fewer people are able to marry,
| and when married, to afford large families. More.
over two-thrds of the children of the poor-tha,
| is TO say, sixty.six in the hundred-die under one
year Of age, mostly from ignorant and culpable
| nursing, while of the rich, thrty.three per cent
4 die at the same age, from the same cause Enough
children die in all countries from ignorant nursing
but France takes the lead so far in this matter a.
/ to make one shudder in reading the statlstcs
And yet the legislators of the country appear sat
isfed. This "massacre of the innocents,' Is a
culpable as that ordered by Herod for if this on
is not by order it is at least within the POSSIBILITY
of prevention, and no one raises a voice for it
prevention.
Whenever the army and the common schoo
budget are reversed; whenever the State decide
to give four hundred millions to elevate the intel
igence of the poor peasantry, and forty million
Ito the army instead of the contrary, then, and no
till then, will France commence to get out OF tn
; way of the avalanche of population which wi
, soon overwhelm her from neighborng States
} Whenever here in Paris even the State stop
building on every corner monumental barrack
and gded churches and palaces, and goes t
building school-houses, the people may hope ina
the reform has commenced which is to reiieV
them from their present alarm; for (wlll I'll
reader believe it0 in all Paris, 10 all this city
gilded palaces, there is not one decent sc1oo
house for the poor. This one fact throws a .ioc
OF light on the question: and will relieve, your
constituent as to the growth OF population.