The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-11-30
THE WORLDS POPULATION.
The Enormous Increase in England.

Manchester Examiner Mr.. Hawk
sley, G. E., has been stirring the
thoughts and influencing the fears of
good many members of the SocialScience
Congress. He has put forward view
which If not altogether novel-for Nal
thus anticipated many of his statements
is, nevertheless, well calculated to
startle steady-going people to whom
danger is none the less real because it is
inconceixably remote. He has been
dealing with the enormous increase OF
the population of England, and his idea
is that this increase is a matter of great
and immediate concern. In the year
1901, the population of this country was
only 1892, $50, while in 1871 it had be-
come 22,712, 266; thus exhibiting mean
annual increase of nearly 135 per cent.
In the seventy years between these dates
he computes that the loss by war and
emigration only amounted to fifteen per-
sons in every 10000 of the population.
Assuming that this amount of spontane-
prolonged course of years, he proceeds
to calculate that the growth of popula-
ton will amount to in the future and
he gives us result which, taken in its
simplest nakedness, is astounding. At
the end of the first generation, the pop
ulation of England Will become ~, 0OO,-
600 at the end of the second genera
ton, "a, 100000 at the end of the third
generation, $1,000, 900; at the end of
the fourth generation. $50, 100000 at
the end of the fifth generation, 400, 000,-
600 at the end Of the seventh genera
ton, more than the world now contains
and at the end of the twentieth genera
ton more than fifteen such worlds would
contain, each as densely populated as
our globe is at present. From this cal
culation Mr.. Hawksley drew, or rather
suggested, a number of differences with
reference to the food supply of the
countless millions yet unborn and
other matters affecting their welfare, and
thus led the way to conclusion that
might be expected, if it were accepted,
to cause a good deal of alarm and dis
quiet, not only among English people,
but in the world at large. For if the
English people increase and multiply
at this rapid rate, it must be assumed
that other nations IN which there IS 6
steady increase of population will pro
coed in the same ratio. America, fol
instance, and Germany, to take no Other
examples, must, like ourselves, go on
doubling their population at periods
varying from forty to sixty years, and IL
that case, by the time the twentieth
generation is reached, three nations
alone will require, not fifteen more
worlds, but the greater part OF thu
planetary system. But LIZ. Hawksiey
admits that as regards the latter part O.
the calculation-i. e., that relating tt
a. D. 2676-taking generation at forty
years-it must fail of fulfllment because
of its essential impossibility. We are
therefore necessarily limited in the prac
teal discussion of the figures OF sever
generations, by which time our own PEG
pie will be equal in number to the pres
ent population of the globe but that il
sufficiently long look ahead to enable
Us, on the strength of Mr.. Hawksley''
figures, to anticipate an unpleasant de
gree OF overcrowding. A question, how
ever, OF moro immediate Importance
than the struggle OF our remote descen
dants for standing room, relates to tbs
trustworthiness of these apparent por
tentous statistics. Are our country PEG
pie increasing and likely to go on in
creasing at the rate Mr.. Hawksley pre-
diets? Twenty generations have passet
away since the Norman Conquest, ant
they have only been the population ia
crease from about 100000 to nearl
23,000,000, plus, OF course, the emigrant
ing the last three centuries. VIVA
ground have we for believing that i
another twenty generations the growtl
of population would, if it were possible
need fifteen more worlds to live in, O
that in three, four, or five generation
the numbers will reach the enormou
proportions Mr.. Hawksley sets down
The only ground for the belief is th
normal increase is to continue, and til
amount Of loss from war and emigration
IS to remain unaltered, both of which ar
assumptions we have no right to make
and no foundation TO rest upon in max
ing them. But the integral defect Q
the calculation is that it ignores the fun
damentaI law that nature corrects he
own excuses, and, on this principle
we may be sure that nature viii effectu
ally check such # progress as Mr.Hawks
ley's figures forshadowed.
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Two SUNDAYs.-You know that, Il
crossing the Pacific, it becomes neces
sary to alter the reckoning of the day