Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-01-12

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is Spain in decay Why was Germany,
beaten by the First Napoleon, victorious
over the Third Bonaparte?
The task of answering these questions
belongs to the wisest philosophers, and the
solution requires the exercise of the deep
est and most searching analysis of the eff
fects of national traits and customs upon
the national character. But observation
| teaches us that certain traits are invariably
characteristics of strong and growing ma
tons, and that nations which have passed
the zenith OF their glory never display
| those traits. For example: we may say
that peoples which are powerful, and grow
ing more so, have always what may be
called the spirit Of emigration, while those
nations where the affection for locality Is
strong, are, without exception, on the
downward road. TIE spirit of emigration,
as we use it here, includes the passion for
foreign conquest, the commercial enter
| prise that establishes aud maintains branch
trading houses in foreign parts, aud ten
dency to colonization, and even expatria-
ton.
When this spirit in all its forms is ex-
tinct we may be sure the nation Is dying.
| As long as it is active it needs no careful
examination to show that the nation pos
sessing il is living and vigorous. The prob
lem is thus pushed back one step to the in
| curry: What induces the spirit of emigra-
| ton in a natiou--that impulse by which
Spain grew, but which she has now lost,
and which still moves Great Britain and
other nations that are making their mark
upon tho wulld2 Take the three great
races, of British, Germans and French;
the first two progressive and aggressive,
sending forth their sons by the hundred
thousand to spread British and German
ideas over ine whole globe; the other self
satisfied, self contained, fully persuaded
| that she Is mistress of the thought of the
age, when in fact we only admire, never
adopt, French ideas.
Some recent statistics let in light upon
the question, and though they do not give
a full solution of it, they perhaps put us on
the right track. Great Britain colonies
| the world because its population increases
faster than the capacity of the already
| crowded territory can be enlarged to sup
port il. The population of Germany, par
ticuarly of Prussia aud Saxony, increases
| by a natural growth at very rapid rate,
afIording a surplus which is available for
| coloniZing and proselytiZing. The popua-
| ton of France " nearly stationary, and
necessity drives no Frenchman 10 seek
| livelihood elsewhere. These statistics tell
really wonderful story. Great Britain
adds per cent. to her resident population
every year, after sending out as emigrants
more than 200, 900 annually. England alone
exhibits an excess of 100000 births over
deaths, every year, making natural
growth OF II per cent. Scotland adds an
excess of 40, 900 births, or 1t per cent Ire
| land contributes 10000 more, all Of which
| she loses, and more, too, by emigration.
| Germany took a census on the LIST OF De-
cember, 1875. The population was found to
be ~, 72G, S44, an increase of ,749 in four
wears. the census of 1871 having shown
population of Al. ,O95. Thus the German
Empire shows growth Of l per cent, and
more, every year, in spite Of the vast num-
bers sent to America and elsewhere as emf
| grants. Prussia alone has increased her
| population $50 per cent. in 60 years. This
does not seem remarkable rate to Ameri-
| cans. accustomed To the marvellous growth
| of States and cities but when we reflect
| that we are acting as reservoir, and that
| Germany is one of the lakes drained TO fill
| il, the real preponderance Of growth is on
the side of Germany.
| Compare, now, with the growth of these
two sturdy and powerful races, the stag
nant condition of France. Between 1866
and 1872 the territory now forming the Re-
public lost 3G6,95i Of its population. If we
were 10 set the loss by the war of 1901 at
500, 900, this would leave only $4,000 as the
natural increase of six years. Some re-
turns have just been published that show
with wonderful clearness the decline that
is taking place. The registration returns
for 1874 have been made public earlier than
usual to satisfy an alarm that was created
by the uufavorable showing of the returns
for the year 1873. 1t appears that the total
number of births in France for 1874 was
| 953,6J2. This number, though larger by
1000 than those in the preceding year, was
fewer than the births in any year from 1853
to 1868. The deaths were, TO be sure, few =
err than the births, numbering only ISL, 100
and left, for this one year, a natural growth
OF IT,, 900. But the death rate was remark
| aOly low III 1913, tue lOtdl uuluOeI Delus
not far from $4,000 below the average of ten
years past, not including the years Of the
war. The unusually large growth of 1874
was less than half of one per cent, and the
ordinary rate is only about one-iourth Of
per cent. Thus we see that France, which
sends out no emigraDts, has but One-Quar-
ter of the rate of growth Of either Great
Britain or Germany, which are colonizing
the world.
1t may be supposed by some that The rea-
son why France does not grow is owing to
the fact, assumed, that the French people
do not marry. The statistics do not justify
this explanation, The population of France
is 10 per cent. larger than that OF Great
Britain. The number of marriages in the
British Isles during the eight years from
1867 to 1874, inclusive, was 1926, $50, while
in Franco there were, during the same
years, 1868 1876 Th It is to say, 10 per cent.
more population celebrated 20 per cent.
more marriages. Comparing France and
Great Britain generally, we find that not
only do 20 per cent. fewer married couples
add 10 per cent. more children to the popu-
latiun, but the number and the proportion
of ilegilimate births are larger In Britain
than in France. The real secret is in the
low fecundity of French women, and, as
that is an increasing evil, the end of II can
only be the decay of the French race
Boston Herald.