Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-11
From the London Spectator.

REMAIN.
From the London Spectator
Sir Cornewall Lewis may have been narrow
minded In advising statesmen to take short
views" but We confessto a rooted distrust OF all
prophetic politics. Very few calculations of
things to happen 50 years after ever prove ac-
curate. some unexpected and dominant factor
always intervening to confOund the wisdom of
the wise. We are not, therefore, much frightened
when statist. even though. like Mr.. II. Giffen. he
uuites exceptional knowledge of his science to
greatpower of Observation-Disclosures strange as
the remark may appear, there is something of a
poetic strain in some Of Mr.. Giffen's specula-
tions-tells us that in the near future America
may be fully peopled. and that Europe. its emil
grafton stopped. may be filled with masses of
worknen driven to dangerous discomfort by in
sufficient food. Over population is possible
evil. for it has occurred in China, though. be it
noted without the result of producing social
discord-the Chinese. though they have been
crowded until they have developed abnormal
industry and thrift, still believing their
social system nearly dvne-but there is
no certainty that the evil will arrive.
We know, to begin with. wonderfully
little of the true law of the expansion Of
population The old theory that it depended
on the means of subsistence that population
expanded with prosperity, is totally opposed to
the facts. Not to mention the phenomenal
growth OF the population of India. without
prOportfonate increase in their means of sub
sistence-a growth which. we entirely agree
with Mr. Giffen. threatens to undo all the mate
rial advantages OF our rule--the Irish pOpula-
ton multiplied in misery till subsistence failed;
while the Jews. a splenddly healthy and fairly
fed people. have either not increased at ali or
with exceeding slOwness Had they multiplied
after the final dispersion like Teutons the world
would now belong to the Jewish people. The
two branches Of the Teutons. again. increase
with such startling rapidity that they promise
to oycrwhelm all other white races: but that
rapid Increase is novel. and did not occur
for example, during the long period of
eom air rat nl peace &c enjoyed ,od IN land
as Mr.. G!tfen intimates be 800, 900, 600 people
in North America: but also there NAV
not be POO, 600. 600. The emigration from Europe
may stop altogether. or be diverted; the are of
i arria2e may be thrown back by social causes.
as has undoubtedly happened among certain
classes of our own society: or the rate of in
crease may Change. as has repeatedly occurred
in different parts of the world. without the Vsi-
ble intervention of new causes Of mortality
There is reason to believe as Mr.. Giffen will
know much better than ourselves that in Scan
dinav,a. from 100 to 1900 without any percep-
tbe emigration, the increase of population
stopped altogether. There may be- probably is
truth somewhere in Mr.. Herbert Spencer's
opinion that culture diminishes population. the
educated: as we see in New England increasing
very slowly. Certainly the decline of popula-
tion without war. without emigration. and with
out any failure of food is possible while station
ar,ness has repeatedly been observed.
For the present, that is, for the thirty years
beyond which we hold it vain to calculate with
hone q q r,1Sh md
OF the European peoples to the west, which the
future historian will record as one of the dis
tinctve marks of the Victorian era need not
cease for any want of room. A historian of
some mark, writing in our own columns many
years ago predicted, as the result of personal
observation, that the United States would re-
ject immigrants within twenty years after he
wrote his letter. TErce-fOurths of the time has
elapsed, and that astounding march of the Eu-
rOpean peoples before which all other move
ments shrink into insgniticance. has only in
creased in breadth and volume till. as we write,
from all the TeutOnic and scandinavian coun-
tries and from Ireland four regiments day
precipitate themselves upon the New
World, and still the Old World is full Here
and there. in Sweden and in Ireland principally.
the drain begins to tell perceptibly on numbers
until North Sweden is threatened with some
thing like depOpulation. and the place of Ireland
in the British Empire sinks. as Mr. Giffen has no.
ticed. year by year. The island which in 1910
Kingdom, now holds only seventh. and by the
time of the next census will probably contain
only a tenth, fact which profoundly niolifies
the Importance Of Irish movements and ex-
plains, il it does not justify. the nationalist ilor-
rOr any measure calculated to increase the rate
of outflow. Britain however increases and so
does Germany, while the absorbing power of the
United States shows no perceptible diminution
The thousands who land every week pass on
westward i'm endless succession, settle on the
"a nd 6cti 10 fnr oil
age population is only 35 to the square mile.
The state Of New York itself is still very unset
tied. still full OF ancient forests, the state which,
If peOpled like Suffolk. could maintain 80, 600 900
at least, containing as yet only 5000, OOO There
Is. except in the eastern states where the fer
tility of the land originally poor, has been par
TALLY worn out. no sign Of exhaustion, nor can
we trace even the first beginning of that cry in
the west against further immigration which
will be the first, probably even the first prema-
ture, sign that the land is full. We think we
mark, though this may be an error, a slight
decrease in wages, but there is no tendency
anywhere to avoid payment in food as supple
ment OF wages, such as would happen the mo-
ment food became an article OF economic i'm
pOrtance.
AS for the huge Canadian Dominion. which
might hold $4,000, 900 in comfort, without neigh
bors ever visiting each other on foot, it's great
lamenta''on is that people do not come fast
enOug!. 'hile its government is straining every
CONTROL Gradually, yet rapidly, the engineers
are driving railway westward from the lakes,
crossing the wastes, and piercing the huge
mountain barriers which separate settled Canada
from the Pacific, till within five years the Jour
ney to British Columbia will be as easy as the
journey to Minnesota. Read the speech of Lord
LOrne reported in the Times Of Wednesday.
Lord LOrne, though he has succeeded fairly well
as Governor General of the Dominion. is not a
very strong man; but he has been staying in
British Columbia he has the landlords eve for
property, timber and communications. and the
spectacle Of the visible resources of the colony
rouses him almost into eloqurnce. He finds
country rough indeed and full of noun
tains. but full also of fertile strains.
where ''all the small fruits reach
perfection" and the tomato. which in England
loves the hottest corners, grows in the open air;
full OF coal, full also of vast and dense forests
where men cut logs 80 feet in length and 40
inches square. In this vast province of $50. 900
square miles. nearly double the size of France.
there are but 10000 white men, though over
much of eXtent-Over. indeed, all the wide re-
giOn west of the mountains. territory in
GLIDING VancOuver's Island, of at least 80, 900
square miles-the climate is as pleasant as that
OF Cornwall would be If it had half it's rainfall.
:" No words can be too strong to express the
charm OF this delightful land. where climate