Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-11-11
DYING OUT.

Puritan Ne,c Emglande,x Said to be Goine
the Uay of the Samd,rich Islanders.
New York Sun.
1t will not Aatter the native New Emo.
landers to find themselves compared with
the Sandwich islanders. But the compari
son is made by New England physician
The two peoples, according to him. are
alike, however, only in their tendency tc
die out. Besides the strictly native New
Englanders," says DIR. Allen, in the Pom.
lar Science. Monthly 'there is only one othe,
people OF race where there has been such
natural decrease in numbers is. the
Sandwich ISLANDERS
1t is well known that since their Chris.
tianiza ion the people of the Sandwich is
lands have fallen off rapidly in numbers.
Inc decrease IN fifty years has been two
thirds. In 1880, when the first census was
taken, the population was 10000. That
was ten years after the American mission
aires began their work. According to the
last census the total was about 10000. or
less than one-third as many as they were
fifty years ago. The trouble is that civi!iza-
ton has carried into the Sandwich islands
diseases incurred by RIGHTEOUSNESS and
1ntemperance,w (which have caused physical
degeneracy in the people. The law OF
propagation has been violated to such an
extent that it threatens the extinc ton of
the people," says DR.. Allen.
The decrease in numbers among the
strictly native New Englanders. however.
is attributed by DIR. Allen, who has long
made special study of the subject, to
some change in physical organization -
In the last century the colonists of New
England, made up mostly of English
stock, multiplied rapidly. Their natural
increase was so great that they doubled in
numbers in twenty-five years. s:Malthus
regarded them as the best specimens in
this respecs of any people or race, and
based upon facts from this source his
great principle of population"
But within the last hundred years a won
derful change has taken place. Carefully
kept records show that the average num-
Der of children of each family has de-
creased with every generation. ssThey
commenced with large families, averaging
eight or nine, but it is now doubtful
whether the average will exceed three chill
dren to family, scarcely enough to keep
the original stock good in numbers" And
this change has occurred in the same
places, with the same people, having the
same climate and plenty of food"
The main cause, says DR.. Allen, is that
the men are not so strong and vigorous
as their grandmothers and ancestors, and
the women have deteriorated physically in
a surprising degree. A majority of them
have predominance of nerve tissues, with
weak muscles and digestive organs. The
most marked change in this 100 years, in
is this loss of balance or har-
mony IN the organs: and especially in
women 1t is far more striking. They have
been dlverging more and more from that
normal standard upon which the law of
propagation is based" Only about one
half of the New England women can prop
srly nurse their offspring. and this inca
pacity for nursing is rapidly increasing.
This DR.. Allen regards as very significant
Of some change in organization to which
The natural decrease is due.
The facts on which DR.. Allen bases his
CONCLUSIONS are known to everybody who is
familiar with the presenb New Erglaalers
IF the old stock. We man Afcse vAe are
- to be found in the rs9ish inhabitsd hy
Asir ancestora tho New KnRS5adsrs vhe
have remained at home. 1hsir families
re small. They are not physically as
rigorous as their fathers. The women are
a0t synmetucally developed, and tAsir
nervous organisation is. apt - be morbid.
Of course, there are exceptions, bat they
occur when some other bloc
has been mixed with Che native New Eng
md.
The best Of the New England stock has
1Ot renamed at home II has for oanor
atoms gone to regions Of wider opportuni-
les, where there was more chance for Wig
or and enterprise. The strong men and
ne handsome women have emigrated; and
while the physical force of New England
las been declining.its intellectual strength |
las also fallen off perceptlbly and inevita-
by. Boston and Massachusetts are not |
What they were a generation ago. vigor
md courage, originality and power in lit
nature, have been succeeded by finicism
nd dilettanteism, timidity, emasculation,
imitation and dread of all spontaneous ex-
'ression.