The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-02-14
TIE future OF FRANCE.
It's Population Almost Stationary and
Its Debt the Largest in Existence.
From The Neiu York Times.

us bept the Largest III EAlsIeHSe'
From The Nelr York Times.
The first volume of the French census of
1895 hos i,,s+ haor, ;ss,,o5 b1, +ba govarnment
- .>l...,' ,,,i,,,. -,
anu reveals interesting hsures pe"i inS VA
the increase and changes OF the population
of tee country. The very small ratio of
gain which &C oil that France has been able
- s1,o,.. e. 49,, ,,'l.Io oo,.vrv rer,oins
Ao' ''0 ''
sunstantlaijy pAcAanged. no" sInall 'his
is may be gathered from the fact that In
thirty. years the increase in the num-
Der CT uative-oorn Frenchmen has been less
| than ! 10000 The number Of births per
! year appears to be ac1Hauy diminishing,
even with slowly Increasing population.
In 1887, Tor example. the returns showed
$50. 333 births, which IS the smallest num-
Der recorded IN any year OF the century ex-
cept 1871. Going back TO 1872, when Q
population vas less tnan it it is now by p
90 600 the births were nevertheless more
numerous than those OF Is year by 1857.
| The Legitimate births amount 10 per
cent Of the whole, and are increasing year
by year.
For the trst time the attempt was made
by the last census 10 determine the number
of children in each family. Taking the
| average of the returns secured, 1t appears
thai the number of living children per fam
lily IN France is 2.0f, which is believed to be
lower average than can be found any
where In the world. 1t thus appears hat
diminishing fecundity is the great cause OF
the almost stationary c1nulClon OF the pop
uation of f ance. 1t Is not that tue num-
Der Of marriages is ieSsening; the returns
show that it is slowly increasing. But in
| spite of this the total or births d the
average per family are gradually Ialslng OH.
Various causes afe as gned by tue French
| sociologists to account for these facts. Tue
trouble is laid by some at the do r OF the
law of Inheritance as established by the
civil code. This, as is well known, calls for
the equal divisiol of property among chill
dren. 1t is maintained that this works
| against the natural desire To keep property
undivided IN the family for successive gen
erations-espe tally in the case of landed
| property-and that the result IS pruden-
| tia check on the population, since man
will wish to have but single heir to whom
| he may transmit lis POS eSSiols lntac
| Others. with und )ubted justice, lay part
| of tAe blame upon the forced mill airy SER
| vice which all manageable young meh
| have to u .dergo. This often brings on
distaste for marriage, and IN any case tends
| to re.ard ma mage; and, 1t IS well settled
that late marriages are less fruitful than
| early ones. An influence OF the same so.
arises from the over-crowdlng of The coIn-
| try, and from the Compel ton in all trades
| and profe 'sions which results. This makes
it necessary for many men who marry to
| stru ggle long r before acquiring posltl
| and income JUSTIFY e marriage, aud this
means, agai delayed unions and smaller
numbers Of children.
! Some French writer's frankly admit that
their race Is losing vi&Or. They point to
the weakening wuca comes from a.cohol-
ism, from TIE excessive u g Of tobacco, and
from TIE prevate ice OF d sea'e due to l.cen-
| tiousue,,, and say that here Is cause emo gh
to account for diminished fecundlty and
| for the low vitality of tn children tat do
como to g world. Yet, ON the other
| uaGd, a high degrees of fertility is observa-
Die the French coloniSts in Algiers, and
accordingly 1t Is argued at the trouble Is
| largely one OF oyercro "dlng. Hence 1t Is
seri Justly maintained that a good reason for
| the p.rsi,telc' France IN the colonial
policy upon which sac las SO vigorously Ed