The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-02-07

Causes feadin@ to rs Deoiine-"ha' '"'
Omciai I.ecords Say.


Omciai Records say.
It sccms hait 20 realize that one OF 'ns
great nations oi the world Is ia iipn'"'.,s
danger OF losing It's position as nfst 81 ~
power: but the recent published s,'.''s''s, ~
the French population point - 'l'7 80, 49,
oeucv as a not remote one, and aiie'"1 -
ures have been taken by the government -
bring about a change for the better. ,soe
Tte official records set forth tnat III io.'
81, 1910 numbered So. Gy and the deaths
sg7 se7. 10 that the natural Increase oi P'pu.
,,,ion was only A.771. The year before II
was II 5s6 Since 1874 the NUMBER Oh Dn'i
shows n constant decrease, and the ch'ei OF
a.. ,,,,picipal statistical department says tne
hi.,h rate nor 900 has been lower each sue
H., loconnial period from lsll-io2O, when
The rrate was 80. 1t has come down as iol'
lows: 81. %. q. 2G, 20. -. Last year u "''s
oo , and i'm no less than i3 departments OUT
ID 81 the deaths exceed the births
Contrast the statistics OF Russia Tor 1851
with those Of France for ISIS The Russian
Deaths were 3.2ss. KS; the births 4,eo4 AZ, an
&C.. Of .5g5. 60. and birth safe Of 10 for
every 1000 Of a population OF lO5'sco 'y'e'
From 1851 % 1880 the average excess ot births
over deaths per 900 Of population was In
England. Is: Germany, II; Italy y ana tue
last If the European nations stands France,
,,i+b n sorry showing OF .. The little com
fort left in this is wiped out by the statement
th.t in order 10 produce the result, the
ti,ffe and deathsof the foreigners were taken
into consideration the real increase OF the
French people being but 90 per 1000. IL Is
sad 10 record such "A falling OF In nation
whose people have played 80 important and
active a part i'm the worlds history, but the
fact. are there. stubborn enough. and the
subject Is likely 20 be dealt with by the au-
thorities without delay. We understand that
narents Of seven children, legitimate or
acknowledged, are % be- relieved from the
contribution personelle 90 immobiiiere'
thus 10 some extent encouraging the raising
OF large families
Two causes seem 10 be working the EVIL re-
ferred 10. low birth and heavy death rates.
Tie first is due 20 voluntary limitation oil
families. The decrease in population Is no
tiroahle i'm the rich agricultural parts OF
France. aud readers may remember with
what prile certain advocates of the Malthu'
sian theory pointed 90 the small families Of
the prosperous French peasantry. To what a
pass tho limitation has brought the country
The figures now given tell Another cause
which may not appear on the surface, un
loubiedly has something % do with the pres
ont state of things We allule 20 the gros.
l.., Of life during the drst Napoleon's cam
nairns. Tho country was drained OF mel
who were physically fitted for the ordeal OF
war. Napoleon's leyies were large, and u
Che flush of victory, costly though 10 was, no
consideration seems 70 have been paid 70 the
nrice IN human life at which il was bought
The first real shock came after the news OF
the retreat from Moscow, during which
enough men persisted 10 partially account foi
tte unwillingncss Of the people 70 furnisi
GOOD for powder IL is the third genera
zion since the retreat, and Ia Belle France i
having her "bad quarter Of an hour
The sanitary condition Of the cities ais
appears 10 De bad, and VI. Henri Monod, Di
recteur Insurance PuDlique, lays great
stress upon the ineiiiciency Of sanitary law
because nobody has the authority % impos'
on the communal budget expenses which
may be really necessary. As an example OF
what practical sanitary measures viii achieve
ihis gentleman points to the fact that from
lslO-ls7O the general mortality in Englan'
was about 2250 por 1000 After the estab
ushment of local government boards the
death rate from ls1l-lssO fell % 2l4O, ane
in eight years more it had dropped to 1920
while for lsss it was but ISIS.
Calculating on population Of 3o,OOOOO
the average French death rate per 1000 wa
last year POS. II Our Gallo neigbbors be
come sufficiently aroused TO the importance
of the interests O stake and take steps TO re
duce the mortality four per 1000, and ais
hold out some special inducements % parent
90 rear larger families the evil viii in turn
be overcome, but action should not be de
ferrcd. New York Spectator.