The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-07-31
aRoMrH on PoPuLATIoN.

GhOhTh On EOGOLAAAONs
Whilst strongly Directing to pauper
and criminal immigrants there is some
thing to be said IN favor of immigration.
We owe our large increase in population
to the fact that people have been coming
to us from the old world all the time from
the beginning. Natural increase in some
decades would have failed to keep our
numbers good. New. York city grew inn
mensely during the last decade. But
had there been no immigration between
1880 and 1890 the population would have
declined over 5000, there being that ex
cess of deaths over births in what may
be termed the native population. The
fact is, taking the whole country together,
if we had depended entirely upon natural
increase, the population would have been
only about one third as large as it now is.
Says writer in the Forum: 1.-THE aver
age increase in all the European states
from 1920 to 1880 was one per cent. If
the same progress had been made in the
United States from the year 1870, when
it showed a population of 1929, PA, it
would be to-day only IA, 1874 SOL" If we
Include in the account all our added ter
ritory and assume the most favorable con
ditions of natural increase, our popula-
ton to-day, without immigration would
scarcely exceed 25,000,000. 1t is easy to
explain why the compilers of the last
census were disappointed in their esti-
mates. They did not reckon closely with
this decline in natural increase, more ap-
parent in the last decade than IN any pre-
vious one. The fact is, as the country
grows older and people grow into more
civilized way, there is growing tendency
towards fewer children in the family.
Fashion weakens the power of reproduc-
ton. The claims of society make chill
dren burden. Very few among us nova
days marry with the idea of gathering
about them a family of children. There
are communities in this State where from
one-quarter to one-third of the families
have no children. In about the same
proportion of families you will find not
more than one or two children. A fam
ily of six children is rare thing to be-
hold. Yet Grant Allen tells us that in
order to keep the population good, every
women should be the mother of six chill
dren. What Is true of Vermont is no
doubt true of all the older States. In the
first settlement of new States and terri
tories there are many large families. AS
the number of families increases their
size diminishes. This is accounted for
ON the claim that as society becomes more
highly organized, the rearing, of house.
holds is more expensive. Property &C
cumulates and there are property inter-
ests to consider, Many parents are
DESTROYS that their children should begin
where they themselves leave off. To do
this necessitates limitations. Many arc
anxious that their children should be
educated so as to rise above the necessity
of manual labor. Education is expensive
Not many Children can be carried through
the process by the average father. 1t
costs more to make New England
Judge than it does Georgia cracker, and
in New England we all want to make
judges of our boys, or what is equivalent
We seek for higher quality and imperil
quantity. The tendency of civilization,
as we know it, is to Overreach itself.
We can easily conceive of race civilized
out of existence. We mock at Rome be-
cause she failed to raise men to hold back
the barbarian hordes. Cut off our sup
plies from without and how long would
it be before we should fall into similar
condition. Wisconsin sent so many regi-
ments of foreigners into the war that one
of her generals called her a European
province. Immense numbers of foreign
ers enlisted from every State, as we well
know, and had we not had this recourse,
who can tell what the result might have
been? But supposing this foreign sup
ply should be cut off ? The present char
acter of our immigration reveals tend
ency towards decrease in what we call
our foreign population. OF those who
come more men than women. OF $4,000
or more Italians who have landed here
within few months, only about $4,000
were women. Young and middle-aged
men have come leaving wives and homes
behind them-some to escape conscrip-
ton laws, some to make fortunes and
return, but whatever the motive they
come under circumstances that do not
tend to keep up even natural increase
of the population. And the sources OF
supply are cut off. In those Italian prov
inces from whence most men come the
complaint is heard that few but women
remain. The common affairs OF life are
neglected. The women are forced to dc
mems labor for the men have gone away.
Aud it it becoming an Important ques-
ton with the Italian government how to
keep the men at home. We do not be-
lieye that we have reason to expect Sc
rapid a growth in population in the fu'
ture as in the past. If the present tend
ency continues, our increase will be
mostly from immigration. This cannot
always last. The surplus will be ex
hausted. This fact, however, does moi
cause us any anxiety. We simply wish
to relieve the fears of any who may think
the world is in danger of becoming over
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