Democratic messenger., 1893-06-17
NATURAL MALTHUSlANISM.
The birth Fate Decreasing In All Civilized
Nations.

Tho Birth Fate Decreasing In All Civilized
Nations.
When the population returns of the late
census were given, there was general
feeling Of disappointment, as the total fell
far below expectations and showed that
the rate of increase for the country was
less than il had been for previous decades
The census of Canada taken the subsequent
year was still more disappointing To tn,
kanucks, and in England. France anC
all other countries the result was the same
most disappointing. There was n decided
falling off everywhere in the ratio of in
crease.
This was the more puzzling because ther,
had been no warfare at all during the dec.
ade, no pestilence. no period of financial
depression. Sanitary science had made 3
steady advance. and there had been {
marked decrease in the death rate So that
Judging by all former experience. the cen
sis should have shown more favorable re
turns than ever before. instead of so much
worse a closer invest igai ion demonstrate
the cause. n marked and indeed startling
decrease in the birth rate n sort of natura
Malthusianism.
a report of the French government or
this subject-and France keeps the most
perfect records Of births deaths and mar.
riages of any country-points out the drift
of modern civilization. The decrease in
the birth rate in France has been very
great. There were, for instance, ~ so
fewer births in lsa0 than in 1889 a. .5SG
fewer than in lsSs. 6l .a15 fewer than in
1857. 14,119 fewer than in 1855, 81. 100 fewer
than in 1885. g9,G99 fewer than in 1854 and
9a,ss7 fewer than in 1888 There is simi-
lar decrease in the number of marriages,
which We're fewer by 20..!!a.3 in 1890 than in
1856
The existence Of this condition of affairs
in France has long been recognized and
has been attributed there To many causes
Ia lack of morality. To the contempt felt
for marriage. to the triumph of the doc
trines Of realism" II seems. however, that
France is not the only country suffering
from natural MalthusianiSm. All the other
European countries are III the same fix,
although probably not as bad off as France,
and in every one of them in the last 20 years
there has been decrease in the birth rate,
largely due To advancing civilization and
the ideas il brings with it. for the decrease
has been found greatest in the urban and
most civilized districts and least in the
rural, out of the world sections Taking
tne years $50! ana IN.b, IL Is IOunu that the
birth rate in France has fallen from % per
l.GOO To 2l.S, in Belgium from 81 to Is :,
in England from 3i.7 To 800, in Germany
from 3s.9 to :sj.6 and in Prussia proper even
more.
In all the three important events in man :
career-birth. marriage and death-there
has been remarkable falling Off in the
last 20 years. confined to no country, but
existing throughout the civilized globe
We need not inquire into the causes, for we
can see them too plainly around us. The
chief cause which lies Mt the bottom of all
the trouble is the decline in marriage. Mar
riagc has gone out of favor with the eman.
cipaiion OF woman and the greater diff
Guilty in making living. and this decrease
largely explains the falling off in the birth
rate. but not wholly, for the average mum.
bcr Of births Ia each marriage are fewer
than score of years ago.
The only redeeming feature in this picture
is the declining death rate, due To better
sanitation and Il better knowledge of how
to care for ourselves. Indeed but for thi.
improvement the population of the world
would be NJ Il standstill today, as the biri b
rate is just what the death rate was quar-
ter of century ago We are still improv
ing our sanitary condition and saving many
lives that were hitherto sacrificed, but we
must recognize the fact that sooner or later
we will reach the highest point which We
can hope to achieve.-New Orleans Times
Democrat.