Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-06-21
NATURAL MALrHuslANlsN.
The birth Rate Decreasing In All Civilized
Nations.


Nations
When the population returns Of the late
census were given, there was a general
feeling of disappointment, as the total fell
fnr below expectations and showed that
the rate OF increase for the country was
less than it had been for previous decades
The census Of Canada taken the subsequent
year was still more disappointing TO the
Kanucks, and in England, France and
all other countries the result was the same,
most disappointing There was n decided
falling of everywhere In the ratio Of In
rrense.
This was the more puzzling because there
had been no warfare at all during the dec
ade no pestileDce, no period Of financial
depression Sanitary science had made n
steady advance, and there had been a
marked decrease in the death rate, So that,
judging by all former experience the cen
sus should have shown more favorable re
turns than ever before, instead of so much
worse a closer investigation demonstrated
the cause, a marked and indeed startling
decrease in the birth rate, a sort Of natural
Malthusanism.
A report OF the French government on
this subject--aud 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, 1880
fewer births in 1890 than in 1850, 1850
fewer thHn In 1888, 81 30 fewer than in
1857, "a, 40 fewer than In 1886, 81, 400 fewer
than in 1885, go,GgO fewer than in 1884 and
09,ss7 fewer than in 1883. There Is a SINH
lar decrease in the number Of marriages,
which were fewer by 20,223 in 1890 than in
1885.
The existence Of this condition OF affairs
in France has long been recognized and
has been attributed there to many causes
to 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 MulthusHnism. All the other
European countries are in the same fix,
although probably not rs bad oil as France,
and in every one Of them In the last 20 years
there has been n decrease in the birth rate,
largely due to advancing civilization and
the ideas 1t 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
the years 1869 and 1890, It is found that the
birth rate in France has fallen from % per
1000 to 2ls, in Belgium from 3l.i to PSI,
in England from 3I.7 to 9O.0, in Germany
from $50 to 800 and in Prussia proper even
more.
In all the three important events in mans
career-hrth, marriage and death--there
has been Il remarkable falling oil in the
last 20 years. confined 10 no country, but
existing throughout the civilized globe.
We need not inquire into the causes, for we
can sec them too plainly around us. The
chief cause which lies at the bottom of all
the trouble is thodecline in marriage. Mar.
riage has gone out Of favor with the eman-
cipation OF woman and the greater Diff,
Guilty in making living, and this decrease
largely explains the falling OIL in the birth
rate, but not wholly, FOR the average mum.
Der of births to eaCh marriage are fewer
than u score of years ago.
The only rcdeemiug feature in this picture
is the declining death rate, due to better
sanitation and u better knowledge OF how
to care for ourselves Indeed but for this
improvement the population of the world
would be Mt a standstill today, as the birth
rate is just what the death rate was quar-
| ter of II 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 nchieve-New Orleans Times
Democrat.