The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-10-26
BABY QUESTION In FRANCE
PERIANDER ON tn E SMALL CROP OF
YOUNGSTERS IN THAT COUNTRY.


YOUNGSTERS IN THAT COUNTRY.
Shock of German War to French Vital
Force Still Felt-German Baby Crop Is
Steadily Increasing-What Should be
Done About It--Autumn in Paris.
Paris, Oct. 9Th, 1897.
30 the Editor of the Journal and Courier:
Paris is very much exercised just
now over the baby question. Ever
since the Prussian war the crop of
French babies has been short. During
the war every French vital and verile
force received such a shock that as yet
there is no recovery. The baby crop, as
well as other crops, has been short ever
since 1870. AT the end of the war, with
Alsace and Lorraine, France lost about
two million of inhabitants. The re-
manning Frenchmen seem to have done
nothing towards making UP the deficit.
The population of France is very little
larger to-day than 1t was twenty years
ago. The French population is actually
less. That is the population of pure
French descent. Foreigners are con-
finually streaming into France and
having themselves naturalized, and so
helping to keep up the number of nom-
inal Frenchmen.
To make the situation still more disa-
greeable, the German baby crop has
been all the while increasing. The con-
nection between success in war and in
crease in babies must be left topsychol-
ogists There is the fact, bald and
fearful to the French. AS a result the
creasing enormously, while the popula-
ton Of France has been virtually stag
nant When the war started France
had about thirty-eight millions of peo-
pie and Germany less than forty mil
lions. Now France has about thirty
nine millions and Germany over fifty
millions. If the thing keeps on as it is
now going, twenty years from now Ger
many will have twice the population of
France. Then all Germany will have
to do will be to send over the border for
French naturalization a sufficiency of
voters to carry the next election in fa-
vor Of w. IL, and so peacefully and
quietly annex France to the German
empire. The French realize the situa-
lion and are asking themselves in
newspapers, magazines, and even in
pulpits, what is to be done. The ques-
ton is serious and delicate. What are
the difficulties in the way Of the birth
of French baby? Why is it easier
for German baby to be born than for
a French baby?
Apparently the most sensible thing to
do would be to consult the babies them
selves and obtain from them the rela-
tive difficulties in the matter. But no
baby will give himself away; and no
baby as yet has been persuaded to I'M
veil the mysteries of his entrance into
the sphere air-breathing mammal The
idea of consulting the French and Ger
man babies on the subject might as
well be abandoned. In order to cure a
disease you ought to know its cause.
cause is beyond finding out. The cause
lies beyond the reach of human investi-
cation. There may. be dozen causes.
Each baby may have it's own particular
cause for being born, or for not being
born. The generic reason may be that
the French race has lived itself out and
is bound to disappear, just as the
Greeks disappeared after the conquest
Of Greece by Alexander the Great
When race has reached a height OF
intellectual, social and artistic develop
ment immeasurably above that of its
immediate neighbors, that race is sure
to die out, or to lose itself by becoming
merged in an inferior race. This Is the
invariable rule of human genesis. Ev-
cry race must progress When race
has reached the ultimate possibility OF
Its development and ceases to progress
it becomes weak, degenerate and finally
disappears; while the torch of ciziliza-
ton is caught up by some inferior race
whose power of development may be
still greater and it may thus be ena-
bled to advance beyond the point
reached by it's predecessor. OF course
no Frenchman will admit that his race
has reached it's limit. His view of the
baby question Is that the deficit is a
mere accident, to be remedied by call
ing attention to 1t and he proposes call
ing attention by designing and inf1ict-
ing a system of fines. Unfortunately
there is diversity of opinion as to the
parties to be fined. You can't fine the
babies themselves. That would be out
of the question. To fine a baby for not
being born would be ridiculous. How
outsiders would laugh at such law
While to fine a baby for being borr
would defeat the object proposed. Be.
sides, how can you fine a baby? How
could you make the poor little deal
pay? How could you make it under
stand what it was all about, born or I'm
born? Then, say some writer's, fine tn,
parents. The reply is that such fin,
he