The morning news., 1897-07-17
TO PROMOTE MARRIAGE IN FRANCE
II Is Proposed That Married Soldiers
Shall Serve Only Year in the

II Is Proposed That Married Soldiers
Shall Serve Only IA Year in the
Army.
Paris Correspondence OF the Courier des
Etats Unis.
For some time there has been alarm in
France over the iusuficiency of the in-
crease in population. Statisticians, scien-.
tihc men, writer's and professors armed
with documents have shown that If the di-
minution in the birth rate continues for
few years more the result will be that the
! number of deaths In France will exceed
the number of births. Three senators dis
tingushed in medicine and in chemistry
Drs. Guyot, Leon Liable and Berthelot-
have just introduced in the Senate an
amendment to the recruiting law Of July.
1889. which. 1t Is expected. will remedy the
evil at least to some extent This amend
ment reduces the term of service in the
army of all married conscripts to one year.
A Partisan journalist Interviewed the pro-
moters of this proposition in the Senate
the other day. He found Drs. Leon Liable
and Guyot quite willing to give him all the
explanations that he desired.
ut is my colleague, DIR. Guyot," said
Prof. Liable, that took the initiative In
this project. We are confident that in the
presence of the grave danger that threat
ems our country, more grave even than
disastrous war, the parliament and the
war minister will adopt our proposition.
Search as you will, the diminution in the
number of birthJ In France can be attrib-
uted TO the fact that people marry too late
in life. IL is simply because at Il, In the
face of the obligation TO serve for three
years In the army, there is rarely an op-
In fI.aN In hA frerF
Tor a young man TO get married. That rolls
back three. four, or five years the time OF
matrimony."
But DOCTOR" asked the reporter, 'is
man only % years old ripe for marriage?''
What Why, OF course he is. Go into
the country and see IL at - years the
young fellows are not as solid as the men
who return from their regiments. Under
our proposed law the president Of the
council of revision will say to the young
conscript. You are married2 Well, then,
you will serve only one year. Now al the
present time we have only twenty-five
births for every 1000 inhabitants. BY this
proposition we would double in twenty
years the number Of our soldiers; for re-
member IL Is from the point of view OF
national defence that we regard this
question when we propose the reduction
to one year or the service OF our married
conscripts. With our system OF regional
regiments, each soldier during the term
OF his service, II his conduct Is good, could
20 and visit his wife. One year passes by
very RAPIDLY, and we can make OF the
conscript by this method not only good
soldier. but a good husband and father Of
"A family
II have noticed OF late tendency 20
encourage marriages among young peo-
pie Rest assured that with the prospect
OF having only one year OF service II will
De easy for the young men 60 overcome
the difficulties OF matrimOny-much more
easy than II they had three long years
70 remain IN their regiments. The con-
scripts employed In mercantile affairs Will
receive, II they are married, a leave Of
absence from their employers. and will
be taken back again at the end OF their
term OF service. II is not necessary TO be
n great philosopher TO see that by this
method the population would be consid-
erably augmented. That Is our dearest
wish"
AZ the close OF the interview DR., Guyot
said:
I'VE have decided to add TO our project
the following amendment: Every married
conscript who at the expiration OF his
year OF service gets a divorce viii be oblig-
"a 70 return to his regiment and serve for
two additional years The divorce" said
the doctor, "is certainly a great factor in
our depopulation."
Gen. Biliot, who ~ a senators and also
the war minister. may have some difficulty
to meet n this law is adopted, on account
OF the immediate effects which Il might
produce upon the present effective force
- Al.