The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-03-03
TIMES WILL BE HARD
WHEN EARTH CAN NO MORE SUP
PORT HER CHILDREN.


General Brialmont says That In Less
Than 200 Years There Will He Too
Many People--some Interesting Facts
a. to the Increase OF Population.
At the Academy Of Sciences in Brus-
sells the other day Lieutenant General
Brialmont Of the Belgian army deliver
ed lecture upon the increase OF the
worlds population.
Many statisticians have studied this
problem, and, according to the average
of their calculations, we find that Rus
sia doubles her population in 30 years,
England in 55, Germany in SO, Belgium
In 20, Italy in "a and France in 1873.
The general did not mention the in
crease Of population in the United
States.
IA time will come" he said, "when
there will be too many men ON the
globe, and the equilibrium between
population and production will be re-es-
tablished by the disappearance OF those
for whom there will he no place at the
banquet of life. According to statistics
most werthy Of confidence, the popula-
tion of the world in 1882 was 1,892,-
900. 600, and in 1890 it was /, 480, 000,-
000-that is to say, in eight years it in.
creased by $4,000, 900, or more than Q
per cent. If, calculating upon this basis,
we seek the date when the population OF
the earth will reach 27 milliards of in
habitants, or double the number Of hec-
tares that the land of our planet meas
ures, we come to the year 1880" Con-
sequently, according to the general, who
in his lecture simply made himself the
interpreter of the economists, in 1886
years the world will no longer be able
to feed its inhabitants.
"To deny the exactness of my calcu-
lation," says General Brialmont, sit
will be necessary to prove that the pop.
ulation will not continue to grow as
rapidly as I have supposed.
Now, in 1888 the population Of Eu.
rope was 144, 600, 900 souls, and i'll 1880
it was $40, 900, 900, presenting an in
crease Of 140 per cent in a century. The
president Of the congress of statistics in
1907 piOduSou
showing that the European population
had doubled in 70 years notwithstand
ing numerous wars and a constant
stream of emigration.
From the ten milliards and hall
hectares that the land of the earth meas
ures we must deduct the polar regions,
the steppes, the deserts, the mountains
that are covered with snow, the roads,
the lands which are rendered unpro-
ductive by industries and the surfaces
occupied by houses. After that deduc-
tion we find scarcely two milliards OF
hectares of arabic land, from which we
must also deduct half q milliard hectares
for the support of animals. Therefore,
according to Ravenstein, the learned
English geographer, we shall be short
Of rations in 176 years.
If General Brialmont and Mr.. Raven.
stein are anywhere near the mark, they
underestimate the danger. By following
their line Of argument closely we are
brought to the conclusion that the
worlds population will be starved out
in less than a century, because it is in.
creasing more rapidly now than ever be-
fore. The doctors, with their microbe
slaughtering serums, give no show tc
honest plaques, and even threaten con
sumption; the philosophers, with their
high toned theories, will suppress wars;
the reformers propose to fine bachelors
for the benefit of future mothers-in-la'
the preachers conspire against mortali
and centenarians are on the increase.
New York Sun.