La Junta tribune., 1898-04-30
ouR DOOM PRONOUNCED.

yssaeA Statesman Sersssss tie eztass.
tsoa Of Native A0ssssa1a
From the Warrington Star: Sure
ly . Frenchman ought to be recog-
nissd ~ an authority on the question
Of q declining birth rate. France 10
the one nation where the birth rate has
steadily decreased until at last the
deaths outnumber the births. Since
1880 there has been an annual loss OF
something like 10000 population in
France. It is Frenchman OF science,
Arsene Dumont. who predicts the de-
struction Of the American people. In
the Journal Of the Paris Statistical so
ciety he reports the result of his study
OF the vital statistics of Massachusetts,.
In spite OF the efforts made in New
York and other states. It is an exas-
perating fact that Massachusetts, alone
collects trustworthy and comprehens-
i've vital statistics. and It Is on these
that foreign statisticians rely for In
formation as to the tendencies OF
American life. Yet Massachusetts II
hardly representative. She has an un-
common proportion OF foreign born
people, and they are more absorbed In
the manufactures than the people OF
other states. The proportion OF the
two sexes in that state Is unlike the
proportion of the west and south. and
many important conditions are pecul-
lar. Mr.. Dumont's study of the birth
rate in Massachusetts is not encourage
ing as to the future OF Americans. He
says that marriages among American
born" reveal steady diminution Of
the birth rate. The cause OF this he
finds in the principle Of democracy.
This develops ndividualism-the de-
sire Of each person to live his own life
for himself to obtain all the pleasure
there is in life. whether intellectual or
material. He maintains that as they
do not propose to miss the chances OF
personal development. Americans. or
any republican people. will not burden
thepselves with children. He says
there is poison in republican civiliza-
tion. and the more intense republican
ism becomes the more acute individual
ism is. Eventually, he asserts. this
must destroy the race and Its culture.
He says republics might escape this
sate II they would submit to the rule
of science. Perhaps 1t is this determ-
tnation not to sacrifice any OF the
pleasures OF life for the pleasure OF
children that is the cause Of the de-
cline OF the birth rate in France. 1t
Is more reasonable than the explana-
lion commonly given-that In the abb
sence of n law OF entail French parents
are led to limit the number OF their
children. The code Napoleon does not
allow a man to leave the bulk OF his
fortune to his Oldest child, as In Eng
land 1t is hardly reasonable to think
that in order to bestow an estate on
single child man would deny himself
the pleasure of rearing number OF
children. But In order to find larger
amount OF liberty and pleasure for
himself he might be willing to go child
less. 1t is strange that French SCI
enlist should dwell on the declining
birth rate OF Massachusetts, and make
no reference to that of his own country.
At the beginning of the century there
were thirty-three births for each 1000
Of population in France. In 1850 1t
had declined to twenty-seven, and In
1895 to twenty-five. At the same time
the birth rate of Germany and Austria
remained at thirty-eight. that OF Eng
land at thirty-three. and that of Italy
had increased from thirty-seven to
thirty eight The decrease is general
throughout France, and Mr.. Bertillon
says 1t means the disappearance Of the
French people.