The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-05-11

French Statesman Forssses the Extlns-
fion Of Native Americana.

French Statesman Forssees tae ExtIns-
tion Of Native Americans.
From the Washington Star: Sure.
~ a Frenchmar ought to be recas-
mixed as an authority on the question
OF declining birth rate. France Is
the one nation where the birth rate has
steadily decreased until at Lac. the
deaths outnumher the births. since
1880 there has been an annual - OF
something like 10000 population IN
France. II Is a Frenehman Of science.
Arsene DumoBt. who predicts the de-
struetion OF the American people. In
the Journal OF the Paris Statistical so
ciety he reports the result u his study
OF the vital statistics Of MasAachusetts.
In spite OF the eIforts made In New
York and other states. II Is an exas-
perating fact that Massachusetts, alone
collects trustworthy and comprehens-
I've vital statistics, and II IN on these
that foreign statistIclans rely for in
formation as to the tendencies OF
American life. Yet Massachusetts, is
hardly representative. She has an I'M
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 encourag-
Ing as to the future Of Americans. He
says that marriages among American
born reveal steady diminution %
the birth rate. The cause OF this he
finds In the principle OF democracy.
This develops ndividuallsm-the de-
sire Of each person to live his own life
for himself. 10 obls,n all the pleasure
there Is In life. whether intellectual or
material. lie maintains that as they
do not propose 20 miss the chances OF
personal development. Americans. or
any republican people. will not burden
themselves 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 aud It's culture.
He says republics might escape this
fate II they would submit 10 the rule
OF science. Perhaps Il Is this determ-
nation not 20 sacrifice any Of the
pleasures OF life for the pleasure OF
children that Is the cause Of the de-
FlfVa ~ Fha hfrfk L.. Il
Is more reasonable than the explana-
ton commonly glven-that in the abb
senee Of a Law Of Cltali French parents
are led 10 limit the number OF their
children. The code Napoleon does not
allow'a man 70 leave the bulk OF his
fortune 10 his oldest child. as in Eng
land. II Is hardly reasonable 10 think
that In order TO bestow an estate on a
single child man would deny himself
the pleasure OF rearing a number Of
children. But In order 70 find a larger
amount OF liberty and pleasure for
hi-self he might be willing 10 go child
less. Il Is strange that a French sci
enlist should dwell on the decllnlnr
birth rate o. Massachusetts, and max
no reference 10 that Of his own country.
Al the beginning OF the century there
we're thiriy-threc births FOR each 900
Of population In France. In 1850 Il
had declined 10 twenty even. and in
1895 to twenty-five. At the same time
the birth rate Of Germany ana Austria
remained at thirty-eight. that Of Eng
land al thIrty-three. and that Of Italy
had Increased from thsrty-seven 10
thirty-elght The decrease Is general
throughout France. and Mr. Beriillon
says II means the disappearance Of the
French people.