Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1898-05-20
OUR DOOM PRONOUNCED.
A Noted French Scientist Processes
to FOresce the Extinction of
Native Americans.

Surely Frenchman ought to be rec
ognized as an authority on the question
of a declining birth rate. France is
steadily decreased until at last the
deaths outnumber the births. Since
1890 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.
III spite of the efforts made in New
York and other states, it is an eXasper.
ating fact that Massachusetts alone col
lects trustworthy and comprehensive
vital statistics, and it is on these that
foreign statisticians rely for informa-
ton as to the tendencies of American
life. Yet Massachusetts is hardly rep
resentative. She has an uncommon pro.
portion of foreign-born people, and
they are more absorbed in the manufac.
lures 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 peculiar.
Mr.. Dumont's study of the birth rate
in Massachusetts is not encouraging 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 Northumberland desire
of each person to live his own life for
himself, to obtain all the pleasure there
is in life, whether intellectual or mate.
rial. He maintains that as they do not
propose to miss the chances of person.
al development, Americans, or any re.
publican people, will not burden them
selves with children. He says there is a
poison in republican civilization, and
the more intense republicanism be.
comes the more acute individualsm u.s.
Eventually, he asserts, this must de.
stroy the race and it's culture. He says
republics might escape this fate if they
would submit to the rule of science.
Perhaps it is this determination not
to sacrifice any of the pleasures of life
for the pleasure of children that is the
cause of the decline of the birth rate
in France. 1t is more reasonable than
the explanation commonly given-that
in the absence of law of entail French
parents are led to limit the number Of
their children. The code Napoleon does
not allow 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 a number of chill
dren. But in order to find larger
amount of liberty and pleasure for him.
self he might be willing to go childless
1t is strange that a French scientist
should dwell on the declining birth
rate of Massachusetts and make no ref
erence to that of his own country. At
the beginning of The century there were
80 births for each 1000 of population in
France. In 1850 it had declined to a.,
and in 1895 to %. At the same time the
birth rate of Germany and Austria re-
manned at 3s, that of England at 33, and
that of Italy had increased from 81 to
80. The decrease is general through
out France, and Mr.. Bertillon says it
means the disappearance of the French
people.-Washingto Star.