The times., 1899-02-07
A DECAYING NATION.
NJ. DrumOnts Picture of the Ten
dency of France.
CFrom the London Tclcgranhl

From the LoGdon TcicgTanh.l
Nations are like women. and when they
grow old continue 10 believe themselves
young and pretty, and dislike 10 hear re-
marks passed on their age, With this
true and trite observation NJ. Drumont.
the notorious Partisan anti-Senlite. begins
a sensational article. in the course OF
which he draws his countrymen's atten-
tiOn TO the statistics recently published by
NJ. Edmond TheTy. The figures given by
this authority are undoubtedly remarkable,
II not precisely new. and according 10 NJ.
DrumoBt, they show that France is well
the way which has led Spain to pOliti
cal and commercial ruin.
The first batch OF figures deals with the
birth rate. From 1919 TO 1891 the popula
tion of Russia increased by ~ per cent,
that Of Germany by - per cent. and The
population Of France only by ca per cent.
In 1873 France occupied the third rank in
the European hierarchy. with over e. COO
600 inhabitants. Germany then possessed
Al .e0e, ,0G0. Today Germany numbers g.,
250.CO0 whereas France counts no more
than 3S, 800 600. To every 100 Frenchmen
there are 135 Teutons to-day and there will
be 256 to 100 at the close Of the twentieth
century. Passing to the subject OF foreign
trade and means of transport. NJ. Drumont
points out that from the year 1879 to 1897
Russia built over % eco kilometres OF rail-
many, while France seemingly cuts fairly
good figure with over 20.0o0 kilometres.
But in Germany the state owns eleven
twelfths of its railways, and in Russia
the state has purchased or constructed
two-t thirds. whereas in France the repub
lie OWLS only $500 kilometres out of a
total of 4s,lG0. The principal pTopTietOrs
OF French railways are Germans o! Frank
fort, a circumstance which NJ. Drumont
declares preiudicial 10 the interests of the
national defence.
Judged by the tonnage of her merchant
navy France occupied the sixth place
among European nations twenty five years
ago. Since then Germany has increased
her tonnage by 151 per cent whereas
France augmented hers by only 81 Ier cent,
and at present the tonnage of British mer-
camille shipping is 100000 tons, that OF
Germany l,200, 600 tons. and that of
France, who is still behind Norway.
amounts 10 no more than so 600 tons. The
falling of IN the commerce and industry
is said TO be equally alarming by NJ. Dru-
mont. who suffers from periodic attacks OF
patriotic pessimism. like most prominent
anti-Semites.
Germany has taken our place in the
commerce OF the world Is his melancholy
summing up of the statistical re-
turns. The proof Of this alarm
ing statement he finds in the circumstances
An1l 1879 10 1871 'TeItldHN : tApUTlS
10 foreign countries increased by nearly
G52 COO .O00-that is to say. at the rate
of over II per cent-Whereas Frances ex-
ports not only did not increase at all, but
actually fell off by about Ell, 600. .0GO, or
per cent These figures, remarks the
3nti-Jewish agitator. make the French
reader rub his eyes and feel as if he were
about 10 suffer an attack OF migraine.
The most terrible thing about ii all. he
further observes. is not that frances ex-
penses go on increasing. that her people
have the heaviest budget in the world and
the largest national debt in the universe.
No: il is to note that all the sacrifices
made for the grandeur of the nation are
horribly unproductive. lameGtably bar
ren. Germany, England. the United States.
all spend money well as we, but the
sums which these peoples give TO their
respective governments are productive
seeds. which bring in a magnificent har-
vest of forces and riches. Our money. on
the contrary. drops into a bottomless
abyss. Our railways are owned by Ger
mans. we possess neither military nor a
merchant navy, cur industry is languish-
ing and our commerce dying We exist
for the universe only, thanks 10 Paris
to that Paris which the Tartuffes of both
continents call Babylon the Infamous, and
TO which they come from time to time 10
hide their excesses-"