The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-01-27
Denomination of France

| The steady decline II France in tire
matter of population has been subject
Of annual discussion for more than q &C.
casle. Whenever the statistics Of b.rth
and deaths are published for certain
period. the press Of the country gives ex-
preston TO its regrets and fears, and
/ parliament IS appealed 10 Tor leglsiafiv
remedies Just now & senator named
Plot is enjoying celebrity or notorietv as
Fhe author Of q remarkable bin for The
! arrest of the alarming tendencies toward
/ 6epopulation and the encoura cement Sof
( naatrimony and large families. TIE sit
1 nations IS undoubtedly abnormal. but the
simple and easy explarat ons generally
given to account for 1t are superficial.
+ France has ceased TO grow. and Ia this
i respect she Is an exception among the
progressive and civilized nations She
( is richer than her powerful Teuton.e
/ neighbo-, does not suffer from EN- gra-
/ ton to any appreciate extent. despite
the militarisnl 50 justly regarded as her
! curse, and yet she is slowly and surely
I decaying The amusing Bertillon. who
can prove anything from and through
{ statistics. believes that France is in ~
position OF man dying under the iufiu-
ence Of chloroforH-a painless death, but
death all the same Bsrtiilon, in tn 5
instance. only puts in extreme phrases
J the general opinion Of intelligent France.
lated and communicated, show that al
though the number Of marriages was
+ the largest recorded since 1875. the num-
+ Der of births was 1000 less than the
( average for the last ten years. There
+ were S47,627 births and SIS 90 tleaths-aa
/ excess of the former of but 81 CO. IN
I 1923 the excess was about 1900. In the
4 last ten years the total increase OF pop-
ulation has amounted to but % 600 while
nf d. l--r, al
registered al actual decrease Of S5.00o.
I The increase of one-Hfth of I per cent
(Which is the increase for 1892 can hard
/ " be considered as a gain. Under some
/ circumstances a nation Il otherw Sc
healthy, prosperous and progressive.
might regard a stationary population
with composure. hut France is not IN a
position to place herself at so ph loso-
phical a point Of view. She has-0r thin
she has which is the same thng-pow-
erfuI Traditional enemies, and has not
given up dreams Of conquest. revenge
and military glory She necessarily com
pares her situation with that Of Great
Britain and Germany. The former, of
course. enjoys no advantage over France
in point Of mere numbers of lighting
men, and counts on her naval superiority
alone. Population does not enter into
the question of the relative strength of
tween them. It is different in the rela-
tons between France and Germany
Germany has now about 100000 pop
ulation. as against the IS 009Gl0 Of France
and the former nation grows and null
tipies in sipte of an EN- grafton which
continues to be heavy-six times as
heavy as that of the French It is point-
ed out that in the excess of its numbers
Germany has already the equivalent of
France prove unable to raise materially
her rate Of increase the difference in IA
vor of her great rival would. before
many years. amount TO 600 ono fighting
men-a preDonderance nothing could pos
sibly overcome. It is this thought which
is causing French statesmen and rat
riots loss of sleep and equanimity Ger
manys' annual rate Of Increase. accord
ing 10 the latest figures, Is 112 per cent. +
What can France do TO raise her own
rate and prevent the widening of the
gulf Her legislators have NOT shown
much wisdom. A number of small meas
ures have been tried. Prizes have been
offered to heads of large families, and
some mot alb of the silly regulations
hampering matrimonial unions have been
removed. Now it is proposed by some
writer's that marriage be made rs easv
as in the United States. but this strikes
a
almost revolutionary. The re-marriage
Of divorced persons is disapproved bv
certain classes of French soci tv though
it IS permitted by law. In this reSeect
too, greater toll alton is urged But
Senator Plot has gone beyond ali this
and prepared a curious bin for the tax
alton Of bachelors and sninsters a. a
specified graduated rate. This has Great I
ed more amusement than concern but I
edual to this sort Of legislation
Nothing, or next to nothing. viii result
from these small and superficial RENE
dies. The causes OF French decadence
in respect of population are deep and
abiding, The Discrimination "a emigra-
ton. even into outlaying possessions m +
der French soveTeignty. is part Of the
same tendency. immortality such -
ZOla 6eoicts with ruthless realism IN
'Fecondite is in effect rather than a
cause. The requirement in the code hat.
when property is divided al children
must get equal shares. is believed b.
some 10 be an important cause Of the
ingrained objection 10 large families In
the past the French were # ANYTHING.
disposed to err on the side Of numerous
offspring The French Canadians stu
exhibit this tendency in a marked d.
gree. Love Of comfort and luxury would
explain the case Of the large cities. but
the peasants would not be embraced bv
this fheorv The socialists attribute the
whole phenomenon to the present indus
trial system and 70 CROWNS disestisfac-
ton Of labor with its economic condition
This IS simple. but refute5 hv fhe life ~
the workmen in England. Germany ard
Italy. The problem IS one which statis-
fclans and soci0logists might vel stuiy.
Perhans France is only little IN adj
vance Of other nations and foreshadov-
ny worldwide developments of the near
future.