The Washington herald., 1909-11-21
FEARS FOR FRANCE
Constant DepOpulatiOn At
tribUted to EgOiSm.
LOSS OF FAITH IS BLAMED
Cesare LOmbrOso's Theories Ex-
Guided Possibility OF Free viii.
Conversion of Anglican Society TO
CathOIicism-Ferrer Friends Fail
ed 20 Help Him During Trial.

New York. Nov 2O-To the question as
to the causes which are constantly de-
populating France and tending TO bring
II down from the rank of a great power
there is but one answer, the one given 10y
Zola: France is depopulating because she
wishes to. The increase and multiply
* Scripture has ceased to have its natu-
raj and divine value.
Voluntary sterility Of their marriages
has now entered so deeply into the hab-
it's Of the people that French parents are
inclined 70 be ashamed for the birth OF
3cond or third child There are 1850
prosperous communes In France which
have each less than twenty school-going
children.
An average Of four births 10 a family Is
considered essential TO the healthy growth
or q nation, but nearly 100000 French
families have no children, while tho aver
age is but slightly over two. We're Ital-
lam Belgian, Swiss. and German immi-
srtlts eliminated even this average
WORLD be reduced and the increase for
1901 biotted out.
IIreiigion would seem 10 be a potent. n
not the chief. factor behind these dark
statistics A committee appointed by the
French government 10 inquire into the
decrease Of population found that "an
intimate connection existed between the
steadily declining birth rate and the cam
paign of Decentralization. that births
were highest where religious traditions
were preserved and lowest where indif-
ference prevailed. sc. But this commit
tee and its report were promptly sup
pressed by the and-religious government
which had appointed II.
In thirty years France has been sur
passed by Germany By a third OF its
population. and II is calculated that in
another thirty years az latest the poDu-
latiOn of Germany will be twice as great
as that OF France.
Some months ago the Vcrwaerts, the
official organ Of German socialism. Herr
Bebels organ. noted that the wonderful
increase Of the population IN Germany IS
attributed especially TO the Catholics.
among whom the fruitfulness of marriage
Is % per cent higher than among Protes-
tants. And he concluded. with the au-
thority Of the celebrated economist. Stein
man-RaCheT, that I'm twenty years Ger
many VIII have S3,0000OO Of inhabitants
and national fortune OF GO miiliards COZ
| francs), when France will have but 40
| 10000 OF inhabitants and a national for
tune Of 800 milliards.
According 10 our Census Bureau. the
| United States IS following. the tendency
Of Western and Southern Europe in de-
| creasing birth rate and a less rapid in
| crease Of population We have been
! made painfully aware that the families
/ OF rural New England are as sterile as
In the paganized districts Of France
Cesare Lombroso. whose death was re-
Gently announced. with the publication in
1862 of his book. Criminal Man." be-
came famous as the founder OF a new
science. "criminology" This science in
sists upon looking on physical OF racial
| defects. or those OF environment. as the
| only causes Of crime. 20 the exclusion Of
! everything else.
| LOmbroso was positive that there are
| certain beings who are born criminals
and who can never be anything else, and
/ he secuted the notion that free will or
! human responsibility has anything TO do
/ with the commission or omission Of crime
| Free win had no place in his system, nor
was there room IN It for the healing proc
| esses Of grace.
]
/ must hold himself aloof from Lombroso
and his followers. for the latter. pushing
his theories to their conclusion. PROFOUND
unnatural. Odious remedies for what they
presume to call incorrigible crime.
The recent reception Into the Catholic
! Church OF the members OF the Anglican
Society OF the Atonement at Graymoor,
I - "
| expressly authorized 20 continue its cor
porate existence in the Catholic Church
Is an event unique in the history Of con-
version from the Protestant Episcopal
| Church.
/ Father Paul. the superior, is the edi-
/ tor OF the Lamp. a journal devoted to
| bringing about the corporate reunion or
the Church Of England with the Catholic
| Church. A petition was recently present
| ed to the Pope. through Mgr FalcOnio, IN
! Washington which has obtained for the
! society this remarkable privilege. The
/ grounds upon which this favor was asked
and granted have not yet been made
public.
on the day selected the military court
appointed to try Ferrer. consisting OF
/ Lieut.. Col. Don Eduardo de Aguirre La
Gale and six captains. convened In the
| presence OF 200 reporters and about so of
the general public. as many as could
crowd into the main hall OF the BARGE
| Iona city prison. Ferrer entered. walking
/ briskly, not handcuffed, and seated him
self at a table.
| The dispositions OF fifteen witnesses
were read. together with the answers OF
the accused TO their testimony and also
/ his statements when confronted by the
! same witnesses. On the testimony OF
| these witnesses and the discriminating
documents found IN his house he was
| condemned.
During the period OF twenty-eight days
allowed him by the military code for pre-
senting testimony in his favor nobody
had offered him any help. captain OF
] engineers, Don Francisco Galceran, was
\ appointed bic counsel and made brill
| fiapf o1d a1uureOf r1loa in bFu