Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-10
FRANCE DECADENT
SHOWN BY CENSUS
Population of Europe Takes on a
Strange Swing Since Opening
of Nineteenth Century
GERMANY IS NOW IN THE LEAD
Italy, Only a Name in 1901, Is a
Nation with 34,000,000
inhabitants
GERMANY IS NOW IN THE LEAD
Especial to The Herald)


LONDON, Sept. 9-The changes in
Europe since 1901 show some remark
able reversals in states and politics.
The Europe of 1901 counted 175,0O0,OOO
inhabitants; its population today eX-
eeeds 4SS, 100000 The population of
France, which ran to over 3S000,0OO,
exceeded then in number, cohesion
and living strength that of any nation
except Russia, which, however, counted
only, 36,0OO,00O The population of the
British isles was only 100000, not
quite half that of France. The Ger
man empire, counting its 300 states,
often at war with one another, had in.
all only 25,000,0O0 people. Italy was
only a geographical expression" at
that time, but the whole peninsula in
ten duchies comprised only 100000
people. Austria and Hungary to-
gether numbered only 25,000,000
The population of China had risen
from 100000 at the dawn of the
Christian era to 3S3 100000 in 1895, but
no other figure was quoted for Asia.
Africa was to the civilized world a
mere outline. In America the official
census of 1890 reported 100000 inhab-
itants, which rose, according to the
census of 1900, to 5,S0S,4S3. No precise
figure was given for the rest of Amer
lea, nor was anything known of the
population of Oceanica, Australia or
New Zealand.
Today the political condition of Eu-
rope has changed with the change Of
population. France, which 110 years
ago was the first and in a sense the
only power of Europe, is today Of COM
paratively small account. The popu'
lation of Europe has risen from 49,
900, 900 to 43S, 900 000-an increase of 26S,-
900, 900, or about 150 per cent. France
has increased only from S3,000,000 to
SO, ,000,0 900. an increase of only Is per
cent. In 1901 France was in population
one-flfth of Europe; today it is less
than one-eleventh. The population of
Great Britain exceeds 45,000,000, an in
crease of 29,000,0Oo, or more than $50
per cent.
The German empire has grown from
25, 900 900 inhabitants of rival and teal-
Gus states in 1901 to a homogeneous
strength of G5,000,000, an increase of
40, ,OO0, 900 since 1S01-the increase alone
exceeding the population of all of
France today-and of 26,00O,OOO since
1870. The population of Germany has
increased by l52 per cent since 1901.
bled its population, which now num-
bers so, ,000 900, and italy, with 34,00o,0O0
Inhabitants, has nearly doubled. Spain
counts 10000, 900. Belgium and the Low
lands exceed 14000,000 in place of 5,0OO,-
900 in 1901. Russia has increased in liv-
ing strength by 200 per cent, and num-
bers 1SS, ,OOO, 900 people. Japan has come
out of the seas with 65,000,000 inhabi-
tants to take an important place in the
world In America, of course, progress
is more marked. Canada has 100000
people; Brazil, 1S000,000 to 20,0OO,0OO;
Peru, 100000 Chile 9,5O0,O00; Argen-
tine, 100000; Mexico, 16,000,000, and
the United States, characterized as "a
miracle of vitality, energy, prodigious
industry and world-embracing com
merce," is itself a veritable New World,
with nearly 1O0,OOOO0O inhabitants.
The world has made great progress
since 1901, and progressed in every
nation except one. France, which
claims, and some years ago justly
claimed, to be the land of progress
and enlightenment and of the growth
of ideas and the expansion of thought
has remained in those 11O years almost