New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-12
The Great Psychologists
Calls "Race Suicide"
Cry Futile and Attacks
the The DRY of War
as the Biological Ne.
cessity Of Nations.
WAR?

Is to some extent compensated by very higb
death ratc-the highest infsntile death rate in
Europe-the birth rate is falling, and we nav
anticipate that it will fall very rapidly with
the extension Of education and social enlght
eminent among the masses. Driven out Of Eu.
rope the alarmist falls back on the Yellow
Peril. But in Japan we find, amid confused
variations Of the birth rate and the death
rate. nothing &c indicate any alarming ex
pansion of the population, while as to China
we are in the dark We only know that in
China there is high birth rate, largely CON.
pensated by very high death rate We also
know however, that as Loves Dickinson hss
lately reminded US, "the fundamental attitud.
of the Chinese toward life is that OF the mos,
modern West" and we shall probably find
that with the growth of enlightenment tn.
Chinese will deal with their high birth rate in {,
far more radical and thorough manner than
we have ever ventured on.
One last resort the would-be patriotic
alarmist seeks when all others fail. He is
good enough to admit that general decin.
in the birth rate might be beneficial. But he
points out il affects social classes unequally
II is initiated, not by the degenerate and III.
unfit whom we could we'll dispense with, but
bv the very best classes in the community, the
well TO do and the educated One is inclined
TO remark at once that social change init
ated by its best social classes is scarcely Er
ly to be pernicious. Where, it may be asked
# not among the most enlightened and edu.
Gated classes, is any process of ameoratcn
to be initiated? We cannot make the world
topsy-turvy to suit the convenience OF topsy.
turvy minds. All social movements tend %
begin at the top and to permeate downward
This has been the case with the decline in
the birth rate, but it is already we'll marked
among the working classes and has only failed
to touch the lowest social stratum OF all, too
weak-minded and too reckless TO be amenabl.
TO ordinary social motives.
The rational method of meeting this situa
ton is not propaganda in favor OF procrea-
tion-a truly imbecile propaganda, since it is
only carried out and only likely to be carried
out by the very class which we wish to steril
ize-but by wise policy of regulative e.
eenics. We have to create the motives, and
it is not an impossible task, which will act
even upon the weak minded ard reckless low.
est social stratum. ~
These facts have significance which many
of US have failed to realize The Great War
has brought home the gravity OF that signih'
canoe 1t has been the perpetual refrain Of
the Pan Germanists for many years that the
vast and sudden expansion of the German
peoples makes necessary new movement OF
the German nations into the world and new
enlargement of frontiers, in other words, war.
1t is not only among the Germans, though
among them it may have been more con-
scious, that a similar cause has led to the like
result. 1t has ever been so. The expanding
nation has always been menace to the world
and 10 itself The arrest of the falling birth
rate, it cannot be too often repeated would
be the arrest of all civilization and OF all hu'
mainly.