The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-28
terrible trial. above all if the issue i. favorable to us?
 Cause of Low Birth Rate


 'The cause of the low birth rate" Mon sieur Boutroux thinks. resides primari- ly in selfishness and the disposition to consider only the present or the imme- diate future. With confidence in the fu- ture. With a vast distant perspective opened up, there is awakened desire to slorify oneself in ones descendants A before art, literature and before practi- cal activity in all it's forms.
 Measures that are most contrary to the indifference of yesterday are today accepted without objection, such as the prohibition of the traffic in absinthe. Civ lilization has been loaded down with thousand fictitious needs foreign and harmful to nature; great many of them are so many chains upon nature and a many causes of fraeiltv and weakness Now. all at once. lacking all these su- perfiuities, we feel no sense of ivation. We are conscious. on the contrary, of re-entering upon full possession of our strength and of being better able to dis pose of it for the accomplishment of useful work
 War he says, mot only liberates us from selfish passions but teaches posi- tive virtues, the value of decision. in- trepidity. sacrifices of life to honor and to the fatherland; if requires of us pa- tience and this people who were thought incapable of supporting In silence long and painful trials this people of whom it's enemies said that they would come to their aid by insurrection,' remained calm and resolute. The French. it was said. were not apt to act collectively Their incurable individualism precmded vivacity of mind and talent except to Q nf haf. Ufxva, ,f>1. given. of unity and the efficiency of col lective effort Monsieur Boutroux thinks. will have as important an effect upon France of the future as any other of the lessons of the war;
 From the medical standpoint Professor Chauffard of the Academy of Medicine, before the Alliance d'Hygiene Sociale, speaking of the mobilization order and comparing it to one of the great phy- sical phenomena which constantly trouble the universe like earthquakes, tidal waves etc, says that 'sthe manner in which France supported the shock augurs well for the health of the race after the war.
 From Medical Viewpoint
 Adaptation he says. 'is the greatest law of biology, for we live and pre- serve our physical and moral life by adaptation only. He who is incapable of adapting himself succumbs. The French race adapted itself admirably to this unforeseen danger, and to realize this it is only sufficient to remember what Paris and what France were at the moment the mobilization. order wa published. For the calm confidence with which each one went to his duty we are indebted to a quality that we did not know we possessed perhaps to that degree, nervous stability, to the mastery of ourselves n tho l1of xro 1, not lost of our nervous system. Il
 Tn collectivity." he says there are always certain number of individuals who suffice for their daily life, but who are unable to accomplish a more arduous task or to support an unforeseen shock When the hour of the trial arrives those succumb. They lose their heads Dur ing the first days of the mobilization number of such subjects profoundly troubled mentally arrived at the hos pltals, but in reality their number in proportion to the number of healthy sub tects was very small and many of these troubles were of very short duration The trial was severe but it was to our honor because it bears witness that the French race has not degenerated
 We knew by long experience that every war involves the outbreak of great many diseases. and we were very agree ably astonished during the first three months of this war that sickness was very rare in all our ssanitary stations The army in barracks reflects the state of health of the civil population with which 1t is associated. If we were not at war we should now, see the diseases TOT the season appear in all our garrisons, but on the contrary, the army in action Is remarkably free from them, and, for tunately, in proportion to the dead, the wounded and sick there will remain n far greater number who have escaped all the dangers. These will come back hardened. more resistant than they were before. ennobled, ripened and better tenn pered physically as morally
 This improved condition of the surviv- ors, Dr. Chauffard thinks, will more than offset the decrease in the birth rate, due to the many deaths, and for that rec son he considers that the general phy- sina1 condition, of lo ,,.iII