Norwich bulletin., 1916-04-15
Stories of the War
eermany's Declining eirthrate.

Beyond the present problems OF the
successful conduct of the war and
maintaining the food supply, the de-
cline in the German birthrate is re-
ceiving more and more public atten-
ton.
In the course of a discussion of the
matter in the Prussian Diet, recently,
Dr. Grohne, of the Medical Depart
ment OF the Prussian Government, said
that during the first twelve or thirteen
years OF the present century a drop
from IS to % had occurred in the rate n
of living births in Germany to every II
1000 of the population, and he said III
that the birthrate had fallen during II
this time more rapidly than during the II
previous twenty-five years.
No civilized people, he continued /
has ever shown such a drop in so
short time. For a similar reduction /
in its birth rate, France required over
40 years, but We only II. We already |
| have $4,000 fewer births annually Il
| than We should have had If the rate of /
| the year 1900 had been maintained |
| This means that our population today |
| should be 100000 greater than ii is; |
/ and the total SHOULD be nearly Il, OOO,- /
/ 600 instead of $4,000, 900. That is an /
| advantage which. in view of the great 1
/ losses in this war. cannot be too high !
/ ~ valued. II has been said, indeed, |
/ that we need not be greatly concerned !
| inasmuch as we have an extraordin-
| arily favorable mortality rate; and IL
| is true that our death rate has been
| greatly reduced within years, thanks
1 to our gratifying economic develop
ment, our improved manner Of living.
| and especially our splendid sanitary
| measures. Thirty years ago the death
rate was Is to 1000 of the population.
Today it is only (which means that
| there die today 100000 fewer persons
! annually than would die II we still had
the death rate Of 1886.
| But we must face the regrettable
fact that while the death rate has
further diminished during the past
| thirteen or fourteen years, the birth
rate has fallen still more rapidly. The
| death rate has decreased "A, but the
birth rate has fallen ~ or IS per cent.
more rapidly than the mortality fig
ure."
Irrespective of what the outcome of
the war may he. Germans see in their
great Slav neighbOr a menace which
not even victory will remove, for Rus
STA, with a population about twice
that of Germany, has a yearly excess
Of births over deaths of more than II
per cent. against slightly more than
u per cent for Germany.
Russia still has a death rate Of %
per cent. Germany's death rate has
been reduced from 26.S per cent in the
| sixties to 10 per cent, but the latter
| figure is nearly as low as 1t can be
, brought. German sCciOlogists realize
that the Russian death rate is bound
; to be reduced rapidly. They point to
! the anu-alcohol regulations and the
! better system of grain distribution as
; two factors which are bound to make
, themselves felt shortly, and, as show
! ing the possibility of progress along
> other sociological lines, they point out
. that the number of illiterates in the
, Russian army sank from 6O.4 in 1908
to 35.7 per cent. in 1911.
, Another factor is the possibility that
. the emigration from Russia, which
! was very large before the war. may to
n great extent stop after the war.
GeTmanys emigration has been of
negligible proportions for more than
a decade.
, Still another consideration is dis
I cussed in anarticle in current maya
zine. under the title, The Wars In
| fiuence on the Will to Propagate" The
author says:
Several months ago I heard for the
4 first time from the lips of a working
: woman the statement that no mother
| could longer accept with clear con-
= | science the responsibility OF bearing
children. Better no child than to bring
y children into the world for the fear
= fu. Fate of becoming food for powder
Since that time have heard the same
expressions from the mouths of women
4 and also of men of the most different
classes. Everywhere a deep repug-
/, nance to beget children. II is there
fore to be feared that the war threat
ems to add a new. earnest and very ef-
fective motive to those that now WORK
; TO limit the number of births"
= Further complicating the subject. Is
a the fact that there will be a great eX-
- cess of women over men after the
= war. Before the war the excess Of
. | females over males was 9OO, 900, In
=, | round numbers. Owing. however. tC
L the greater longevity of the females
the great bulk of the excess consist
!, ed of women more than 50. that is. be
II yond the child-bearing age. The ex
d cess of women of fruitful age, how
ever, will be increased by approx
~ mately the number of men killed in TIT
IL war removing hundreds of thousand
of women from consideration as pos
sible mothers.
lS a steady increasing number Of sup
al porters is being found for the idea o
encouraging large families by grant
Ie OF money for each child, and by
~ graduate reduction of taxes.
; Much attention is also being pal
i to measures to combat infant mortal
ity and the spread of sex diseases
lI Here. however. the sociologists fin
ne themselves face to face with n Difficult
problem. The Prussian government
has just refused assent TO a movement
to compel the. reporting of such dis
eases. basing it's refusal on the asser
ton that such law would lead to con
is cealment and consequently woul
lg | make conditions worse.
ok Proposals to permit a limited poly
zamy, such as prevailed after tn
Thirty Years War. have been gravel
discussed. but in practically every IN
- utanra raferta1