Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-01-14
PASSING OF FRANCE IN EIGHTY YEARS
 BEING FORECAST
Lowering Birth Rate Puts Ma. ton Far Behind
 Sisters

New York, Jan. 10. The state mcnt that inside of so years there will be no France, if the birth rate continues to fail at it's present rate, IS attrlbuted to the famous French physician, Dr. BcrtilIon, by Herbert Adams Gibbons, who writes of What Confronts Francc.' in the January Century Gibbons believes that the prospects are excellent for increasing the birth rate by means oi the program of remedial meas ures now before the Chamber of Deputies, but he quotes many eml- nent Ercnchmcn who are of the coll trary opinion.
 he famous Dr. Berullon,' nc- cording to Dr. Gibbons, "Who has worked for 20 years Go arouse the French 10 the breakers ahead, in- slSts that the crisis is of recent or lgln. We are falling behind now about 500,O00 births per year m proportion to other countries, says Dr. Bertillon. Our death rate is in
 
 50 years are dying If the birth rate continues to fall in the same degree, in so years there will be no France. Reducing infant mortality is q drop in the bucket The only remedy for France IS to have as many births as other nations.
 "One of the prophets whose voice and pen warned France of the dan 1. l I m a single sentence. Said Emile Pi- card: At this rate (scven-tenths of one percent increase per year) it would require 370 years for our pop ulation to double, while Germany m a century has almost triplcd her population. A Japanese correspond ent writing from Paris put thhc sit uation more brutally in the sweep ing statement, Each year the popu- lation of France is diminishing, i, one can, therefore reasonably pre- dict that at the end of this century France will, because of this fact disappear from the list of nations.
 "Dr. Richet said frankly in re cent address to the Academic de Medicine: The one and only cause of depopulation in France is econ omy. We do not want to have chil- dren because that entails spending money. 1t costs to lodge and feed and clothe a child, and we do not consent to go to that expense. The number of birthse can be what the state wishes. Decide upon the amount of the aid given to parents, and you will at the same time be sure of the number of French births There are now 700,000 births; there will be 2,0O0,OOO when you wish. If a child, instead of causing the fam- ly expense, brings money to the family, the number fbirths will be enormous.'
 "Dr. Ritchet's reason for the de- creasing birth rate is accepted by his compatriots This is shown by the nature of the religious appeal put forth in the pastoral letters of the clergy, and the remedies, social and legislative, suggested by economists and pubicsts. The chamber of deputies and the senate are consid- ering bills to give state aid to par epts by means of premiums, lessing of taxation, freedom from military service for the father after the birth of the third child, and bills to modi- fly the civil code in such a way as to allow the parents the right to make will so that property and business may be saved from arbitrary divis- ion and dissolution.
 "In 1917 for two big prizes of 10000 francs each there were 400 applicants. Thirty of the families had more than IS children. It is q mistake to think that patriarchal life has entirely disappeared from France. The problem of depopula- tion is not hopeless of solution and intelligent efforts are being made to check the decreasing birth rate"