Republican farmer., 1920-01-09
GIVES FRANCE
 EIGHTY YEARS
 MORE OF LIFE
Falling Birth Rate to Blame Says Dr. Bertillon, Fla
 nous Physician.

The statement that inside of eighty i years there will be no France, if the birth-rate continues to fall at 1ts present rate, is attributed to the fla l mous French physician. Dr. Bertinon, by Herbert Adams Gibbons, who writes of What Confronts France" in the January Century. MT. Gib- bons believes that the prospects are excellent for increasing the birth-rate by means of the program of remedial measures now before the Chamber of Deputies, but be quotes many emln' ent Frenchmen who are of the con- trary opinion
 .sThe famous Dr. BerdIon," ac- ording to Dr. Gibbons, who has worked for twenty years to arouse the French to the breakers ahead, in sists that the crisis is of recent origin, We are falling behind now about 50O, ,eO0 births per year in pro- portion to other countries,' says Dr. Berti1Ion Our death-rate is increas- ing: each year 100000 above fifty years are dying. If the birth-rate continues to fall in the same degree, in eighty years there will be no France. Reducing infant mortality IS a. drop in the bucket The only remedy for France is to have as many births as other nations
 s"One of the prophets whose voice and pen have warned France of the danger ahead summed up the prob len, in g. single sentence. Said Emile , Ricard: At this rate (seven tenths or one per cent increase per year) 1t would. require 870 years for our pop ! lllation to double while Germany in a j century has almost tripled her popu- Iation.' A Japanese correspondent writing from Paris put the sftuauon A more bruta11y in the sweeping state nnent. Each year the population of France is dtnishing: one can there fore reasonably predict that at ths end of this century France will, be- cause of this fact, disappear from the list of nations.'
 sDr. Riohet said frankly in re- cant address to the Academic de Medecine: The one and only cause of depopulatton in France IS econo- ynv. We do not want to have chu- dren because that entails spennns money. It costs to lodge and feed and clotre a child, and we do not consent to go that expense. Ihe n1,rober of births can be what the
 
 anooarnt of the aid given to parents and YOU will at the same time be s,Yre of the number of French births There are now 100000 births: there win be 2,0oO, 900 when you wish. If child. instead of causing the family expense, brings money to the family inc number of births will be enor' mous.'
 .eDr. Richet's reason for the de crossing birth-rate is accepted by nj: This Is shown by tho H45ature of the religious appeal pu forth in the pastoral letters of tht clergy. and the remedies, social ant Ieeislative, suggested by economist and pr,blicists. The Chamber of Depu ties and the Sene;te are consider1ns hills to give state aid to parents b: means of premiums, lessen1ng taxation, freedom from military ser vice for the father after the bfrt
 of the third child, and bills to modif
 inc Civil Code in such way to al low the parents the right to make
 will so that property and bushes
 nav trs saved from arbitrary ,divisio
 and dissolution.
 s.In 1917 for two prizes of 1000
 francs each there were 400 applica
 tions Thirty of the families ha
 more than fifteen children. It is
 mistake to think that patriarchal lii
 has entirely disappeared fro'
 France. The problem of depopulf
 lion is not hopeless of solution an
 intelligent efforts are being made
 check the decreasing birth-rate."