Evening star., 1924-10-31
Low BIRTH RATE
MENACES FRANCE
German Man Power to Dou-
BILE French by 1895 at Pres
ent Rate, Says General.
By Cable to The Star and New York World
Copyright, 1924

By Cable to The Star and New York World
Copyright 1924
PARIS, October 3I.-lf France were
to 60 to war with Germany in the
year 1885, she would be able to mo-
bilize only half as nj ny men as Ger
many and would proba bly, be defeat
ed, IS the disquieting declaration with
which Gen. Serrigny. assstant chief
OF staff of the French army. is tryin
TO trouble the serenity of the repub-
lie. On the basis of the present birth
rates of the two countries, writes
Gen. Serrigny in the Revue des DeuX
Mondes, Germany will be able to mo,
bilize 100000 native born citizens!
while France will have only 100000,
and not all of them French blood.
Even though France has Alsace-Lor-
raine and Germany has lost territory,
Germany will have the man power TO
dominate.
The general therefore launches an
appeal to French mothers to give
France more sons. Otherwise, he
tells them, there Will be only one
Frenchman to every three Germans
by 1865, and the end will be that the
existence of France and all that
France stands for will be menaced.
H5 recalls to them that one-third OF
TIE population of Europe II ed IN
4rance under Louis NV, that France
fat the time of the revolution, and that
was why Napoleon conquered the
continent But by 1870 its population
was only the same as Gcrminys $. and
il was hardly more than hall as
populous as Germany in 1914.
No Hope in Immigrants.
Even if France were TO continue
growing by immigration. Gen. Ser
rigny considers the situation will not
ne saved The increase in German
nopulation is so rapid that the new
immigration into France, even if it is
of as good military stuff as the native
born. will rot have had the time to
ass.milate.
If the French army in 1914 was
thrown back to the Marine, Gen. Ser
rigny declares, it was not due to any
fault in the general staff. but to the
lack of troops The French army
could only give the German army
blow by drawing it so far from lis
base that it was effectively reduced
to equality with the French.
Gen. Serrigny is, of course, mill
tarist, and thinks in military terms.
But the military mind does not nolr
ish Illusions Realism is the essence
Of military thought. The military eve
looks upon country as it is and
tary purpose. In this case Gen. Ser
rigny looks upon France from the
point of view of population and its
soldierly qualities. He describes the
French peasant with his love of the
earth as the best soldier and then
goes on to quote figures to show that
the number of peasants is decreasing
He argues with the careful French
fathers and mothers that the time is
past when they must consider the
future of their sons. Opportunity
presents itself with the industriaiiza
tion of the country, therefore the
worthy peasants would not risk h
ing to divide their acres into too
small allotmentS by increasing their
families. Most of the sons would in
any case prefer to live in the cities
.and work in factories, he says, baS
g his argument on recent sta .istics.
&f the peasants do not increase
|ir families. he argues, France will
bon be full of abandoned farms, as
he lure of the city is drawing the