Show decimation OF 01 americans 1 16 it la Is a truth which must be admitted that as a nation we are sadly badly wanting in that reproductive energy that characterizes most people of the earth the disposition to lead lives of celibacy the frightful increase of childless homes with the married and the limited number of children where any are born are telling wonderfully in the statistics of our country forty years ago the number of adults who voluntarily chose a single life were small comparatively aw and when any children were born to parents a dozen was the rule and one and two the exception now a much less number marry and the rule is one or two child children ren if indeed any at all and the exception from five and eight to a bakers dozen the effect of all dils this is to deteriorate our nationality reta retard rd the progress it is our privilege and duty to make and allow those who come among us to supplant us in our native land there I 1 is a cause for this a very simple cause and aud yet perhaps comparatively few have given it sufficient thought to be able to account for the results which all must have observed and if understood there is ia probably a disinclination clitia cli cil tion to admit its truth or an unwillingness to seek to correct the evil but the fact exists and it is one of fearful import to the future of america dr J M X toner of washington a statistician of considerable note has collected bome borne valuable facts bearing upon this subject and in his di diagram agram showing the proportion of white te children of both sexes under fifteen birteen years to the 1000 white females between fifteen and fifty years under age in each state at the beginning of each decade from 1800 to 1860 makes known the fact that what has been thrown into the face of the new england states especially massachusetts as their peau peculiar i 1 ar shame is equally true of every other state in the union he shows from the census reports that only one half as many children are now born to each 1000 1000 women women as during durine the year 1800 and that there has been a regular decrease from one decade of years to another for eor example the following shows the number of children to each imo 1 00 women atthe at tho the several periods named i I 1 I 1 year Ck children lidren massachusetts 2226 10 io 10 2151 lg ig 19 1830 1363 IW 1253 I 1 1860 1123 virginia in 18 0 Ml 8 V I 1 1679 E 9 1820 1 2497 2492 8 19 asso 1867 1 bot 1860 1660 1775 these figures tell the terrible storsand sto they ey ought to put americans to shame for nor r thep the palpable alpa aipa ble bie violation of natural laws aws the result of which as Is seen in these hese tables ba is decimating the american people with this ratio continued for a few generations it is easy to see that the genuine yankee will become nearly or quite extinct the cause for this condition of thin things 9 a must be looked for in the modern de demands of society upon individuals and families the greed for wealth the postponement of marriage until it is attained the inability to support and edu acate a family the expense of living the desire to be fashionable and in style as well as a thousand considerations that have come of the modern ideas of home and society operate in the direction indicated an and lead to disastrous results it is probably useless to preach upon this subject for it will require some agency more powerful than the press or pulpit even to stay this mighty evil but we can all see to what it is inevitably tending and what will be the result upon succeeding generations we can have the consciousness if there is any leasure pe asure in it that there is little hope for our children and those who shall come after them in maintaining the distinctive national features anol anoa characteristics that pertained to our pro genitors geni tors ex |