356 THE TREND OF THE RACE 



of the social organism has been a feature common to all religions 

 we see, also, why the conception of sacrifice has occupied such a 

 central place in nearly all beliefs, and why the tendency of reli- 

 gion has ever been to surround this principle with the most 

 impressive and stupendous of sanctions." Religion viewed from 

 this standpoint has a distinct biological value and hence natural 

 selection would tend to favor the development of those impulses 

 and emotions which make man a religious animal. 



There is perhaps no better illustration of the aid which religion 

 affords in the process of group selection than its effect upon the 

 birth rate. And it is a significant fact that militarists of the 

 Bernhardi type who bewail the loss of man power which results 

 from the falling birth rate are very solicitious for the maintenance 

 of religious beliefs on account of their influence in checking the 

 artificial restriction of births. A religion that emphasizes the 

 injunction to be fruitful and multiply may do much to counteract 

 the limitation of the family which so often results from egoistic 

 motives. 



Undoubtedly the relatively high fecundity of the Catholics is 

 due in part to the strong stand taken by the church against any 

 artificial interference with the propagation of life and to the 

 encouragement which she gives to her adherents to bring into the 

 world a plentiful supply of human beings to recruit her ranks. 



In general the birth rate of Catholic countries is higher than 

 it is in countries which are mainly Protestant, although this is 

 probably not due to religion alone. In France, although it is 

 largely Catholic, the birth rate is low, but it is relatively higher 

 in districts such as Finisterre (27.1) and Pas de Calais (26.6) in 

 which the proportion of Catholics is large. The same situation 

 obtains in Germany where, according to Borntraeger, the Catho- 

 lic districts are more prolific than the Protestant, and the places 

 where the free-thinking elements preponderate have the lowest 

 birth rate of all. In Prussia the fecundity of marriages according 

 to the religion of husband and wife is shown in the following table: 



