THE JEWS: RACE AND ENVIRONMENT 



261 



It is noteworthy that the birth rates of the Jew? are decreasing 

 much more decidedly than those of the Christians in the countries in 

 which they live. In Poland, for instance, the birth rate of the Jews 

 was in 1891, 36.98, sinking in 1901 to 30.85, while among the Catholic 

 population of that city it remained stationary, 41.58 and 41.59, re- 

 spectively. In Roumania it decreased among the Jews from 40.14 

 in 1896 to 32.36 in 1902, as against an increase of from 41.19 to 

 42.86 among the Christians. In Hungary also the rate sank from 

 36.86 in 1891-95, to 32.19 in 1903. In western Europe this de- 

 crease of the birth rates among the Jews is actually appalling. In 

 Bavaria the difference between 1876 and 1903 is nearly one half: 



1S76 

 1903 



Annual Birth Rate. 

 Jews. Christiana. 



34.4 45.9 



17.8 37.8 



The birth rate of the Jews has thus decreased nearly one half within 

 twenty-seven years, while among the christians the decrease is only 

 slight. That this is not due to any special cause operating in 1903 is 

 shown by the fact that it has been steadily going down. The average 

 annual rates were in Bavaria as follows: 



1876-1880 33.5 



1888-1890 26.3 



1890-1900 19.9 



1903 17.8 



In Prussia the same phenomenon is to be observed. The rates have 

 decreased since 1875 among the Jews and increased among the Chris- 

 tians. As Arthur Ruppin shows, if we consider the absolute number 

 of births during 1875 as 100, then it is found that during 1903 only 

 61.56 per cent, were recorded among the Jews, while among the chris- 

 tians it increased to 118.47 per cent. In the following table, giving 

 the rates in Prussia for eighty consecutive years, is shown the steady 

 fall of the fertility of the Jews; it shows that the christians bear 

 nearly double the number of children as the Jews: 



The same is found to be the case in the United States : from statis- 

 tics collected by the eleventh census (Census Bulletin No. 19, 1890), 

 it is seen that the birth rate of the Jews is only 20.81 per 1,000 

 population, which is at least ten per 1,000 lower than the average birth 

 rate among the general population. A fairer means of comparison, 



