THE LAW OF POPULATION 163 



they might have a sufficient margin of profit to main- 

 tain themselves alone. Next, as the depreciation 

 grew worse, the tenants of farms somewhat larger or 

 less poor would have fallen under the ban of the 

 law that prohibits marriage ; and this process would 

 have continued until a very large section of the 

 peasantry were perforce constrained to remain single. 

 As the farms fell vacant, they would not be taken or 

 reoccupied, but would be distributed among neigh- 

 bouring holdings. Thus, as marriages became fewer, 

 the deaths would become more numerous than the 

 births, and the population would decrease. 



Nothing could have prevented this painful process 

 from being experienced by the Irish people but the 

 facilities for emigration that the present state of the 

 world affords. It is not difficult to forecast that, ere 

 the lapse of another century, the existing fields of 

 emigration will be filled up and closed. 



I now return to consider what would happen if, 

 in a non-progressive and stagnating community, a large 

 outflow of emigrants took place, and continued for 

 many successive years. A multitude of existing posts 

 of employment would be emptied, as in the case of a 

 pestilence, and would at once be filled by young men, 

 who would thus acquire the power of marrying at a 

 much earlier period than they would have acquired 

 it if no emigration had taken place. Accordingly, 

 there would be an unwonted birth-rate for some years, 

 which would quickly fill up the gap in the population 

 caused by the emigration. 



