RACE SUICIDE OR A NATURAL LAW? 21 



of perspective. Abortion is probably most common 

 among just those classes where, and during just those 

 periods when, the birthrate is at its highest. 



As regards the effect of increased age at marriage, 

 evidence given before the National Birthrate Commission 

 was to the effect that the age of the man made little 

 difference, whereas it was found that there was a loss 

 of about one-third of a child for each additional year 

 of the wife's age at marriage. 1 As the age at marriage 

 is stated to have increased only a little more than a year 

 on the average this would account for but a small frac- 

 tion of the decline, especially when we remember that 

 in India, where child marriages are common, early 

 child-bearing is found to result in early cessation of 

 the child-bearing function. 



The case for those who believe that the decline of the 

 birthrate is due to artificial measures must be based 

 upon the use of contraceptives, or means for preventing 

 conception. This deserves more serious consideration, 

 though, as will be presently shown, it is not necessary 

 to discuss it at great length. It will suffice to point out 

 that these things, to be made effective, must be used 

 with regularity, as a single omission might result in 

 conception, assuming that there has been no decline in 

 natural fertility. Now, according to information gathered 

 by the French Ministry of Finance, there were in the 

 year 1890 2,000,000 married couples in France without 

 children ; 2,500,000 with only one child ; 2,300,000 with 

 two children ; 1,500,000 with three children ; and only 

 about 1,000,000 with more than three. 2 So if we assume 

 that the decline of the French birthrate is due to the 

 use of contraceptives, we must assume that they are 



1 The Declining Birthrate, pp. 206-7. 

 8 The Times, June 23, 1890. 



