672 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



is the marked peculiarity of the negro singing, he stopped me and 

 said, " l Whenever you hum that way it means ' Hush ! ' and among 

 the tribes I have known it always comes in baby songs." He then 

 sang this one, which a heathen woman used to sing to his little sister 

 "Amber": 



u Amber in a wa, 



Keen yah feenyah ma, 



Amber in a bamboo carri, 



Amber eeka walloo. 



Urn, um, urn." 



A rough translation of this means: " Amber, be quiet and I'll give 

 you something. I'm not going to flog you. You are quiet, so I 

 thank you. Hush, hush, hush ! " 



REMEDIES FOR THE DEPOPULATION OF FRANCE. 



BY M. JACQUES BEETILLON. 



FRANCE is on the way to become a country of the third rank. 

 It is perishing for lack of births. Its population remains sta- 

 tionary, while that of all the other great countries has largely in- 

 creased since the beginning of the century. This points ultimately 

 to a certain growing inferiority in military strength, economical 

 prosperity, literary prestige, and scientific repute; and finally to a 

 progressive diminution of French influence upon the march of civ- 

 ilization. This depreciation of France comes partly from political 

 causes and partly from its low birth rate. 



In the examination of the remedies which have been proposed 

 to antagonize this evil, we shall begin with a rapid review of those 

 which appear to be least efficacious. Then we shall present those 

 which figure on the programme of the Alliance Nationals pour 

 I' accroissement de la population frangaise, a society which should 

 include all French people who care for the future of their 

 country. 



The reforms for which the depopulation of France has served 

 as the vaulting board may be divided, notwithstanding the great 

 variety of them, into four categories: (1) Various social reforms; 

 (2) increase in the number of marriages; (3) diminution of invol- 

 untary sterility; and (4) reduction of mortality. 



We have a word to say with respect to each of these : 



I. SOCIAL REFORMS PROPOSED FOR THE HYPOTHETICAL PURPOSE 

 OF INCREASING NATALITY. Nobody has ever shown that the eman- 

 cipation of woman, selection in paternity, the suppression of di- 



