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 proponderate 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: 
