THE SELECTIVE FUNCTION OF RELIGION 357 
Children per Marriage in Prussia, 1875-90, According to Religion of 
Contracting Parties 
Creed of Fathers Creed of Mothers 
Evangelical Catholic | Jewish 
Evangelical............... 4.35 3.30 1.78 
Catholic ss.cvaieseve see 3.34 5.24 1.66 
J@WISD) as dosing vias ee ete s 1.58 1.38 4.21 
It may be seen from this table that the greatest number of 
children (5.24) are born from marriages in which both parties are 
Catholic. Marriages between people of different faiths is asso- 
ciated with a marked reduction of the size of the family. 
The recent studies of von Schrenck have shown that the birth 
rate of the Protestants in Riga has fallen to 15-16 per 1,000. With 
a death rate of 19.5 per 1,000 the natural increase of the popula- 
tion has practically stopped, and were it not for the Catholics 
and the adherents of the Greek church, both of whom have a high 
birth rate, it would probably decrease in number. The women of 
Catholic Ireland rear a larger number of children than those of 
England and Scotland whose population is mainly Protestant. 
Webb states that from 1881-91, while the birth rate was falling 
in England, the Irish birth rate (measured in terms of the fertility 
of marriages) rose 3 per cent and in Dublin g per cent. 
The English towns with the highest birth rate are those with 
the highest proportions of Catholics and Jews. Mr. Booth has 
pointed out that in Leeds which contains a large Catholic and 
Jewish population the birth rate is relatively high (23.2), while 
in Bradford, which is located near by and has much the same 
industries, the birth rate is much lower (19.3). The seven most 
prolific boroughs in London are just those having the highest 
proportions of Catholic and Jewish inhabitants. And among 
people so similarly situated as the landed gentry of England 
we find that while the number of children per family fell from 7.1 
