Let us now compare the various increases in the world's population. Daring the last century the increase in America has been ten-fold; in England three-fold, in Japan also three-fold, Russia "four-fold, Germany two and' a half-fold, and in [France 25 per cent. This increase during the century has been largely owing to the spread of scientific knowledge, the development medical study and methods of sanitation, which have become more perfect each year, thas diminishing the death-rate and giving an increase in births. Now what has this fact of the tremendous increase of population to do with China? When I compare the rate of increase lof each nation with the numbers in China T am horror-stricken, Take {for instance America which a jeentury ago had only a population of 9,000,000, and now has 100,000,- (000, In another hundred years, According to the present rate there will be 1,000,000,000. [Eaditoriat Note: Here the author's figures are hhis own and decidedly no other's]
We Chinese often boast that our numbers are exceedingly large, and it would be difficult to exterminate us. When the "Yuen Dynasty ruled China, the Mongols mot only were unable to destroy the Chinese, but on the contrary were civilized by them. China not only survived, but was able to. absorb the Mongols. When the Manchus conquered China, and ruled us for more than 260 years, they did not destroy the Chinese, but on the contrary accepted their civilization, jand they became in fact Chinese, as witness many Manchus who have Chinese "names. Because of this, many scholars consider that even if the Japanese or the white races Jeonquered China, they would in the same way all_ be absorbed Chinese nation. This matter for consolation for the fact that in a hundred years' time the American people will have {Increased to 1,000,000,000, and they will be two and a half times more numerous than the Chinese. merely the Manchus were not able to conquer the Chinese people because their numbers were not much over 1,000,000, Compared with the Chinese they were a small company, and were inevitably absorbed into the nation. "But supposing America conquered China, i the course of a century, there would only four Chinese to ten Americans, and the Chinese would have accepted their civilization, [Editorial Note: The suggestion presumably is that the American People would move into China as a horde and obliterate the Chinese.] ngs Census, Do you know when it was that ]the census of 400,000,000 Chirftse was taken? It was during the reign of Ch'ien Lung of the Manchu Dynasty. Since then no census has Jbeen taken. From the time of Chuen Lung until now, a period of nearly 200 years has elapsed, and we are still 400,000,000. A century ago we were 400,000,000, and in century from now we shall still be 400,000,000. [Editorial Note: This is not clear. One wonders why the divine and sanitation that make increase of population possible else-/where are to have no effect in China unless Dr. Sun assumed that China would not improve along these lines within the century.]
In France, because the popul is small, encouragement is given to birth production, If a man has three children he receives a grant; if he has four or five his grant is Jinereased. If it is a case of twins jthe grant is still larger. If a bachelor is not married before he is, a spinster before is fined. Such is the used in France. The birth-rate does not decrease, but the increase is not as great as in other country Moreover the French are an agi cultural people, the country wealthy, the people have sufficient, and every day seck after pleasure. A hundred years age an English professor named Malthus, being troubled by the fact that the world was too populous, and that the supply of necessities was limited, advised a system of birth control. He formulated a dictum that "The increase of births is according to geometrical progression, the in-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.