French Army Chief Appeals To Mothers

NZ Truth, Issue 997, 3 January 1925, Page 6

French Army Chief Appeals To Mothers

If France were to go to war with Germany m the year 1935 she would be able to mobilise, only half as many men as Germany and would probably be defeated, is the disquieting: declaration with which. General Serrigny, assistant chief ' of staff of the French army is trying to trouble the serenity of the republic. On the basis of the present birth rates of the two countries, writes General Serragriy m the Revue des Deux Mdndes, Germany will be able to mobilise 11,400,000, nativeborn citizens, while Frahce will have , only 5,200,000 and not all of them French blood/ Even though France has Alsace-Lorraine and Germany has lost . territory, Germany will have the man-power to dominate. ; The general therefore launches an appeal to French mothers to', give France more sons. Otherwise, he tells them, ihere will be only, one French man to every three Germans by 1965, and the end will be that the existence of France and all that France stands for will be menaced. He recalls to that one -third of. the population of Europe lived m France under Louis XrVVj, that France contained a fourth of the Europeans at the time of the' Revolution and that was why Napoleon conquered the Continent. But by 1970 its population was only the same as Germany's, and it was hardly more half as populous ,as Germany m 1914. , : .Even if Frahce were to continue growing by immigration, General Serrigny iporisiders the situation,, will not be, gaved. increase m German population . : is so rapid that the ! new immigration into France, even if it is of good military stuff as the native born, will -'not have had the time to assimilate.. : - ■■:■;•,!":•':;',•:/ •■' ■. ■■ ■" ' .'■' ■ ' -. : .-■.-.