The infantile mortality of Amsterdam and The Hague is the lowest of any cities in the world, while the general death rate and infantile mortality of Holland has fallen to be the lowest of any country in Europe. These statistics also refute the wild sayings of those who shout against Birth Control and claim it means race suicide. On the contrary, Holland proves that the practice of anti-conceptional methods leads to race improvement, for the increase of population has accelerated as the death rate has fallen. There has also been a rapid improvement in the general physique and health of the Dutch people, while that of the high birth rate countries, Russia and Germany, is said to be rapidly deteriorating.
The following figures will suffice to show some of the improvements which have been going on in Holland since 1881, the time the League became actively engaged in the work:—
VITAL STATISTICS OF CHIEF DUTCH TOWNS
Taken from Annual Summary of Marriages, Births, and Deaths in England and Wales, etc., for 1912.[[1]]
| Amsterdam (Malthusian (Birth Control) League started 1881; Dr. Aletta Jacobs gave advice to poor women, 1885.) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1881–85 | 1906–10 | 1912 | ||
| Birth Rate | 37.1 | 24.7 | 23.3 | per 1,000 of population |
| Death Rate | 25.1 | 13.1 | 11.2 | per 1,000 of population |
| Infantile Mortality: (Deaths in first year) | 203 | 90 | 64 | per thousand living births |
| The Hague (now headquarters of the Neo-Malthusian (Birth Control) League) | ||||
| 1881–85 | 1906–10 | 1912 | ||
| Birth Rate | 38.7 | 27.5 | 23.6 | per 1,000 of population |
| Death Rate | 23.3 | 13.2 | 10.9 | per 1,000 of population |
| Infantile Mortality: (Deaths in first year) | 214 | 99 | 66 | per thousand living births |
| Rotterdam.[[2]] | ||||
| 1881–85 | 1906–10 | 1912 | ||
| Birth Rate | 37.4 | 32.0 | 29.0 | per 1,000 of population |
| Death Rate | 24.2 | 13.4 | 11.3 | per 1,000 of population |
| Infantile Mortality (Deaths in first year) | 209 | 105 | 79 | per thousand living births |
| Fertility and Illegitimacy Rates. | ||||
| 1880–2 | 1890–2 | 1900–2 | ||
| Legitimate Fertility | 306.4 | 296.5 | 252.7 | Legitimate birth per 1,000 Married Women aged 15 to 45. |
| Illegitimate Fertility | 16.1 | 16.3 | 11.3 | Illegitimate births per 1,000 Unmarried Women, aged 15 to 45. |
| The Hague. | ||||
| 1880–2 | 1890–2 | 1900–2 | ||
| Legitimate Fertility | 346.5 | 303.9 | 255.0 | |
| Illegitimate Fertility | 13.4 | 13.6 | 7.7 | |
| Rotterdam. | ||||
| 1880–2 | 1890–2 | 1900–2 | ||
| Legitimate Fertility | 331.4 | 312.0 | 299.0 | |
| Illegitimate Fertility | 17.4 | 16.5 | 13.1 | |
[1]. These figures are the lowest in the whole list of death rates and infantile mortalities in the summary of births and deaths in cities in this Report.
[2]. Lowest figure for the Continent.
There has been a marked improvement in the labor conditions in Holland during these last ten years especially, wages having increased and hours of labor decreased, with the cost of living taking a comparatively very small rise.
There is no country in Europe where the educational advantages are so great as in Holland.
That the Birth Control propaganda has been a success in Holland any one travelling through that delightful, clean and cheerful country can testify.