The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-10-27
Our Special Contributors--=ISo4.
THE PROBLEM OF THE FOREIGNER.
BY PROF. II. H. BOYESSEN.
AUTHOR OF 1.-THE STORY OF NORWAY, Etc.

In the year 1850 the foreigners
resident in the United States num-
bered 2,244,602, or 968 per cent. of
the total population. The census of
1890 reports 9,249,547 foreigners, con-
stituting 14.77 per cent. of the popu-
lation. The increase in forty years
has in round numbers been seven
millions, of which Germany Gnclud-
ing Austria) has contributed about
two and a quarter millions, Ireland
little over one million, and England
and her North American colonies
about a million and half Then
comes Sweden with nearly half a mil
lion, Norway with something over
three hundred thousand, and Scot
land with upward of two hundred
thousand. The Slavonic people cut
much less of figure than, consider
ing their prominence in the news
papers, we had been led to expect,
Russia, Hungary, Bohemia, and Po-
land aggregating but 51O,625, of
which all but about 5000 is increase
since 1850. The Latin nations, in
Guiding French, Spaniards, Portu-
guese, Italians and their American
colonies, fall considerably below the
half million (346,197).
If it be true, as has been frequent
ly asserted, that the most composite
nations of pure Caucasian stock will
be likely to develop the vital qualities
which determine survival, we need
not. in spite of all the problems which
harass us, be troubled about our ten
ure of the future.
The English, from whose domin-
ions all over the globe this inference
has been drawn, rejoice in a COM
pound mixture of Celtic, Morse and
German blood; but they cannot in
point of compositeness hold candle
to the American of the twentieth and
the twenty first century, into whose
veins all the varied elements of the
above named races shall have been
distilled. This process of the grad
ual absorption and assimilation of
the constantly increasing immigrant
population will be most interesting
one to watch. But it is not to be
denied that it is fraught with dan
gers to the State which offer many
reasons the sanguine American legis-
lator has until recently refused to
recognize.
The view of the immigrant which
prevailed in and out of Congress un-
til 1880 took into account nothing
but the value of his muscle and the
money he brought in his pocket. The
country of his birth was deprived of
his productive energy just as he was
becoming capable of repaying the
cost of his rearing, and it was taken
for granted that we gained what it
lost. 1t was computed by the Ger
man economist, Friedrich Kapp, that
the average loss to the Old World
was about $500 for every person who
emigrated; and his value to us would
in a mere financial sense average
more than twice that amount. Accord
ing to this estimate the loss to Europe
from emigration in the single year of
1882, when 730, ,349 souls were shipped
to our shores, was 1854, ,279, 9,20O,a ,and our
gain without reference to the actual
capital which the immigrant brought
would exceed the dizzy sum of bill
lion dollars.
Optimists who reason thus, how
ever, take it for granted that every
man is worth what it cost to raise
him-which is, in my opinion, far
from being self-evident proposition.
Many are worth vast deal more;
but the number of those who fail to
yield interest ON the capital invested
is also very considerable. Probably
when both classes are taken into con-
sideration, Friedrich Kapp's estimate
will be found as near an approach to
the truth as we may ever hope to ar
rive at. But unhappily the problem
has another aspect which political
economists of this class have not suf-
ficiently taken into account. The
immigrant is good deal more COM
plex quantity than these gentlemen
are apt to consider him. He brings
not only muscle and loose change
with him, but heart and brain
which are epitomes of the history of
his race and his country, and which
will politically affect the destiny of the
race and the country with which he
chooses to identify himself He will
raise or lower in accordance with his