The sun., 1903-12-18
One Of the Additions to Our Race
Stock.

The population Of this city, made up OF
representatives of more than fifty nation
alities, was enumerated by the census OF
1900 at 8, ,437,2O2 At the first Of January,
1902 it was estimated by the Board of
Health as 3,5s3,0OO. At present, estimat-
ing it's growth since 1900 at the annual
rate of increase in the period from 1890
to 1900, it approximates 100000.
New York is unique among all the great
cities of the world in the mixture Of races
and nationalities in its population. In
1900 it's white population of foreign birth
and parentage constituted about Ave-
sixths OF the population; and as the great
majority OF our growth since then has
been by immigration and by native births
among the foreign, the percentage is still
higher now. OF the foreign races In the
population, the most numerous at the
present time, in their order, are the Ger.
man, the Irish, the Jewish and the Italian.
and together these make up at least nine
tenths of the whole number. OF the ma
tives of native parentage, In 1900, nearly
six -sevenths, or 8OO,0l9 out Of 737,477.
were born In the State Of New York.
The foreign OF other races than the
four we have named, though their per-
centage is so small, are many numerically
two hundred thousand and more.
Among these a notable colony is the
Syrian, Of which the Federation of
Churches has Just made a careful and
thorough study, and II the conclusions
- L. s,,o<tGol
become eventually very considerable
element in the American population.
Already, it estimates, there are tens Of
thousands of them in this country, scat
tered through every State and Territory.
Between July, 1901, and June, 1908, alone
the number Of Syrian immigrants who
arrived in New York was about nine
thousand, OF whom more than third re-
manned here. 1t is significant that nearly
nine hundred of them went to Southern
States, and more than third of these to
Louisiana and Texas.
Syrians first made their appearance in
this country at the Centennial Exhibition
at Philadelphia in 1879. They brought
with them articles made Of olive wood,
for which the demand proved so great
that its fame started a considerable immi-
grafton hither. The coming worlds fair
at st. Louis will draw still more of them.
Peddling is the occupation Of about a
third Of them, and factory work Of an
other third but because of lessened Curl
osity concerning their Oriental goods
they are giving up peddling. In factories
they are getting along much better. The
report attributes to them remarkable
capacity for the administration as well
as for the work of factories The Syrian
is now putting to use his inherited quick
ness and cleverness of hand in tobacco
and other factories requiring that dex-
terity, and sometimes he goes into the
manufacturing business for himself. He
also inherts trading instincts from the
ancient Syrians, and as he is industrious,
persistent, thrifty and sober he is getting
ahead at it in this country and more par
ticularly in this city. His mercantile
credit is good too, for almost uniformly
he is prompt in meeting his obligations.
The Syrians show a strong disposition
to acquire American citizenship "The
Syrian is usually sentimentally enthus-
iastic over the country and the President,
boasts of his citizenship, papers his walls
with autographs of great Americans, and
is most proud of his American-born SON."
He is "individualistic; socialism, anarch-
ism, unionism have no charms for him."
But he has the prevalent Oriental dis
position to deceive He is law-abiding.
"The universal testimony of the police
authorities is that there is no more peace
full or law-abiding race in New York"
Like other immigrants Of an alien speech
he is eager to send his children to school
to learn English.
In religion the Syrians are chiefly
Maronites and Greek Catholics, though
there are about one hundred Jews from
Syria. The report finds that "the aver
age New York Syrian is much more re-
ligious than the average New York Amer
ican"; but the tendency of the children
with whom English is supplanting Arabic
will be TO attend American churches,
the IMaronites the Roman Catholic, the
Greek Orthodox the Epscopalian and
the various Protestant Churches.
Syrian immigrants are almost wholly