Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-13
OUR REAL NEW WOMAN
2l0,077 Of Her Landed Last
Year.
DUE TO LETTERS HOME
NEW WORLD IDEAS ALREADY IN
THEIR Heads
Mothers Among Them Look Forward
to Their Children's Edu-
cation.
DUE TO LETTERS HOME

Written for The Evening Star by Thos G. Clayton.
man are gaining recruits at lively rate.
Two hundred and ten thousand and sew
enty-seven were added last year
OF this number, Austria Hungary fur
nished 56-257. Italy sent the next high
est. 40,635; Russia was third with 3S45,
and Germanys quota was 1896
Sufficient women to make fifteen regi-
ments OF 1000 members each arrived
from Ireland, whence came the largest
percentage of women, the total numbers
! Of immigrants from the "auld sod being
/ 1902, or 2,O9s more women than men
| the only instance where the men were
fewer. On the other hand, Greece sent
the smallest relative percentage@US out
of more than II 900
! From elsewhere the country's real new
j woman came in numbers as follows:
! Belgium. 13SS; Denmark, 1920: Eng
land, 9.S9S; France, 1886; Netherlands
l.761; Norway. 6,137: Portugal, All; Rou.
mania. 3.325; Servia, "a; Spain, 275: Swe-
Europe. 1l2; Turkey in Asia. 1903: Scot
land. 3,32S; Wales 500. West indies .2s5
While the great majority of these wo-
men came with broods of children. in
number all the way from two to four
teen, and with all the old world ira
dltions clinging tenaciously to them, We,
they also arrived at Ellis Island with
some brand new ideas OF the new world
sort, In their heads
Letters home are responsible for the
new notions, said the chief of the stat
or the thirteen mstrons who take charge
OF the women while thew are On r.
island. N
THESE letters. from friends who have pre-
ceced the women here by a year or two
are curious commingiing OF European and
american thought but they are clear
4 concerning ha e.
cause the recipients to be Influenced by
them IN their coming. The men generally
give one reason for their immigrating-
! work: but the women have q variety of an
swers. although work is not infrequently
I the reply OF the Italian woman
/ sun. even she has her own new world
idea, which she secretly nourishes.
} She Wanted Freedom.
"A girl who had lived in Naples was held
for deportation She was exceedingly down.
cast. and | went over to her and tried %
cheer her But she would not be consoIed
and between her sobs kept repeating again
and again:
'Oh-oh-oh-and can't ever be my own
boss-ro-neverr
1t turned out that friend had written
her that the American women have eou,l
freedom with the men. and that they carry
latch key as web or something to thai
effect. So the girl started over but as she
had no relatives here. and no one who WAS
responsible offered to take care of her il
she was permitted 10 land. she was re
turned.
Hers was an unusual new world idea
but one that Is general among the women
IS the american idea of educating the chill
dren- L firmly believe that the women i'm
migrants are largely responsible for the
great number of foreign children in tns
schools OF New York and other cities with
q large foreign popula ion.
: Ask the men il they have any ambition
fos' their children III the new land ara
likely as not they'll say. 'Yes-work' Pu
the same question 20 the women and usu
ally the answer will be along these lines:
She Looked Ahead.
! II had sister come over two years ago
She wrote back much, saying how Tony
was a bright boy. because he was going &c
school. She said he did not have to work
hard all day to held make a living She
said my children would be as bright as
Tony. too if l would bring them over. and
they wouldn't have 10 start to work until
they were old enough, either. So 1 am
here
"On the whole. the immigrant mother has
the American idea Of being deeply con
cerned in the future welfare of her of.
spring. Stories Of Immigrant boys and
girls who have made their way in the new
world have somehow reached even to re-
mote corners of Europe; hence the ambi
ton that not few OF The mothers hold 70.
/. their children. My boy. OH, he will be bis
some day after he has left school: anC
my daughter. Oh, she will marry big mar
some day and have LOT to say
SO, you see. the American idea o.