Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-12

they left to go west. Men who have titled
the soil solely in the middle west. not only
move further west or to the northwest. but
to the SOUTH and sometimes east, into such
states as the Virginias. where they settle
on farms carved from plantations that have
been worked but scantily since civil war
days.
Why Our Cities Grow So Rapidly.
AS for the farmers boy, everybody knows
that these days he does not look upon
quarter section of western land as the place
for him to exercise his knowledge and wits
in getting a start, as was the case not SO
many years ago. He strikes out for a city
instead; and because the young man who
has been born and reared In q small town
also longer listens to the call OF the
west when he feels the spirit of reStieSSness
rising in him. but. like the farmers boy,
turns his face cityward we are beholding
In amazement the wonderful growth Of all
our big cities.
The idea seems to be quite prevalent in
some quarters that our cities owe their
present phenomenal growth to the great in
f1ux Of immigration. This, however, Is not
the case, although the immigrant popula-
ton of all our cities has grown greatly
within the last few years; and especially Is
this the case in New York. which gets the
greater portion Of the immigrants passed
into the country through Ellis Island. But
even In New York the greatest factor in Its
Not long ago a business man of the me-
tropolis, who was born in Pennsylvania, de-
termined. largely through curiosity, to find
out in what states the respective heads Of
the fOrty-two families living in the same
apartment house with him were born and
lived as boys He thought that the names
of several states would appear on the list,
but when these returns came In he was
tonished: Maine, three. two on farms, one
In small town; Illinois. two. both from
towns: Utah. one. farm: California, two,
ranch and town: Minnesota. one, farm: Con-
necticut, four, all from farms; Texas, one,
village; Mississippi, one plantation: North
Carolina, two, town and farm; Pennsylva-
MIA. two. towns; Ohio, one, town; Vermont.
one, farm; Arizona, one. ranch: Kansas.
three. farm and town: Oklahoma, one.
town. Colorado. two. towns: New York
state. five. three from farms, the other two
from Buffalo and Owego; Georgia, one.
town; Arkansas, one, farm; Rhode Island.
two, towns, and Massachusetts four. all
towns.
During the course OF an ordinary business
day. this man, who meets scores OF per-
sons between the hours of and 5. also
ascertained from what states his callers
hailed. and to his further surprise he dis
covered that this particular day all the
states and territories except six. were rep
resented, and they happened to be Alaska,
Washington. North Dakota. Kentucky, Vir-
ginia and peculiarly, New York.
Investigation of the birthplaces of any
set Of native-born persons In any Of our
astonishing results. Small wonder then,
that In the cities of the first class we have
numerous banqueting and social organiZa-
lions named after various states, and each
same state.
Whole Families on the Move.
AS further Illustration of the way in
which Americans continually move about,
take the family of the New York man who
was born In Pennsylvania. Before he left
home to seek his fortune his father moved
three times, once outside the state, to a
farm in Maryland. Shortly after coming
of age he went. first to Philadelphia. then
to Pittsburg, then to a little town in the
iron ore region of Michigan. and then New
York. He has four brothers. The eldest
of the four Is at present in San Fran
cisco, where he went three years ago from
Portland. Ore. Another is In an Iowa town
on the Mississippi river. The next to the
youngest has established himself in Chi
cago, and the youngest, who left home not
quite two years ago, has lived In Goshen.
| Ind; Dayton, Ohio and is now located In
meets persons hailing from almost every
part of the country, farm, town and city,
the southern states being especially heavily
represented.
The census Of 1890 showed that In that
year one in every five Of the native-born
inha bitants of the country was living in
a different state from the one In which
he was born. In the light of the way In
which our own friends and acquaintance
have scattered themselves over the face of
the land, 1t Is doubtless well to hold that
these figures, at least, do not lie.
Only the Native Born Are Restless.
1t is a peculiar fact that 1t is solely the
native-bom American who Is possessed Of
the spirit OF restlessness. Recently a howl
has been raised to heaven in many quar-
tiers because most Of the immigrants when
they land at Ellis Island and our other
ports Of entry, Immediately add themselves
to the foreign quarters OF the cities. In
stead of distributing themselves equtably
over the country and seeking those fields
OF employment where labor Is in greatest
demand.
The census figures for 1900 reveal the just
ness of the complaint In startling man
ner For example, Oklahoma experienced
a net gain in population from 1880 to 1900
of 300 600 persons. yet less than 1900 were
foreign born. AriZona's gain during the
same period was 81 900. of whom only $500
were foreign born; while many southern.
middle western and western states likewise
I showed very slight gains In foreign born
popula ton, compared with the gains or ma
tiye-born from other states
Lighting Changes in Occupation.
Besides moving about with a fervor as
great as that which impelled his grand
fathers, The American VI toody iutthcA GA
hibits his restlessness by changing his oc-
cupation from time to time with as much
u;.concern. apparently, as he does his shirt.
, Even in the older communities there Is no
noticea Bile tendency except perhaps among
pilots to the formation OF what may be
termed hereditary occupations.
Those business firms that have outlasted
! a century, or even half that period. and
remain in the hands of the descendants OF
their founders are SO few that they make
use of their exceptional records FOR adver-
Using purposes. The professional mans
son takes to banking or commercial activi-
| ties as like as not: and 1t is by no means
a fixed principle in this country that once
| corner grocery storekeeper or cobbler.
| always that
The ease and speed with which the aver
! age American changes his occupation IL
! aptly illustrated in the case OF two men
known to the writer. When the writer first
| met the younger of the two he was bar
Der He continued scraping chins for about
| a year after that. when he threw down his
| razors and went Into the retail shoe busi-
ness. Selling that. he bought retail cigar
store, and disposing of that in turn he be-