The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-01-29
IMMIGRATION PROBLEM.
NEE ENGLAND MUST ASSTMI-
 LATE FOREIGN ELEMENT.

Must Welcome the New Corners as
 Brothers Says Rev. Joel S. lves--Vast
 Tide of Immigration-New England
 Gets More Than Its Share-Day ot
 the YPakee is Past-NO Southern
 New England Institution Can De
 Maintained To-day in Native Stock.
 That it is our duty to welcome as brethren through Christ the great mass of immigration being precipitated upon our shores, and by our life and conduct instil into them our ideas of life and our New England ideals, was the point of view from which Rev Joel 5. Ives of Hartford treated the subject of 'The Problem of Immigration at Humphrey Street Congregational church last evening The problem, he stated, lies in our southern New England states, which are getting too large a propor- tion of the new immigrants, being able to assimilate the people, and imbu1ng them with New England conscience, the Puritan ideal.
 Rev. MT. Ives, as chairman of the state committee to the national con ference of the American Civic union at New York, had the opportunity of sec ing these immigrants face to face at Ellis Island, and so becoming acquaint- ed with his subject from personal con- tact He spoke first of the bulk of inn migration, showing the rapid increase in numbers of late years and the lm- portance of this element in this coun- try. During the immigration year ending June 30, 1905, there were 1,O26,- 4S9 immigrants landed, this being the first year to exceed the million mark, while the calendar year of 1905 record ed some 1,O66,OO0
 A more important point, however Mr. Ives declared, is that of the char acter of the immigration. More thar one-half during 1905 was from Italy and Austria Hungary a little over twenty something over twenty-six per cent from the latter, while about fifteen per cent. came from the Russian empire While this immigration might be class ed in large part as of an undesirable element, yet such a sweeping condem- nation could not be made of the whole A very large part of our work could never have been done but for this i'm migration, and much that remains to be done requires it. It is still true thai we have room for all who may choose to come.
 But there Is another element to be considered. Southern New England is getting more than her share, more than we can reasonably hope to assimilate and take care of. Massachusetts, has become one of the most foreign states in the union to-day. Rhode Island has almost the same conditions, and Con- necticut is but little behind.
 Our problem in New England Is to ipabue these people with our ideals Is 1t possible for southern New England which is about seventy per cent. for eign percentage, to maintain the New England conscience and to make of these foreigners a people like those who in the past have wrought what has been wrought? There is no institution in Southern New England that can to- day be maintained by people or native percentage. The Yankee is back num- Der. The Puritan has had his day
 The Italian had his culture when our ancestors were wild barbarians In the woods of Britain. What brought us up? The gospel.
 We must welcome these people. We must not allow ourselves toacquire any of the New England eXclusiveness or Phariseeism, but realize that a man whose father was Bohemian may be just as good as one whose ancestors came over in the Mayflower.