The Washington times., 1909-12-16
IMMIGRANTS MAKE
AMERICAN TYPES
Children of Europeans Born
In This Country Differ in
Form From Parents.

a discovery in anthrOpolOgiCal science
or fundamental Importance and the de
velopment Of a distinct American phys
ical type in the descendants OF Euro
pean immigrants are indicated in a
preliminary report of the immigration
Commission submitted TO Congress to-
day. The report deals with the subject
Of changes of the bodily form Of de-
scendants Of immigrants and the inves-
ugation appears to have produced most
striking and far-reaching results.
The question OF the assimilation Of
immigrants under American conditions
has long been looked upon as vital, and
it has been much discussed. but here
tofore with little accurate information.
Shortly after the beginning Of the
commissions work the possibility of
getting a more accurate and more sci
entific test Of the influence Of the Amer
lean environment upon our immigrants
and their descendants was considered.
1t was thought that if measurements OF
the bodies Of European immigrants and
OF their descendants at different ages
and under differing circumstances could
be made in the careful way followed
by scientific anthropometrists, valuable
results might be reached.
Result of Investigation.
Under the general charge Of a sub
committee, one Of the best experts on
this question, Prof. Franz Boas, Of Co
lumbia University, was engaged to d.
rect the INVESTIGATION. The results so
far are based entirely upon the measure
ments OF Sicilians and east European
Hebrews. There is much material in
hand, but not yet worked out, regarding
the Bohemians, Hungarians. and Scotch
The report indicates that the descend
ant Of the European immigrant changes
his type, even in the first generation,
almost entirely. Children born even q
few years after the arrival of immi-
grant parents I'm America. develop in
such a way that they differ In type,
essentially. from their foreign-bOrn par
ents. These differences seem to develop
during the earliest childhood and per-
sst throughout life. II seems that
every part of the body is Influenced in
this way. and even the form Of the head,
which has always been considered as
one Of the most permanent hereditary
features, undergOes considerable change
The Importance of this entirely uneX-
pected result lies in the fact that even
those characteristics which modern sci
ence has led to consider as most stable
are subject 20 thorough changes under
the new environment.
Environment Changes Character.
This would indicate the conclusion
that racial physical characteristics
do not survive under the new social
and climatic environment OF Amer
lea The adaptability Of the va
rious races coming together on Amer
lean shores seems, IL these indi-
cations shall be fully borne out in later
study, TO be much greater than had
been anticipated. II the American en-
vironment can bring about an assimila-
tion of the head forms in the first gen
Grafton, may IL not be, the commission
asks. that other characteristics may be
as easily modified. and that there may
be q rapid assimilation of widely vary
ing naJiOnalities and races TO something
that may well be called an American
The commission feels that Il is too
early to pronounce absolutely upon this
question. The investigation is by no
means complete and the commission be-
lieves IL should be conducted on larg-
or scale.
Findings Summarized.
In his report to the commission, Prof.
Boas, after referring TO the fundamental
Importance Of the results Of the inves-
tigation, further summarized its main
features. as follows:
American environment can. Of course,
exert only a slight influence upon the
adult arriving in this country; and even
the child arriving on our shores is not
very much modified in its development.
The investigations have. however. given
the entirely unexpected result that the
descendant OF the immigrant radically
changes his type.
1T is shown that the American born
children Of the lOug-headed S-eilians and
those Of the round-headed East Euro
pean Hebrews have very nearly the
same intermediate hedd-fOrm. The chill
dren Of the long-headed Sicilians are
more rOund-headed. the children Of the
rcund-headed Hebrews are more long
headed, than their parents. Similar
changes are traced i'm the development
OF the faces Of these types
Change Is Developed At Once.
It seems Of great interest 10 note that
tho amalgam8tion Is most rapid during
the period Immediately following the
arrival Of the immigrants. The difference
in type between parents and children
mauifests itself almost Immediately
after their arrival here. Among individ-
uRls born a long time after the arrival
OF the parents in America the difference
is increased. but only slightly as com
pared to the great difference that de
VelOps at once.
Up TO this time the Investigations have
not been carried 50 far as 10 determine
what happens i'm the second generation
OF immigrants. but It seems likely that
the influences at work among the first
generation born in America win be still