New-York tribune., 1910-07-16
THE SLAV
What He Is Meaning to the
United States.

OUR SLAVIC FELLOW CITIZENS. By
Emily Green Balch- Crown 6vo, pp. XIX,
SO New York: The Charities Publica-
ton Committee.
Our Slav immigration, which has risen
since 1899 to over 20 per cent Of the
total immigrant body italy leading
with 25 per cent. has hitherto re
ceived but little systematic attention
from economists and sociologists. Dur
ing the great anthracite strike the in
vasion Of the coal fields by the South
eastern Europeans somewhat loosely
grouped together as SlavB was seri
ously discussed for q while. but after
the settlement of that difficulty Italian
and Yiddish newcomers and the prob
lens they presented for solution again
received most of our still imperfectly
organized consideration Now, however
Miss BaIch. who is associate professor
OF economics at Wellesley College, places
before US a survey of the whole subject
in Our Slavic Fellow Citizens" which
is the result Of several months study
OF the Slavs in their European homes
and Of a years investi cation of their
condition and progress among US.
The first part of the book serves in
cidentally q secondary purpose besides
giving q series of graphic pictures of
the social. economic and cultural home
antecedents of the slavs, for il viii be
/ found of real service by those who would
acquire a better and more Ineligible
l view Of the mixed races of the Austro-
Hungarian monarchy whence most Of
this element Of our present immigration
is drawn. So far as the Slav in America
Il concerned, the author apparently gives
Us all data Obtainable from every avail
able source. hut her conclusions must
needs be tentative. since these particular
fellow citizens" Of ours are Of too re-
cent arrival and rise TOO slowly 70 make
ultimate deductions reliable as yet The
census Of 1880 showed that there were
al that time in this country 219. S29
Slavs: the figures given by the author
for the present Gay vary from 3. .T00. 900
10 6.42oVhi. she herself accepting the
figure 4,o@0000. and very possibly well
over that number" The Poles lead with
from > 20oO. 600 70 /. .0sl0. 900. the Bohemiane
come second with 5n0.o0s (both the lower
and the higher estimate agree in their
case. the Slovaks are estimated al from
100000 TO 100000, and the BuIgarisns
come last with from 10000 TO 10000.
The estimates Of the mum bers of Russians
proper are entirely unreliable, Miss BaIch
questioning both the lesser one OF 60
600 and the higher one Of 10000.
oT CT
pages some interesting food for thought.
the author demonstrating al length why
and how. notwithstanding ali attempts
10 keep count made by the govern nent.
by private organizations and by the
newspapers printed in the different
Slavic tongues. there is no way of
knowing anything Ike the precise num-
bers.''
Qualtatively this immigration is very
much like what all our latter-day i'm
migration has got 10 be, the rawest OF
ra y material fit only for the unskilled
labor which, with cur elaborate indus
trial organization. is really all we need.
These people. the great majority Of
them peasants. turn but slowly 70 the
soil here, fear Of isolation among native
Americans, lack Of friends and the pros
pect Of employment for only part of the
year being among the reasons given by
the author for their unwiIlingness 10
take up the only means of a livelihood
with which they are equipped. An in
creasing number Of them. however. turn
70 labor IN the cities only as means 10
save enough capital TO start farming
The majority Of the Slavs are found in
the coal districts. where they receive the
highest pay the steel mills come next.
Their standard Of living is q low one,
yet they rise earlier to the American
standard SO far as food is concerned
than do the Italians The percentage
of their women earning their own living
IS lower than that of the Irish or Ger
man immigrants, but here again special
conditions qualify the statistics.
The book is Of wide value as a ser
yiceable document on the subject Of i'm
migration IL general and its at least
temporary effect upon labor conditions
and American social tendencies. Excel
lent collateral reading so far as the
Pole is concerned, will be found in Mr..
John Dauiels's article on America nizing
Eighty Thousand Poles" a report on
the results OF the Buffalo Social Survey.
printed in the current number Of the
Survey"