Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-11-29
SCANDINAVIAN LANGUAGES
IN OUR COUNTRY
DISTRICT SCHOOLS
XVI
(By ]. N. Lenker, D. d.

The American people are now pom
dering with the keenest interest a
document that was sent broadcast
over the land on the eighteenth day
Of November. 1t comes to many as
a long expected friend and is very
welcome visitor to many studies.
This document is the first circular
relating to the people Of foreign
born parents in continental United
States according to the Thirteenth
Census taken by our government at
Washington in 1910. Many have
been anxiously waiting for this only
reliable information on the subject,
so interesting to every country in
Europe and their children in Amer
lea. Many valuable lessons will be
drawn from it by scholars along var
ious lines during the next ten years.
Few government documents are is
sued that bring Europeans and Am
orleans closer, not in trade, but in
acknowledging their higher blood re-
lationship. One surprise and lesson
will be the disclosure of the large in
crease in our foreign-born popula-
ton and children Of foreign-born
parents, sometimes in bad taste call
ed foreigners. In bad taste, we say,
because they are all our fellow Am
erican countrymen, as truly as any
other people. Foreign-born and chill
dren of foreign-bo parents do not
spell foreigners. America recognizes
them not as half-Americans or for
eigners, but as full Americans. They
all want to be true Americans, anc
this circular leaves us not in doubt
as to the real character Of the Amer
lean people. Let us all be true Am
orleans, as Americans are in the light
of these government figures and mo-
as they are imagined to be or ough
to be. Each person counts one, on
ly one, regardless where his ances
tors hailed from or the languages h
speaks. Americanism does not re
quire you to come from certain
countries or to speak certain langu
ages. True, Americanism treats n
American citizen as a foreigner eve
if foreign-born, or children Of for
eign-born parents.
l8,9O0,6 1858 PERSONS OF FOREIGN
=. BORN PARENTS IN UNITED
STATES, 1910.
The following figures of this off
cial circular are worthy Of mo!
careful consideration. Native whit
population Of native parents, 1911
Z 49,488,441 1888 per cent Of total
1900: 40,949,362 $3.50 per cent
1890: 34,475,716 (54.7 per cent
White people Of foreign-born paren
1910: l8,9o0,663 (2o.6 per cent
1900: 15,646,017 (20.6 per cent
1890: l1,5O3,675 (18.3 pc
cent? Foreign-born white pop
]ation, 1910: l3,343,5S3 GAS p
cent?; 1900: lO,213,817 (13.4 p
cent?; 1890: 9,121,86 GAS p
cent?; 1880: 6,559,679 (13.1 p
cent? The net gain of white perso
born in the United States of foreig
born parents during the decade en-
ing 1910 was 1851 ,080; 1900: 5,43:
200; 1890: 1881, 808. The VIII
population Of native parents FRI
1890 to 1910 decreased from s.
per cent to 1913 per cent and of f
eign-born parents increased fr
1873 per cent to 20.6 per cent. I
foreign-born white population
creased from 13.1 per cent in Is
to 14.5 per cent in 1910. Our mes
population was in 1910: $685.
(1o.7 per cent?; 1900: $685.
(l1.6 per cent? :; 1890: 7,488,t
Clio per cent?; 1880: 6, $780,
i13.1 per cent? Indians, Chine
Japanese and other Asiatics, 49,