Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-17
IMMIGRATION.
VI-IMMIGRANT RACES.
Bv Frederic J. Haskin.

/ One of the most interesting phases VI
the investigation of the problems OF the
grea. movement of humanity from Europe
to the United States by the immigration
commission it's study of the races
which furnish America with it's immi-
grant population. This study shows some
thing of the future possibilities of our I'M
| migrant tide, revealing the numbers OF
each race that have remained behind,
the proportion that has come to America
and the probable future arrivals
/ Upon some races we have made such
heavy drafts that there are compare
| lively few more to come. Upon others
we have made like heavy crafts, but their
great numbers and their fecundity have
prevented any material cutting down of
the supply i'm sight.
! Under the direction of DIR. Daniel Folk
mar. a dictionary of our immigrant races
| was prepared for the commission. 1t is
| the first work that ever has undertaken
| fully to measure the numerical strength
and the geographic distribution of immi-
grant races in the United States. Hav-
ing done this, it gives us many striking
views of our immigration In its effect
upon European peoples. We see in some
! cases. notably in those of the SloVaks
and the Hebrews. that the supply is so
small and the rate of immigration 50
large that it may terminate ultimately
from the exhaustion of the stock. On the
other hand, in the case of the Russians,
| the Germans and the Italians the visible
supply is SO great and its rate of recruit
ment so high that We can draw from
them indefinitely and in large numbers
without seriously affecting the general
| X
| In the preparation of the dictionary of
immigrant races Dr. Folkmar and his
! associates call
Encounter Troubles ed in the best
in Preparing Work. the country to
check up and verify their work. Even
then troubles were encountered. For in
/ stance. one of the great distinctions which
! ethnologists make between races Of peo-
pie is the shape of their heads. They are
sharply divided between long-headed and
/ broad-headed races. and the ethnologist
measures the effect of the commingling
of races by the changes in the shape of
the head. Broad-headed races wear big
hats and long-headed ones have long
! faces in profile.
| 1t was stated by DR.. Folkmar and his
| associates that some of the Greeks. rub
and east of them, had changed somewhat
| from the long" to the broad head.
| Now. if you want to get rise out of
Greek tell him that the Greek head is
not SO long as in the days of ancient
Hellas He prides himself upon his an
! cient ancestors He wants to be con-
sidered genuinely Hellenic. The official
title of his country now is the kingdom
of Hellas," and every subject of the
Danish George. no matter how mixed in
his race, styles himself a Helene. When
it stated that the Greeks were more
inclined to observation-disclosures. it stirred
them up and the Greek legation took up
the question and protested against such
a base SANDER upon the people of Greece.
But scientific fact cannot be changed by
diplomatic representation, and the die
tionary shows the Greek heads have been
undergoing a change
~
Some striking illustrations Of the great
!, movement of humanity to American
shores are afforded
MOre Irish Here by the investiga-
Than in ireland. lions of Dr. Folk
40 mar and his assO-
ciates. For instance, we find that there
are more Irish and their children in the
United States than there are in Ireland.
There are about 100000 in America as
compared with 100000 in Ireland, and
they are still coming to us at the rate Of
about 10000 year. No other race Of its
size has contributed so largely to Ameri-
can immigration as the Irish. During the
forty years following 1920 they gave US
nearly two-fifths of all our immigrants
and since the beginning of 1900 have sent
us approximately 800 O0O of their people,
| The Irish tongue is rapidly going out of
! existence as a means of communication.
1t is said that there are fewer than 5000
| people in Ireland who can read books in
Irish: that not a single newspaper is pub
lished in Irish nor a single church serv-
ice conducted in it. Only four people out
| of thousand in Ireland cannot speak
English. and they are mainly in the re-
mote western part of the country.
The Jewish immigration to America has
been vast in numbers and rich in ma
terial. They have come here as Moses led
| mis- hosts into Canaan, to found a home
for themselves, their children and their
children's children. and all who have stud
led the immigra ton problem with profit
| concede that in the Jew we have secured
one of the best elements in our citizen
ship. New York city alone now has a
Jewish population more than ten times as
great as that of all Palestine. and the
/ United States as a whole has eight times
as many as all Asia together New York
has million of them, which is one-half
OF Americas Jewish population. During
a period of fourteen years they have been
coming to our shores at the rate of 80, %
a year. The entire, Jewish population of
!, the world is placed at II ,0O1OoO. Europe
has 100000 of these. and it is from them
that our Jewish immigration mainly is
drawn.
X =
The total Czech population of Europe
which includes the Bohemans, the Mora
vians and the Slo-
clOVakS Come by walks, is less than
H. rL1 S.O0O.OGO. but we re-
ceived nearly 10000
in single twelve-year period. Most of
Drive Headache Away