The New York herald., 1921-02-03
SCHURMAN URGES
IMMIGRATION CHECK
Educator Considers Welty Bill
Best Tentative Measure
Put Forward.

DR. Jacob Gould Schurman. formerly
president of Cornell University. delivered
an address last night in Havemeyer Hall.
Columbia University. al the opening OF
the extension courses on racial relations,
in which he advocated better regulation
of immigration and urged the American
people TO put their minds seriously upon
the subject. which ne believes is the
most important in the national life of
the country.
In a general sense DR.. Schurman in
doIsed the Welty immigration bill which
broadly. would admit immigrants on
percentage basis. reckoning on the num-
Der Of persons of various races who have
this bill. while the best tentative meas
ure put forward. should probably he
made more elastic and better adapted to
our economic needs.
I'VE have now in the United States
said DR.. Schurman, "of all the Jews in
the world. "a per cent. OF all the Scan
dinavians. II per cent. of all the Ger
mans. 13 per cent of all the Slovaks. OF
all the Poles and of all the Firms. 5 per
cent each: of all the Italians, 7 per
cent Of all the Dutch and of all the
Lithuanians. per cent. each: of all the
Greeks and Of all the French. 3 per cent
each.
"UnGCr our present immigration policy
we exclude only those who bear some
marked nferlority-physlcal, moral, in
tellectual or social--and also the Orien-
tails.
Among other lessons Of the great
war was the realization by the American
people OF the fact already known to
students Of the subject, that the United
States was admitting more immigrants
than il could assimilate.
"The public has awakened from the
delusion created By the misleading shib-
bolcth of the melting pot. II is dis
quoted and disturbed by the spectacle
OF Immense alien communities domiciled
In different States Of the Union. more
or less self-contained. speaking many for
cign languages. containing an Influential
foreign language press. with their own
banks. markets and insurance companies
and sometimes with separate schools
unleavened Jumps of many European ma
tionalites. unchanged masses OF foreign
ers intrenched In America, yet not OF
il. owning. in many cases. foreign allegi-
ance and in general tied to foreign
countries by their language. their SYM
pathies. their culture. their interests and
their aspirations
'T think ! am not mistaken when
say that the American people have made
up their minds that the doors to our
national house can no longer remain
wide open that there must be sitting
and selection Of those who enter. and
that the numbers must be considerably
reduced. The flow Of immigration into
the United States should no Longer Ae
controlled by the desires of foreigners
or By other extrirsic forces. but by the
necessities OF the American people. and
at the present time. above everything
else by our capacity to assmilate the
newcomers into the homogeneous tex
ture OF American life.
Either we can never become homo
geneous American people. either unas-
Simulated masses OF European nationali-
ties must share our domain with us. or
we must set limits TO the tide of imrni-
grafton so that unified national life
ard consciousness shan remain possible
Tor us."