Evening star., 1931-12-31
IMMIGRATION DROP
TO HIT BIRTH RATE.
Native American Population
to Decline, Sociological
Society Is Told.

While the birthrate Of the native
American population has remained taT-
ly constant during the present century
it probably will decline in the future
because, with immigration restricted,
the population will consist less largely
of natives of foreign parentage, DR.:
Joseph J. Spengler of the University OF
Arizona told the American Sociological
Society here today.
DR.. Spengler based his conclusions
on an intensive study of the birthrates
of Providence, r. l. During 70 years,
he said the records show that the
birthrate among the 10 leading nation
alities making up the city's populatloh
has declined more than half. This mas
been most notable among the English'
Irish and Germans, while there mas
been a less marked decline among tne
Italians, Russians, Poles ana PortugeSe'
Migration to America apparently mas
Increased the fertility of some groups
more than others. <a
Among the foreign born, ne touno,
fertility has declined more In the lo"ei
than upper age groups. .,.o,
During the next decade the American
Negro, late in shifting from the 1arm W W
the city, will be more OF a city oWeIlel
than the native white, DR.. FRANK a
Ross of Columbia University tolo tle
society. Up to the present, ne sala'
the Negro has moved mostly hGo
Northern and western cities, put, VIII VII,
the great migration under way Iiis
probabilities are that there Will oe d
great increase in the colored popula-
lions Of Southern cities during the next
IN wears, Moving to the city Is becon1-
ing necessary for the Negro, he SAID
because of the declining need for man
ual labor in cotton culture.
Chinese Concentration Ending.
Concentrations in "Chinatowns" OF
Chinese in the United States is begin
ming to give way, said Charles r. Rey-
nolds of Stanford University. Ihe
percentage of native born is slowly ris-
ing" he said, "in spite of non-imml-
Grant newcomers. There is small gain
in the female percentage Of the popu-
lation and slight shift toward nor
mai age distribution. A smaller per-
centage of the older Chinese are re-
turning to China and more young men
are finding brides among the American
born Chinese girls. -.
Prohibition since 1920 has brought
about a notable increase in the num-
Der of persons who become insane
through use of alcohol, Frederick W.
Brown, director Of statistics 1or Lne
National Committee for Mental Hy-
giene, told the American StatlsIlcal
Association last night.
He based this statement on Census
Bureau data, the figures of the New
York State Department OF Mental Hy-
eiene and correspondence with super
iutendents OF mental hospitals.
During the years Immediately pre-
ceding adoption of the eighteenth
amendment" Brown said, "the intem-
perate use Of alcohol decreased, bring
ing a downward trend in the rates OF
alcoholic mental disease. During 1919
and 1920 the sale of liquor was re-
stricted to a degree that brought about
a marked reduction in such cases.
Since 1920 the general trends have
been upward, although the percentages
of alcoholics among admissions 10
mental hospitals are at present below
those Of pre- prohibition days"
New Type Observed.
A new type of case is being observed
by superintendent Of mental hospitals,
he said, lin which the alcoholic state Is
accompanied by a toxicity or poisoning,
often with destruction Of nervous and
organic tissue. The extreme cases OF
this type suffer from violent mental
and die in a short time
without regaining a normal state.
More young patients are admitted
than formerly. One hospital reports
during the past year an unusually large
group of patients who are of high school
age. There are fewer cases Of prolonged
or chronic hallucinations, but the cases
of hallucinosis are more frequently
acute, with violent mental outbreak and
profound amnesia, in contrast to the
prolonged cases of former years, IN
which hallucinations lasted over a pc
riod of weeks or months, with a more
accurate and detailed memory of them
upon restoration to normal mental ac-
tivity.
add to these conclusions the fact Of
the increasing number of alcoholics
without psychosis and the increasing
number of deaths from alcoholism in
the general population, and the result
is q conviction that the year 1920 Is
the point at which the recent history
of alcoholic mental disease and other
alcoholic excesses may be divided into
two periods, before and after prohioi-
ton"
Society must adjust itself to the age
of machines, DR.. William F. Ogburn
of the University of Chicago told the
sociologists last night. He foresaw the
of eliminating the college
professor and the decentralization OF
colleges through such mechanical de-
vices as the long running phonograph.
HianH1Scp1
meeting last night by Dr. Emory S.
of the University of Southern
California, and Howard w. Odum OF
the University Of North Carolina.