communities. Some of the State Bureaus of this description, especially those of the South, have sent representatives abroad to lecture and to distribute advertising matter upon the resources and opportunities offered by their commonwealths. The South Carolina bureau went so far in 1907 as to collect and bring in a shipload of 400 immigrants; but on account of legal and other obstacles, the experiment was a failure, and other similar attempts have not been made.

The Activities of the Railroads

The railroads, as is well known, have been important factors in the distribution of incoming immigrants. They have been led to such activities, of course, by self interest, or the desire to dispose of land holdings and to build up centers of population and industry along their lines. This has not detracted from the importance of the service, however, and a great deal of good work directly connected with the distribution of southern and eastern Europeans is now done by the railroads traversing the South and West. The problem is more difficult than in the case of the British and northern European races of former years, because of the more general inability of the recent immigrant to speak English and his consequent refusal to enter a district where a number of his countrymen have not already preceded him.

Bureau of Information of the Federal Government.

Under the law of 1907 there was established in the Bureau of Immigration a Division of Information, with the purpose of supplying to immigrants in

formation regarding the conditions in different sections of the country so that their choice of a home might be intelligently made.

As a matter of practical experience the division has not proved very successful thus far. Immigrants are usually induced to come to this country by representations of relatives or friends who are already located. The experience of the immigration authorities shows that more than 97 per cent. of the immigrants have determined upon their destination before reaching this country. It is, therefore, practically impossible to influence them much at that time. The division has, however, collected considerable information regarding the demand for labor, especially on farms and for domestic service, which they have been ready to furnish not only to immigrants, but to others; and especially, perhaps, in the State of New York have they been able to supply laborers to farmers during the harvest season and have furnished employment to a good many inquirers. Their information regarding labor conditions in industry has also in certain instances proved fruitful. On the whole, however, the division has not succeeded in making any especial impression upon the overcrowded population of the great cities.

Many immigrants within a few years of their arrival succeed in saving considerable sums of money, even several thousands of dollars. Frequently this money is sent back to Europe for investment, the immigrants themselves intending to return to their home. country later to remain. In other cases this money is invested in business in the cities with greater or less. success. It would, however, be extremely desirable, both to relieve the congestion of the cities and to im

prove the condition of the immigrants, if those who are thrifty, especially those who have had training as farmers in Europe, could be distributed to sections of the United States where they might invest their savings in farms and engage in agricultural pursuits. The Immigration Commission recommended that some department of the Government take active measures to bring about such results.

Lately the Bureau of Immigration has prepared a circular letter which it sends to Governors of States and others in authority, asking for the cooperation of the State authorities in securing information regarding any free government land in the State, prices and qualities of other lands for sale that would be suitable for settlers, information regarding climate, water supply, markets, prevailing crops and other matters that would enable a thrifty farmer to judge of the conditions so that he could see where it was wise for him to make investments. It is the intention of the Bureau, through the Division of Information, by thus cooperating with the States, in getting information, especially regarding agricultural conditions, to take a more active part in the distribution of immigrants. It is proposed to furnish this information freely to associations of immigrants and to all inquirers who might be able to make good use of it. By so doing it is hoped that larger numbers of the immigrants who have proved most thrifty may be induced to invest their earnings in this country and to become permanent agricultural settlers. Doubtless along the same line inquiries will be made and information furnished. which may prove of advantage in the distribution of immigrants from the great cities into other lines of industry.

XV

ASSIMILATION AND PROGRESS

Process of Assimilation Slow

Progress in the development of social institutions, of whatever nature, is necessarily slow. Such institutions are in good part the result of the influence of the environment, natural and social, and in consequence any change of a social or economic nature is likely to bring about changes in the social structure very slowly. Moreover, for that reason the institutions are likely to be those best adapted to the people, and every people is loath to change materially the nature of its institutions. In consequence, when a new race of people, or persons from countries with different political customs, come as immigrants, it is desirable that as soon as possible they shall adapt themselves to the new conditions and take on the institutions of their adopted country-in other words, that they become assimilated.

BENEFITS FROM IDEAS OF IMMIGRANTS

This fact naturally does not preclude the possibility of immigrants bringing with them from their homeland some ideas that may gradually be worked into the structure of the institutions of their adopted country in such a way as to improve those institutions, but any such change, as a matter of fact, must be slow and, generally speaking, such changes will be few. It is largely on this account that when the immigrant race is widely different in customs from that of the

country to which it comes, there is likely to be roused a feeling of hostility growing out of race prejudice that often produces trouble. Such has been the feeling on the western coast of the United States against the Chinese, Japanese and Hindus, owing to the very decided difference in personal appearance and in habits of living of these people, entirely aside from the question of their influence on wages and the welfare of the wage-earning classes.

DESIRABLE TO EXCLUDE THOSE WHO CAN NOT BE

ASSIMILATED

Such a feeling is merely natural, altho, of course, one can not justify race prejudice as such. The coming in of people who will not be assimilated creates discord and makes separate classes or castes in a community; and usually this process would not tend toward an improvement of political institutions, but rather toward their deterioration, entirely aside from the question as to whether the immigrants were lower or higher in the scale of civilization. If they were so different that they could not be adapted to the new conditions, they would produce discord, even tho their their habits were fundamentally no worse, either politically or morally, than those of the country to which they had come. Of course, if they were powerful enough so that they could promptly mold the institutions of the new type into harmony with their ideas, the situation would be different, but such a situation has not arisen and will not arise with any group of immigrants.

It may therefore be assumed that the immigrant who can not be adjusted with a reasonable degree of readiness to the customs and institutions of his adopted