While the wave of emigration from Great Britain and Ireland to the United States has receded from the highwater mark reached in 1880-1889, yet, eliminating that exceptional decade, we find that during the 20-year period 1890-1909, marked by the influx of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, the United States received more immigrants from Great Britain and Ireland than during the 20-year period 1860-1879. Another fact that must not be lost sight of is the recent development of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, which has naturally drawn a part of the emigration from Great Britain and Ireland. The policy of restriction adopted in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa has conferred a special privilege upon immigrants of British nationality. On the other hand, the governments of Canada and Australia are making systematic efforts to induce and assist immigration from the mother country. That the financial assistance offered to immigrants from the United Kingdom has diverted a part of them from the United States is but natural.

The decline of Irish immigration began as far back as 1861. It rose again in the 80's, in the turbulent years of the Irish Land League agitation, and once more during the past decade. That the "new immigration" to the United States was not the cause of the decline of Irish immigration is clear from the fact that the emigration movement from Ireland to other countries has also declined, while, on the other hand, of those Irish who did emigrate the proportion destined to the United States was higher during the period of the great influx of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe than in 1876-1890, when immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe was negligible. There have been forces at work to reduce the number of Irish seeking to better their condition away from home. The great Irish unrest of the 80's forced the British Parliament to enact remedial legislation, which gave to the tenant-at-will a legal title to his holding, besides reducing his rent, and converted about one third of the tenants into land proprietors. These

and Eastern Europe, come chiefly to seek industrial employment. That Scandinavian immigration to the United States was in no way affected by immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe is evidenced by the change in the direction of the former: whereas prior to 1890 the greater part of Scandinavian immigration was directed to the agricultural States of the Central West and Northwest, since 1890 the majority of the Scandinavian immigrants follow the current of immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe. The bulk of the Scandinavian immigrants are laborers from agricultural districts or farm workers without special mechanical skill. It is these unskilled Scandinavian laborers that have in recent years sought employment in competition with unskilled Slav and Italian laborers. The reason why the number of these Scandinavian immigrants has not grown fast enough to keep pace with the needs of American industry must be sought in the economic conditions of the Scandinavian countries. Since the opportunity eventually to secure a homestead in the United States is gone, the agricultural laborer who is dissatisfied with his condition must seek employment in industry. And here the recent industrial progress of the Scandinavian countries offers him many an opportunity at home.

The industrial development of Sweden is contemporaneous with the latest progress in engineering, which has harnessed the water power furnished in abundance by her mountains. The growth of Swedish industries has far outrun the increase of her population. As a result, Sweden has become a country of immigration. The immigration to Sweden has in recent years left a surplus over emigration.

In Denmark the last fifteen years of the nineteenth century witnessed a rise of the peasant farmer, due chiefly to the rapid spread of co-operation in all branches of farming. The progress of agriculture immigration to Denmark. During ev siderable

numbers of Polish

Denmark.

While the wave of emigration from Greater Ireland to the United States has recede fro water mark reached in 1880-1889, vet ein Ca exceptional decade, we find that during the 2-var E.L 1830-1909, marked by the influx of immigrant er and Eastern Europe, the United Stats reSTRE ZAFT immigrants from Great Britain and Ireland hang the 21-year period 1860-1879. Another fact that must not be st sight of is the recent development of Cat Austraita, Jew Zealand, and South Africa, which has mural drawn a jar of the emigration from Great Britan and Ireland. The icy of restriction adopted in Australia New Zealand, and Seth Africa has conferred a special privilege upon

migrants of British nationality. On the other hand, he governments of Canada and Australia are making sysamatic efforts to induce and assist immigration from the nother country. That the financial assistance offered to minigrants from the United Kingdom has diverted a part them from the United States is but natural.

The feline of Irish immigration began as far back as 1861. I rose again in the 80's, in the turbulent years of the Irish Land League agitation, and once more during the past decade. That the "new immigration" to the United States was not the cause of the decline of Irish immigration is dear from the fact that the emigration movement from Ireland to other countries has also declined, while, on the other hand, of those Irish who did emigrate the proportion destined to the United States was higher during the period of the great influx of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe than in ne76-1890, when immigration from Southem and Basen Europe was negligible. There have been fires at: wat to reduce the number of Irish seeking to letter their comilition away from home. The great the is forced the British Parliament to gave to the ten

far-reaching reforms in a country with a predominantly peasant population sufficiently account for the decline of emigration from Ireland.

It can be seen from this brief survey that immigration from Northern and Western Europe has declined, not because the condition of labor has deteriorated in the United States, but because those countries have become better homes for their citizens.

Another popular fallacy is the theory originated by General Walker, that the immigrants have displaced unborn generations of native Americans. It rests on no other foundation than a computation made in 1815 from the increase of the population of the United States between 1790 and 1810. During the century that has elapsed, the declining birthrate has become a world-wide social phenomenon. In the Australian Commonwealth, with her vast continent as yet unsettled, with a purely Anglo-Saxon population and practically no immigration, the decline of the birth-rate has been as rapid as among Americans of native stock. Prof. Wilcox has proved by an analysis of population statistics that the decrease in the proportion of children began in the United States as early as 1810. The native birth-rate has declined with the increase of the urban population and the relative decrease of the number of farmers. The rearing of children on a farm requires less of the mother's time and attention than in the city. Moreover, the child on a farm begins to work at an earlier age than in the city. A numerous family on a farm has the advantages of a co-operative group, whereas every addition to the family of the wage-earner or of the salaried man with a fixed income tends to lower the family's standard of living. It is significant that the decline of the birth-rate is universal among those classes which are scarcely, if at all, affected by immigrant competition. Their standard of living is higher than that of the wage-earner. Yet it is precisely the desire to preserve this higher standard that accounts for the practice of race suicide. Granting, for the sake of argument, that the absence of immigration in the

past would have raised the native wage-earner's standard of living to that of the middle class, it does not follow that the natural increase among the native-born would have sufficed to supply the needs of the rapidly expanding industries of the United States.

There was clearly no other source from which American industry could have drawn its labor supply than immigration from the countries of Southern and Eastern Europe. Without the immigrants from those countries the recent development of American industry would have been impossible.

An invidious distinction is drawn between the old and the new immigrants by reason of the fact that the bulk of the latter are incapable of any but unskilled work. A comparative statistical study of immigration shows that the old immigrants, like those of the present generation, were mostly unskilled laborers and farm hands. The proportion of skilled mechanics has at no time within the past fifty years been as high as one fourth of all immigrant breadwinners, for the very obvious reason that the demand in the American labor market has been mainly for unskilled laborers. Invention of machinery has had the tendency to reduce the demand for mechanical skill, and most of that demand has been supplied by native Americans. In the industrial army the commissioned and non-commissioned officers are outnumbered by the privates. It is a misconception of modern industrial organization to confuse lack of "skill," i. e., ignorance of a trade, with "low efficiency." If every immigrant were a skilled mechanic, most of them would nevertheless have to accept employment as unskilled laborers. The special skill of the engineer would give him no superiority at loading coal over a common laborer, nor would the ability to read Shakespeare in the vernacular assure higher wages to a mule-driver.

The objection to the unskilled immigrant is based upon the belief that because of his lower standard of living he is satisfied with lower wages than the American or the older