A comparison of the totals in the foregoing table shows the Middle West in the lead, with 88.5 per cent of the males and 70.4 per cent of the females able to speak English. Pennsylvania follows, with the percentages 60.2 and 51.7, respectively, while those for the Southwest are 54 and 44.2, and for the South 38 and 36.2. In each section the percentage of the females is less than that of the males, the difference being considerable in each division with the exception of the South, where 36.2 per cent of the females and only 38 per cent of the males are able to speak English. Also in each locality the percentage of the foreign-born is very much below that of the second generation, the greatest difference being in the South, where the foreign-born males speaking English number but 34.7 per cent, as contrasted with 98.2 per cent of the second generation, and 28.2 per cent of the foreign-born females in contrast with 95.3 per cent of the second generation.

In the Middle West four foreign races are shown. Only the North Italians appear in any considerable numbers in the second generation and practically all of these speak English, the males reporting 100 per cent and the females 96.2 per cent. Of the foreign-born in the Middle West all the Lithuanian and Polish males can speak English, and 88.5 per cent and 81 per cent, respectively, of the females can do so. The North Italian males show a creditable proportion, the percentage being 87.9, but the females lower the average for the race by their percentage of only 28.6. The South Italians appear least favorably, only 52.5 per cent of the males and 48.5 per cent of the females being able to speak English. Pennsylvania shows a greater number of races than the other geographical divisions. Among the races of the second generation the Magyars rank first, with 95.7 per cent of the males and 97.5 per cent of the females able to speak English, and the North Italians are second, with 95.2 per cent for both males and females. It is noteworthy that the females of the Magyar race make a better showing than do the males, while the percentages for males and females of the North Italians are alike.

Among the foreign-born in Pennsylvania the Germans lead, with 94.1 per cent of the males and 100 per cent of the females speaking English. The North Italians follow with 72.6 per cent of their males thus reported, though the percentage for the females is only 40.5. The Magyars show 67.6 per cent and 49.7 per cent, respectively, while the South Italians and the Lithuanians exceed the general average of the males and the Poles and Lithuanians exceed that of the females.

In the South, persons native-born of foreign father comprise numbers so small that only the Magyars are considered in this particular tabulation. All of this race, both males and females, speak English. The Germans rank highest among the foreign-born, 64.4 per cent of the males and 46.9 per cent of the females being able to speak the English language. The Lithuanian, Magyar, Slovak, and North Italian males follow in the order indicated, and all exceed the general average for the foreign-born, the only races falling below that figure being the South Italians, with 30.2 per cent of the males and 17.6 per cent of the females speaking English, and the Poles, only 27.8 per cent of whom, both male and female, come under this classification. The North Italians in this comparison show the unusual condition of 41.2

per cent of the females, in contrast with 35.2 per cent of the males, able to speak English.

The Southwest division shows the lowest percentage speaking English among persons of the second generation, only 74.5 per cent of the males and 88.1 per cent of the females speaking that language.

The Slovak females of the second generation are in advance of the males, in the Southwest, 97.2 per cent speaking the language, although only 90 per cent of the males are able to do so.

The foreign-born in the Southwest appear to better advantage than in the South. The Croatians rank first, with 79.3 per cent of the males and 71.4 per cent of the females speaking English; the only other races which exceed the general average are the Lithuanians, with 66.3 per cent of the males and 22 per cent of the females, the Slovaks, whose percentages are 60.3 and 41.5, respectively, and the North Italians, with 51.1 per cent reported for the males and 23.8 per cent for the females.

The

In the table next presented, progress among the individual mine workers of the several races in acquiring the use of English is shown by geographical divisions. Percentages for the whole bituminous coal industry are added for comparative purposes. table shows the ability to speak English, by locality and by race, of the 48,656 bituminous mine workers of non-English-speaking races from whom information was secured.

TABLE 124.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees who speak English, by locality and

by race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 40 or more males reporting in each of two or more localities. The total, however, is for all non-English-speaking races.]

Upon comparing the totals of all races in this table for the four localities it is seen that the Middle West and the Southwest show the highest percentages of those speaking English. Pennsylvania shows the lowest per cent, while the South exhibits a slightly lower per cent than does the Middle West or the Southwest.

The Germans show the most consistent high percentages for all localities, varying only from 89.4 per cent in the Middle West to 91 per cent in Pennsylvania and the Southwest. The Croatians,

with 54.2 per cent in Pennsylvania, 71 per cent in the South, and 78.9 per cent in the Middle West, show the widest variations. In Pennsylvania the North Italians have 58.8 per cent speaking English as compared with 68 per cent in the Middle West. The North Italians of the South and the Southwest are slightly below those of Middle West. The South Italians of the Middle West, however, show a low per cent as compared with the proportion of the same race speaking English in Pennsylvania, the South, and the South

west.

The next table submitted shows the per cent of foreign-born persons 6 years of age or over in the households studied, who speak English, by age at time of coming to the United States and race of individual.

TABLE 125.-Per cent of foreign-born persons 6 years of age or over who speak English, by age at time of coming to the United States and race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 40 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all non-English-speaking races.]

The foregoing table brings out strongly the greater aptitude of children than of adults in acquiring the English language, only 36.4 per cent of those persons who were 14 years of age or over at the time of coming being able to speak English at the present time, as compared to 81.3 per cent who were under 14 years of age at the time of their arrival in this country. Among those over 14 at time of arrival who can now speak English, the Germans rank first with 71.6 per cent, followed by the Lithuanians with 54.9 per cent, the Bohemians and Moravians with 46.2 per cent, the Magyars with 43.5 per cent, and the North Italians with 43.3 per cent. All the other races fall below the general average. The Roumanians with 2 per cent, the Mexicans with 11.7 per cent, the Russians with 17.5 per cent, and the Ruthenians with 17.9 per cent, make a comparatively unfavorable showing. Of those under 14 years of age at time of arrival, the Lithuanians show the highest percentage able to speak English at present. The 91.5 per cent of this race is followed by the 90.9 per cent of the Bohemians and Moravians, the 88.2 per cent of the North Italians, the 84.8 per cent of the Croatians, the 84.2 per

cent of the Germans, the 83.3 per cent of the Slovaks, and the 81.9 per cent of the Poles. The percentages falling greatly below the general average of 81.3 are the Mexican 42.3, Ruthenian 50, and Russian 58.3.

It is interesting to note that the Germans who came as children rank only fifth, though their race ranks first in the adult group. Moreover, the Magyars who came under 14 years of age take eighth place in the order of ability to speak English at present as compared with the fourth place of those who came at an age greater than 14. On the other hand, the Roumanians who came as adults make the poorest showing in that class, although those who came while children are fourth from the foot in the comparison among the young people. The Russians alone rank the same among adults and children, standing eleventh in each case.

TABLE 126.-Per cent of foreign-born persons 6 years of age or over who speak English, by years in the United States and race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 40 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all non-English-speaking races.]

This table clearly shows an increase in the proportion of persons able to speak English corresponding to the length of residence in the United States, 72.3 per cent of those here ten or more years having acquired the language, in contrast with only 19.8 per cent of those in the country less than five years. Without exception, a steady increase is shown in the case of each race, the percentage frequently doubling and sometimes trebling from the first residence classification to the next. The Germans rank highest among the persons of recent arrival. Their 47.5 per cent able to speak English is followed by the Bohemian and Moravian 29.6 per cent, the Lithuanian 28.7 per cent, the North Italian 26.8 per cent, the Magyar 25.8 per cent, and the Croatian 21.3 per cent. No other race reaches the general average of 19.8 per cent. None of the Mexicans and Ruthenians in the United States less than five years speak English. The Roumanians rank next, with but 2.8 per cent speaking English, and the Russians next with 8.5 per cent.

All the races are represented in the next comparison, which concerns the persons five to nine years in the United States. The Germans

Other

with 86.7 per cent able to speak English are again far in the lead, the Bohemians and Moravians ranking second with 57.1 per cent. percentages in excess of the general average of 48.6 are the Lithuanian 56.4, the Magyar and North Italian 54.6, the South Italian 53.7, and the Croatian 51.5. All the others fall below the average, the poorest showing being made by the Roumanians, with 12.5, and the Mexicans with 13.6 per cent, both being much below the Russian 28.9 per cent, which is next in the ascending order of percentages.

The
The

No Roumanians in the households studied have been in the United States as much as ten years. Of the other races, the Bohemians and Moravians rank highest, with 100 per cent speaking English. Germans take second place, their proportion being 97 per cent. Lithuanians follow, with 85.1 per cent, and the other races which exceed the general average of 72.3 are the North Italians, 84.9, the Magyars, 83.2, the South Italians, 76.2, and the Poles, 74.5, this being the first classification in which the last-named race shows a percentage higher than the average. The races with a less than average proportion of their people speaking English, even after a residence of ten years or more, are the Mexicans with 23.9 per cent, the Ruthenians with 48.8 per cent, the Slovaks with 61.2 per cent, the Croatians with 65.4 per cent, and the Russians with 70.6 per cent.

The table which is next submitted shows the per cent of foreignborn bituminous mine employees who speak English, according to age at time of coming to the United States. Two divisions are made according to age, one showing all males under 14 years of age, the other all males 14 or over, at the time of arrival in this country.

TABLE 127.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees who speak English, by age at time of coming to the United States and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 100 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all non-English-speaking races.]