in this regard. Among those having first papers only, the North Italians report 18.9 per cent of their number and the Poles 15 per cent, while the smallest proportion, 3.8 per cent, is shown by the Slovaks.

ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH.

A further criterion of the degree of assimilation is the ability to speak English evidenced by the non-English-speaking races. From the families studied in the Pennsylvania bituminous localities, information showing the degree of ability to speak English, of persons 6 years of age or over, by sex and general nativity and race of individual, was secured from 4,715 persons. This information is presented in the following table:

TABLE 245.—Per cent of persons 6 years of age or over who speak English, by ser and general nativity and race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

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

In the above table the most important information disclosed by the statistics having to do with persons who were native-born of foreign father is the classification by race of persons who speak the English language, for a large number of the groups represent the native-born children of recent immigrants. Of the 1,159 native-born of foreign father, 93.4 per cent speak English, comprising 94.3 per cent of the males and 92.3 per cent of the females. It will be seen that every second-generation German covered by these statistics is English-speaking. Then follow the Magyars with 96.6 per cent, the South Italians with 95.3 per cent, the North Italians, the Slovaks, the

Poles, and the Lithuanians, the last named showing 86.4 percent. The order in which these races are represented may be accepted as a criterion of the order in which the native-born children of foreign parents are becoming Americanized. Over one-half, or 50.8 per cent, of the foreign-born males speak English and only 35.5 per cent of the foreignborn females. For the total of both sexes the percentage is 44.6. The larger percentage of foreign-born males speaking English as compared with the females is obviously due to the fact that the former are brought into more intimate and frequent contact with American life and institutions, while the immigrant woman and housewife has less opportunity to acquire the language because of her segregation in the foreign colony and in the home. The Germans of foreign birth, with 96.7 per cent, show a much larger proportion able to speak English than any other foreign race, and the foreignborn Roumanians, with only 6.1, show the smallest per cent. Other races which have a percentage above the general average of 44.6 are the following: Magyar with 59.8 per cent, Bohemian and Moravian with 59.6 per cent, North Italian with 58.6 per cent, South Italian with 48.5 per cent, and Lithuanian with 46.9 per cent.

The table next submitted is based upon reports from 33,876 foreignborn mine workers, and shows, by race of individual, the relative ability to speak English.

TABLE 246.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees who speak English, by race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEFS.)

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

Of all races reporting, the Swedes, followed by the Germans, show a larger per cent able to speak English than any other of the races, the Swedes reporting 97.2 per cent and the Germans 90.9 per cent. The figure for the Dutch is 83.9 per cent. Less than three-fourths of each of the other races reporting are able to speak English. Of these races, the French lead, with 71.6 per cent, followed closely by the Lithuanians, who report 71.1 per cent. Only two races, the Roumanians and Ruthenians, report less than 50 per cent of their number able to speak the English language. The other races range from 69.4 per cent of the Bohemians and Moravians to 50.3 per cent of the Poles.

The extent to which foreign-born persons in general are able to speak the English language having been examined in the preceding

table, it will be of value to ascertain what degree of progress is indicated as between immigrants who were of different age groups at the time of arrival in the United States. The following table shows the percentage of foreign-born persons 6 years of age or over in the households studied who speak English, by age at time of arrival in the United States, the individuals being divided into two groups, the first composed of those who were under 14 years at time of coming, and the second of those who were 14 or more than 14 years of age.

TABLE 247.-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.]

Upon referring to the above table it is apparent that the general tendency exhibited for all races of immigrants is that those who come to the United States at an early age acquire the use of English more readily than those who come at a later period of life. This is apparent from a comparison of the ability to use English by the two age groups in the table. Of those who were under 14 years of age on arriving in the United States, 84.6 per cent are able to speak English at present, while on the other hand, of those persons who were 14 or more than 14 years of age when they arrived in this country only 36.9 per cent are at present able to speak English. The greatest facility in acquiring the language, among immigrants under 14 years of age at time of arrival in this country, is seen in the case of the Germans, Lithuanians, Bohemians and Moravians, North Italians, Slovaks, and Croatians. On the other hand, a greater degree of segregation and lack of contact with American life and institutions is indicated by the relatively small proportion of Russians, Ruthenians, Roumanians, and South Italians who are able to speak English. The Germans, Magyars, Bohemians and Moravians, and North Italians show the greatest proportion of representatives able to speak English who were 14 years of age or over at the time of coming to the United States. It is a striking fact in connection with the other races that in no case is a larger proportion than 43.3 per cent able to

speak English if the persons were as much as 14 years of age when they arrived in this country.

From the standpoint of Americanization and assimilation, however, it is even more important to ascertain what connection exists between ability to speak English and period of residence in this country on the part of the different races of recent immigration. With this object in view the table below is submitted showing the per cent of foreign-born persons 6 years of age or over in the households studied who speak English, by years in the United States.

TABLE 248.-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 nonEnglish-speaking races.]

This table brings out the significant fact that a much greater proportion of immigrants of a long period of residence than of those of recent arrival in the United States are able to use the English language. On comparing the totals for the foreign-born it is seen that of those persons who have been in the country ten years or longer a larger proportion can speak English than of those who have been here from five to nine years, and of those persons who have had a residence of from five to nine years a higher percentage can speak English than of those who have been in the country less than five years. It is worthy of note also that all the Bohemians and Moravians and practically all the Germans who have been in the United States ten years or more are able to speak English, while of the other races the North Italian indicates the greatest, and the Ruthenian the least, advancement in this respect. The North Italian is shown to acquire the use of English more extensively than the South Italian, and the Magyar more than the Slovak.

In addition to the preceding table, based upon members of the households studied, the following table, which is the result of data collected from 33,876 individual mine workers, shows, by age of individual at time of coming to the United States, the per cent of foreignborn males in western Pennsylvania who speak English at the present time. This table includes only races with 100 or more males reporting, but the total is for all non-English-speaking races.

TABLE 249.-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.]

Of the total number reporting, 94.9 per cent of those in the above table who were under 14 years of age at the time of coming to the United States now speak English, as compared with 56.1 per cent of those who were 14 years of age or over at time of arrival in the United States. A total of 9,853 Slovaks report complete data. Of that number, 92 per cent of those who were under 14 years of age at time of coming to the United States, and 55.5 per cent of those who were 14 years of age or over, speak English at the present time. Of 5,900 Polish males reporting complete information, 96 per cent of those who were under 14 years of age at time of coming now speak English, as compared with 48.3 per cent of those who were 14 years of age or over when they came to this country. Of the Magyars, 89.7 per cent of those who were under 14 years of age, and 49.7 per cent of those who were 14 years of age or over at time of arrival, now speak English. The showing made by the Lithuanians and the Italians, North and South, is better than that made by the Magyars, Ruthenians, and other southern and eastern European races. Of the Lithuanians, 95.5 per cent of those under 14 at time of coming, and 70.2 per cent of those 14 or over, now speak English. A total of 3,323 North Italians report. complete data. Of that number 91.5 per cent of those who were under 14 years of age at time of coming to the United States are at present able to speak English, as compared with 57.3 per cent of those who were 14 years of age or over when they immigrated. Of the 2,197 South Italians, 91.6 per cent of those who immigrated when they were under 14 years of age now speak English, while only 58.8 per cent of those who came after 14. years of age are able at present to use the language.