Lapas attēli
PDF
ePub

CHAPTER VII.

SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS.

of immigrants to accept charity or become public charges-Honesty-Use of ts—Religious indifference Money on arrival-Literacy-Conjugal conVisits abroad-Age classification of members of households [Text Tables 7 and General Tables 351 to 355].

Y OF IMMIGRANTS TO ACCEPT CHARITY OR BECOME PUBLIC CHARGES.

clination of the average recent immigrant in the community t every charge he can upon the community or upon private Their leaders also advocate and follow this policy. A of recent aliens were discovered to be getting private relief ample means for their support. This tendency is not so however, as that exhibited in cases of sickness or death. All means are adopted to secure the entrance to a public hosthe alien who is ill. In a similar way the effort is made to destitute countryman buried at the public expense, even riends and leading men among them could well provide for ral expenses.

HONESTY.

f the most striking qualities of all the races is their simplicity esty. They trust each other in pecuniary matters in a way amazing to an American, incurring debts without giving any e and intrusting their savings to the safe-keeping of business ses of their fellow-countrymen without demanding acknowlt. This quality, as may be readily seen, affords a rich field loitation and questionable practices by the less scrupulous the recent immigrants. They are not slow to take advantage d the steamship agent, the labor agent, the immigrant banker, siness man reap immense profits from the credulity of their ountrymen. In many cases they not only exact an exorbiarge for the services rendered or the commodities supplied, further and rob him of all his savings. This was illustrated in one place by the failure of a number of so-called bankers rn money committed to their charge, and also by the bankof a mercantile house which had secured its capital-about -in small amounts from the savings of the laborers. These ho were mostly Bulgarians, had entrusted the various sums r countrymen without requiring any evidence of the transacnd when the mercantile house failed they could scarcely avoid all their savings (the case is now pending) because they had

[graphic]

There seems to be a tendency among the more i cated immigrants to exploit their more ignorant c they have acquired a knowledge of the English become acquainted with the customs of the count ally called upon to act as advisers to and repre countrymen, and instead of using their attainme for the profit and welfare of the members of t almost universal tendency is for the more educated advantage of his countrymen's ignorance and faith

USE OF INTOXICANTS.

The Bulgarians, Roumanians, and Servians u intoxicants in a temperate way. The Magyar, and Croatian tend to frequent saloons and drin intoxicants intemperately. The Austrian-Servian influence of liquor fight, and are the principal trouble and disorder.

RELIGIOUS INDIFFERENCE.

The recent immigrants as a group take little work or attendance upon church worship. This rather indifference or lack of inclination toward grows out of the fact, it is stated, that most of t come to this community were alienated from thei the struggles for liberty in their native countries." nation is made to the effect that the alien churche nected with and receive a large measure of suppo in southern and eastern Europe, and that where tr country and separated from the State they are at the new situation and tend to become unreasonable and thus alienate the people.

MONEY ON ARRIVAL.

As a rule the immigrant on his arrival in the com possession from $10 to $20 in money. The usual a has is about $15.

LITERACY.

The table next presented shows, by sex and by gen race of individual, the literacy of persons 10 years the households studied.

a See p. 47, Bulgarians at Home.

3.—Per cent of persons 10 years of age or over who read and per cent who read and write, by sex and general nativity and race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

includes only races with 40 or more persons reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

• Not computed, owing to small number involved.

preceding table shows a higher degree of literacy among the males than among the Bulgarian males, 91.1 per cent of the as compared with 68.3 per cent of the latter being able to Too few females are reported by the Bulgarians for computapercentages, but 92.6 per cent of the Magyar females are able 1. In all cases, with the exception of a slight falling off in oportion of Bulgarian males, the same proportion of each race th read and write as are able to read.

ill be observed in the schedules that literacy, or illiteracy, a peculiar to groups as a whole. This is accounted for by the hat each group is usually composed of men from the same . If the village was favorable to the establishment of a school, the whole group is literate. If not, as in a garrisoned the whole group is illiterate.

relation between period of residence and literacy is set forth in lowing table, which shows, by years in the United States and f individual, the percentage of foreign-born persons 10 years of over, in the households studied, who read and the percentage ead and write.

624.-Per cent of foreign-born persons 10 years of age or over who read and per cent who read and write, by years in the United States and race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

s in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. This table includes nly races with 40 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

[blocks in formation]
[graphic]

The preceding table shows a rapid advancemen the Bulgarians according to period of residence in 67 per cent of the representatives of this race of a under 5 years, as compared with 94.1 per cent the United States from five to nine years, being 94.1 per cent who have been here from five to and write, as contrasted with 66.8 per cent of a under five years who are so reported. On the o prevails more extensively among the Magyar imr period of residence than among those who have only a few years, 87.5 per cent of the persons of been in the United States ten years or over, as com cent of a residence between five and nine years a residence under five years, being able to read and proportion of literacy among those of a short re due to the presence of children in the households during recent years in Hungary.

The following table shows, by age at time of co States and race of individual, the percentage of fo 10 years of age or over, in the households studied, centage of those who read and write:

TABLE 625.-Per cent of foreign-born persons 10 years of age or o who read and write, by age at time of coming to the United States

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 40 or more persons reporting. The total

Bulgarian..

Magyar..

Total..

born.]

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

All of the Magyars, as can be seen from the table under 14 years of age when they came to this cou to read and write, as contrasted with 91.1 per ce and write at the present time and who were 14 ye when they arrived in the United States. The Bul under 14 years of age when they came to this count in sufficient numbers for the computation of pe those who were 14 years of age or over when they per cent can read and 67.6 per cent can read and w

CONJUGAL CONDITION.

ollowing table shows, by sex, age groups, and by general and race of individual, the percentage of persons in the lds studied in each conjugal condition:

6.—Per cent of persons in each conjugal condition, by sex and age groups, and by general nativity and race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

includes only races with 80 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all races.]

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

n referring to the totals in the foregoing table it is seen that er cent of the Bulgarian males who are 20 years of age or over, er with 68.8 per cent of the Magyar males and all of the Magmales, are married. Twenty-nine and nine-tenths per cent of agyar males who are 20 years of age or older, as contrasted 22.3 per cent of the Bulgarians, are single. Of the Bulgarian between 20 and 29 years of age, 33.9 per cent are unmarried, er with 59.2 per cent of the Magyar males; but among those en 30 and 44 years of age only 1.9 per cent of the Bulgarians .4 per cent of the Magyars are single, while none of the Bul

« iepriekšējāTurpināt »