CHAPTER V.

GENERAL PROGRESS AND ASSIMILATION.

Citizenship-Ability to speak English-[Text Tables 105 to 109 and General Tables 67 to 69].

CITIZENSHIP.

The extent to which the foreign-born male employees have acquired citizenship or have taken the preliminary steps looking thereto is indicated by the table next presented. This table shows, by race, the present political condition of foreign-born male employees who have been in the United States five years or over and who were 21 years of age or over at time of coming.

TABLE 105.-Present political condition of foreign-born male employees who have been in the United States 5 years or over and who were 21 years of age or over at time of coming, by race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States.]

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Of 4,419 foreign-born males shown in the foregoing table who have been in the United States five years or over and who were 21 years of age or over at the time of their arrival, 49.4 per cent are fully naturalized and 24.8 per cent have first papers only. The Swedish ployees show 78.3 per cent, the German and the English employees over 70 per cent, the Irish, Norwegian, Bohemian and Moravian, and Danish employees over 60 per cent, and the Dutch employees over 55 per cent who are fully naturalized. The Belgian employees (race not specified) and the Poles show over 30 per cent, and the Croatians, North Italians, and Lithuanians over 20 per cent, while the Magyars and Greeks show 15 per cent and 9.8 per cent, respectively, who are citizens. The Magyars show 71.4 per cent having first papers only. the Belgians (race not specified) show the next largest proportion, which is 46 per cent, other specified races showing considerably smaller percentages, and only 11.4 per cent of the Croatians have first papers only.

The following table shows, by years in the United States and race, the present political condition of foreign-born male employees who were 21 years of age or over at the time of their coming to the United States.

TABLE 106.-Present political condition of foreign-born male employees who were 21 years of age or over at time of coming to the United States, by years in United States and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. This table includes only races with 100 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

Of 4,419 foreign-born male employees who were 21 years of age or over at the time of their coming to the United States and who have been in this country five years or over, 49.4 per cent are fully naturalized and 24.8 per cent have first papers only. Of those who have been in the United States from five to nine years, 7.9 per cent are fully naturalized and 38.7 per cent have first papers only. Of the employees with a residence of ten years or over, 73.1 per cent are fully naturalized and 16.8 per cent have first papers only. In each period of residence the Swedes show the highest percentage of persons who are fully naturalized and the Magyars the highest percentage having first papers only. In the group including employees with a residence of from five to nine years, the Poles show the smallest percentage who

are fully naturalized and the Lithuanians the smallest percentage having first papers only. Of the employees who have been in the United States ten years or over, the Magyars show the smallest percentage fully naturalized and the Swedes the smallest percentage having first papers only. Of the employees who have been in the United States five years or over, the Magyars show the smallest percentage fully naturalized and the Bohemians and Moravians the smallest percentage having first papers only.

ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH.

The extent to which foreign-born employees of non-English-speaking races are able to speak English is set forth in the following series. of tables. The first table presented shows, by sex and by race, the percentage of foreign-born employees who speak English.

TABLE 107.-Per cent of foreign-born employees who speak English, by sex and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 80 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all non-English-speaking races.]

Of 12,874 foreign-born employees shown in the preceding table, 65.5 per cent can speak English, the proportion of males being much greater than that of females who have this ability. The Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes show over 95 per cent, the Dutch and Germans over 80 per cent, the Bohemians and Moravians, Croatians, North Italians, and Slovenians over 60 per cent, the Greeks and Lithuanians over 50 per cent, the Magyars and Poles over 40 per cent, the Russians over 30 per cent, the Slovaks over 20 per cent, and the Servians only cent who can speak English. In every instance a considerably higher percentage of male employees than of female employees can speak English.

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The table next submitted shows, by sex, age at time of coming to the United States, and race, the percentage of foreign-born employees who speak English.

TABLE 108.-Per cent of foreign-born employees who speak English, by sex, age at time of coming to the United States, and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 200 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all non-English-speaking races.]

a Not computed, owing to smell number involved.

Of 12,874 foreign-born employees who are reported, 65.5 per cent speak English. Of those who were under 14 years of age at the time of coming to the United States 99.1 per cent speak English, and of the employees who were 14 years of age or over at the time of their arrival 60.6 per cent speak English. The Bohemians and Moravians, Danes, Lithuanians, and Swedes show 100 per cent of those who were under 14 years of age at time of arrival who can speak English, the Germans, the Poles, and the Magyars showing somewhat smaller proportions having this ability. Of those who were 14 years of age or over at the time of coming, the Danes and Swedes show over 95 per cent, the Germans over 80 per cent, the Bohemians and Moravians, Greeks and Lithuanians over 50 per cent, as contrasted with less than

40 per cent of the Magyars, Russians, and Slovaks, and slightly over 40 per cent of the Poles, who can speak English. In the total, irrespective of age at time of coming to the United States, the Danes show the highest percentage and the Slovaks the lowest percentage who can speak English.

In the group showing persons under 14 and 14 years of age or over at the time of coming to the United States, and in the total, the foreign-born male employees show a higher percentage who speak English than do the foreign-born female employees.

The progress made by employees of non-English-speaking races in acquiring the ability to speak English after stated periods of residence in this country is exhibited by the following table, which shows, by sex, years in the United States, and race, the percentage of foreign-born employees who speak English.

TABLE 109.-Per cent of foreign-born employees who speak English, by sex, years in the United States, and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[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 200 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all nonEnglish-speaking races.

MALE.