CHAPTER V.

GENERAL PROGRESS AND ASSIMILATION.

Citizenship-Ability to speak English-[Text Tables 171 to 175 and General Tables 120 to 122].

CITIZENSHIP.

The extent to which the foreign-born male employees have acquired citizenship, or have taken the preliminary steps, 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 arrival.

TABLE 171.-Present political condition of foreign-born male employees who have been in the United States years or over and who were 21 years of age or over at time of (STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

coming, by race.

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

As showing the interest manifested by the foreign-born male employees of this industry in American citizenship it will be noted that of the 575 employees for whom information was obtained only 43.3 per cent have become fully naturalized, and an additional 15.8

per cent have, by obtaining first papers, declared their intention of becoming citizens of the United States. Of those races the representatives of which are shown in sufficient numbers to admit of comparison it will be noted that the Germans, with 79.7 per cent fully naturalized and an additional 12.2 per cent having first papers only, have manifested greater interest in American citizenship than have the representatives of the Irish, Canadians other than French, South Italians, or Poles, in the order named, the small proportion of Poles having manifested such interest being in striking contrast to the proportion of each of the other races.

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 time of coming to the United States:

TABLE 172.-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 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 races with 100 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

Polish..
Total..

Having
Fully

first

Num-
ber re-
porting
com- Fully
plete natural-

only.

plete natural

com- Fully plete natural

first

data. ized. papers data. ized. papers data. ized. papers

only.

Having
first

Number reporting

Having

only.

Of 575 foreign-born male employees who reported and who have been in the United States five years or over 43.3 per cent are fully naturalized and 15.8 per cent have first papers only. Of those who have been in the United States from five to nine years 6.1 per cent are fully naturalized and 23 per cent have first papers only. Of the foreign-born employees who have been in this country ten years or over 70.7 per cent are fully naturalized and 10.6 per cent have first papers only. Of the Poles who were 21 years of age or over at time of coming 10 per cent who have been in the United States five years or over are fully naturalized and 20 per cent have first papers only. Of those with a residence of from five to nine years none are citizens and only 21.3 per cent have first papers only. Of those who have been in the United States ten years or over 38.7 per are fully naturalized and 16.1 per cent have first papers only.

ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH.

cent

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

TABLE 173.—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.]

Information was obtained concerning 1,753 foreign-born employees in this industry. Of this number 54.4 per cent speak English, the males reporting 59.5 per cent as compared with 9.9 per cent of the females. Without regard to sex, it will be noted that all French Canadians and 95.2 per cent of the Germans speak English. Following the Germans with this ability are the North Italians, who report 60 per cent, a proportion slightly in excess of that shown by the South Italians, largely in excess of that shown by the Slovaks, and very largely in excess of that shown by the Poles and Ruthenians, in the order named. The proportion of males of each race with ability to speak English varies only slightly, when at all, from the proportion shown in the total for all employees. As regards the females, it will be noted that no North Italians and only 7.3 per cent of the Poles as compared with 30 per cent of the Ruthenians are able to speak English. The Ruthenians alone report a proportion of females in excess of the males who are able to speak English. 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 174.-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.]

TABLE 174.-Per cent of foreign-born employees who speak English, by sex, age at time of coming to the United States, and race-Continued.

Of the 1,753 employees for whom information was obtained in this industry, it will be noted that of those who were under 14 years of age at time of coming to the United States, 94.6 per cent, as compared with 50.1 per cent of those who were 14 years of age or over at time of coming, now speak English. As between the South Italians and Poles, the proportion of the former who were under 14 years of age at time of coming to this country and who now speak English, is considerably larger, while the proportion of those who were 14 years of age or over at time of coming and who now speak English is very much larger than the proportion shown by the latter. This same statement is also true of the males of these two races. Because of the small number of South Italian females shown in the above table, the possibility of comparing their ability to speak English with that of the Polish females is precluded. The Polish females, it will be noted, show the same general tendency as do the males, but the proportion of those under 14 and 14 years of age or over at time of coming to the United States, who now speak English, is in each instance very much smaller than the proportion shown by the males.

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 in the table following, which shows by sex, years in the United States, and race, the percentage of foreignborn employees who speak English.

TABLE 175.-Per cent of foreign-born employees who speak English, by sex, years in the United States, and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

This table includes

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. only non-English-speaking races with 200 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all nonEnglish-speaking races.]

Italian, South..

Polish..

Total.

MALE.

As showing the effect of length of residence upon the ability to speak English of foreign-born employees, it will be noted in the above table that of 1,753 employees for whom information was obtained only 29.3 per cent of those in the United States under five years speak English, as compared with 64.3 and 95.7 per cent who have been in the United States from five to nine years and ten years or over, respectively. As between the South Italians and Poles, the former show a much larger proportion with ability to speak English in each specified period of residence than do the latter. As between the males of the South Italian and Polish races, a considerably larger proportion of those of the former than of the latter in each specified period of residence are able to speak English. The ability of each race to speak English increases with each succeeding period of residence. This is true of the females as a whole, and especially true of the females of the Polish race, who report only 3.6 per cent with a residence of under five years, who speak English, as compared with 15 and 60 per cent with a residence of from five to nine years and ten years or over, respectively.