TEE DECLINING BIRTH RATE. 361 



shall be eliminated as much as possible? Otherwise the upper classes 

 would tend to be obliterated by the competition of the lower classes. 



To sum up, then, we may say that the study of the statistics avail- 

 able in the light of recent theories of population gives us a reasonable 

 understanding of the natural increase of the population. Statistics 

 show that in Massachusetts at least the native population which in- 

 cludes the upper classes is losing ground. That this loss is due to the 

 effort necessary to maintain or raise the social position caused by 

 strong competition is shown by the fact that the marriage rate as well 

 as the birth rate is low. This competition is caused largely by the 

 influx of foreigners who tend to compete with the natives, but do not 

 share with them the dread of lowering the social standard. If the 

 increased population came wholly from within the state, the population 

 would tend to regulate itself automatically, but when the increase is 

 largely imposed upon a state from without, and this foreign element 

 reproduces itself rapidly it may have a serious influence upon the 

 native population without being very apparent. The economic question 

 is by no means the most important one to consider in the problem of 

 immigration. It is a race question and the birth rate shows the racial 

 group that is to survive. If, however, it is found that the stratum of 

 society which has the highest development tends to be blotted out by 

 the increase of the lower strata, the cause of progress will demand that 

 the course of natural selection be interfered with by removing the 

 continual external pressure on the native stock. 



