24-8 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



" Then came the foreigner, making his way into the little vil- 

 lage, bringing, small blame to him, not only a vastly lower stand- 

 ard of living, but too often an actual present incapacity even to 

 understand the refinements of life and thought in the community 

 in which he sought a home. Our people had to look upon houses 

 that were mere shells for human habitations, the gate unhung, 

 the shutters flapping or falling, green pools in the yard, babes 

 and young children rolling about half naked or worse neglected, 

 dirty, unkempt. "Was there not in this sentimental reason some- 

 thing strong enough to give a shock to the principle of popula- 

 tion?" 



The native of that time was utterly unable to compete in dirt 

 and degradation with the low Irish and European peasantry. He 

 lost heart and interest ; in many cases he sank to the level of his 

 competitor ; and even when he did not actually sink in his per- 

 sonal habits, he had not the same high incentives as before. 



It is a remarkable fact and should be remembered that in New 

 England, which received scarcely any immigration between 1640 

 and 1820, the greatest growth of population ever known in Amer- 

 ica took place. The IsTew-Englanders overflowed their borders, 

 and settled a large part of western New York, the Western Re- 

 serve of Ohio, the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania, and hun- 

 dreds of towns and counties in the far West. Some years ago the 

 number of people of New England origin was estimated at a third 

 of the whole population. The place of strongest nativism was the 

 place of the most rapid growth. 



Washington was much impressed in 179G with the overflow of 

 the New-Englanders. " Their numbers are not augmented by 

 foreign emigrants ; yet from their circumscribed limits, compact 

 situation, and natural population, they are filling the western 

 parts of the State of New York and the country on the Ohio with 

 their own surplusage." (Works, vol. xii, p. 323.) 



Madison was in favor of immigration, but in 1820 he could not 

 help noticing the wonderful increase of New England without 

 the aid of the foreigner. "It is worth remarking that New 

 England, which has sent out such a continued swarm to other 

 parts of the Union for a number of years, has continued at 

 the same time, as the census shows, to increase in popula- 

 tion, although it is well known that she has received but com- 

 paratively few immigrants from any quarter." (Works, vol. iii, 

 p. 213.) 



It has been suggested that the correspondence in time between 

 the increase of immigration and the decrease of the rate of growth 

 does not necessarily imply a relation of cause and effect, because it 

 can be accounted for by the fact that advanced civilization always 

 lessens the rate of childbearing and the rate of increase of popu- 



