’ EUROPEANS IN UNITED STATES—RIPLEY. 599 
Italian. Marriages of Italian mothers and American-born fathers 
produced 2,747; while, conformably to the law already set forth, no 
less than 23,076 had Italian fathers and native-born mothers. There 
still remained 12,523 with Italian fathers, and mothers of some other 
non-American nationality; and 3,911 with Italian mothers, and 
fathers neither American nor Italian born. Thus of the 484,000 
Italian contingent nearly one-tenth proved to be of mixed descent. 
For the city of Boston, special inquiry showed that 236 Italians in 
a colony of 7,900 were of mixed parentage, with predominantly Irish 
tendencies. 
Mixed marriages are, of course, relatively infrequent; but at all 
events, as in these cases, constitute a beginning. Sometimes they 
occur oftener, especially in the great centers of population where 
all are herded together in close order. Thus in a census made in 
New York of the oldest part of the city south of Wall and Pine 
streets to the Battery by the Federation of Churches, out of 307 
families completely canvassed it appeared that 49 were characterized 
by mixed marriages. This proportion of 1 in 6 is certainly too 
high for an average; but it is nearly equaled by the rather unreliable 
data afforded by the mortality statistics of old New York for 1906, 
showing the parentage of descendants. This gave a proportion of 
1 to 8 as of mixed descent. How many of those called mixed were 
only offspring of unions of first and second generations of the 
same people is not, however, made clear. Some good authorities, 
such as Dr. Maurice Fischberg, do not hesitate to affirm that even 
for the Jews, as a people, there is far more intermarriage with the 
gentile population than is commonly supposed. In Boston the most 
frequent form of intermarriage, perhaps, is between the Jewish men 
and Trish or Irish-American women. 
A few general observations upon the subject of racial intermixture 
may now be permitted. Is the result likely to be a superior or an 
inferior type? Will the future American two hundred years hence 
be better or worse, as a physical being, because of his mongrel origin? 
The greatest confusion of thinking is permitted upon this topic. 
Evidence to support both sides of the argument is to be had for the 
seeking. For the continent of Europe it is indubitable that the 
highly mixed populations of the British Isles, of northern France, 
of the valley of the Po, and of southern Germany are superior in 
many ways to those of outlying or inaccessible regions where greater 
purity of type prevails. But the mere statement of these facts car- 
ries proof of the partial weakness of the reasoning. Why should 
not the people of the British Isles, the Isle de France, and of the 
Po Valley be the best in Europe? Have they not enjoyed every ad- 
vantage which a salubrity of climate and fertility of soil can afford ? 
Was it not, indeed, the very existence of these advantages which ren- 
45745°—sm 1909——89 
