A Social Study of the Russian German 47 
quired, crowds of voters could be rounded up on short notice and 
the age of those ineligible could be conveniently stretched to suit 
the occasion. The care taken under the new law to establish 
the exact age of the applicant now results in a number of denials 
of citizenship on the ground that the declarant was under 21 years 
of age. Misrepresentation of age to school authorities is the 
most flagrant abuse locally and the Russian German is the chief 
sinner, not because he is primarily dishonest, but because the 
state through its neglect aids him in evading a law with which he 
is not in sympathy. 
id Birt Rates 
It has been previously pointed out that every condition among 
the Russian Germans in Lincoln is favorable to a high birth rate. 
Although comprising less than one seventh of the total population 
of the city, the proportion of Russian German births to the total 
number of births in the city was 25.2 per cent. in 1912; 20.7 per 
cent. in 1913; and 32.3 per cent. in 1914.14 The phenomenon of 
a decreasing native population of native parentage in a community 
where the foreigner is a comparatively recent comer is here 
demonstrated. The increase from one fourth to one third the 
total births does not mean that the birth rate among the Russian 
Germans is rising at that ratio but that the Russian German 
population increased more rapidly, through immigration, during 
these years than did the population of the city as a whole. 
14 Birth Records of the City of Lincoln. The degree to which the public 
health reports are deficient is shown by a comparison of the number of 
births recorded at the health office and the number of christenings in the 
various Russian German churches: 
Year Health Records | Gee Year Health Records Cie 
1902 46 134 1909 168 273 
1903 61 168 IQIO 230 304 
1904 63 188 IQII 204 327 
1905 76 198 IQI2 201 339 
1906 99 220 IQI3 336 358 
I907 139 291 IQI4 390 382 
1908 150 | 278 Total... 2,319 3,460 
173 
