168 FISHBERG 



Each ot these data was recorded on a specially prepared 

 card for each individual, which made it afterwards easy to classify, 

 and compute the figures in various groups. 



Method of Investigation of the American Jews. 



The main aim of this investigation has been to gather mate- 

 rials for a comparison of the somatic characters of the Jews 

 within the races and peoples among which they have lived before 

 they have emigrated to the United States. The nativity of 

 the Jews under consideration has therefore been considered not 

 by geographical or political boundaries, but as far as was possi- 

 ble to ascertain, by ethnic conditions of their native countries. 

 When one stated that his nativity was Russia, he was also asked 

 in which province (government) of the empire he was born. 

 As is well known, 93.9 percent of the 5, 189,400^ Jews in Russia, 

 live in what is known as the ** Pale of Settlement." This com- 

 prises 25 provinces in western and southern Russia, and Poland. 

 The indigenous population of this region consists mainly as fol- 

 lows ; In Poland the Poles ; in western Russia we have the 

 White-Russians in the provinces of Minsk, Mohileff and 

 Witebsk ; and the Letts and Lithuanians in the provinces of 

 Wilna, Kovno and Grodno ; the Little- Russians in Vohlin, 

 Kieff, Podolia, Poltava, Tchernigoff, Bessarabia, Cherson, etc. 

 It must however be remembered that while the predominating 

 ethnic elements in these provinces are as indicated, still in many 

 parts ethnic conditions are not so simple. Some parts of Rus- 

 sian Poland have a large population of White-Russians and 

 Lithuanians and the reverse ; In south and southwest the major- 

 ity of the natives are Little- Russians, but in Bessarabia, parts 

 of Podolia, etc., a fair number of Wallachians, Roumanians, etc. 

 are encountered and further south, many Tartars. To obviate 

 as far as possible all these disturbing factors, and to make the 

 best of the situation, it was considered best to divide the Russian 

 Jews into three groups : (i) Polish Jews, from the ten Polish 

 provinces ; (2) Lithuanian and White-Russian Jews, from Kovno, 



' Census of Russia, 1897. 



