THE DECLINING BIRTH RATE 125 
registration has recently become compulsory and a few special 
investigations relative to this subject. 
In Rhode Island in 1905, 82.5 per cent of foreign born married 
women were mothers (15.5 per cent childless), while in the native 
American wives 71.6 per cent were mothers (28.4 per cent 
childless). The average number of children born to foreign born 
married women was 3.35, while the average number among native 
born married women was 2.06. Since 1885 the average number of 
children per foreign born married woman decreased from 4.69 to 
3-35, or 28.6 per cent while the average number per native born 
married woman fell from 2.81 to 2.06, or 26.7 per cent. 
In Massachusetts in 1900-1905 there were 143 births per 1,000 
foreign born women of 15-44 years, while among native born 
women of the same age limits there were only 63 births. Mr. 
A. H. Young finds in New Hampshire a situation very similar to 
what occurs in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. At ages under 
20 years the birth rate of foreign born wives exceeded that of 
native born by only about one-fourth, but at ages from 25 to 34 
years the birth rate of foreign born wives was over double that 
of the native wives. The birth rates of married women of child- 
bearing ages are shown in the following table taken from data of 
the U. S. Census: 
Fecundity of Women in New Hampshire 
1890 | 1900 
Native white married women, 15-45 years............ 35,717|30,829 
Children under 1 year from native born mothers... ....| 3,575] 3,985 
PEP Cent wiser be stow ie BNy be daieeee web eeu nee 10.0] 10.8 
Foreign born white married women, 15-45 years....... 11,793|16,093 
Children under 1 year from foreign born mothers.. ...] 2,759] 4,054 
Pet Celts: icc pincanceiongng sai tak oan seyenew ne 23.4] 25.2 
The state registration statistics give the average annual 
number of births per thousand married women of 15-45 years 
from 1898-1902 as 115.3 for the native born women, and 236.8 
for the foreign born women. The presence of a large French- 
