THE COMPOSITE OF RACES AND RELIGIONS IN AMERICA. 233 



by the facts. Charles Benedict Davenport, in the interesting 

 cliapter of his most vahiable work recently published, " Here- 

 dity in Eelation to Eugenics," in which lie deals with migrations 

 and their eugenic significance, selects the year 1820 for this 

 purpose. At this time the population was about 9,000,000, 

 of which not more than 350,000 in a period of over two 

 centuries were foreign-born. It is obvious that no people in 

 Christendom could be more completely liomogeneous than were 

 the people of the United States at that time. If any people 

 anywhere could be charged with the responsibility of absorbing 

 into itself and thoroughly assimilating large numbers of 

 immigrants, it would be America at this period. 



I venture, however, for our purpose to move forward this date 

 another sixty years to 1880, because until then immigration into 

 America was never either large enough or alien enough to cause any 

 apprehension or raise any serious inquiry as to the final outcome. 

 Except for some social, political, or religious disturbance or 

 other untoward condition in Europe the fiow was steady, the 

 quality healthy, and the effect was most beneficial. Not until 

 1842, (lid the number reach 100,000 persons in a twelve-munth. 

 Three of these stvells of immigration deserve mention. 



In 1846 the famine in Ireland sent to America over 1,000,000 

 within a period of five years, with the result that from that 

 time on such emigration as went from Ireland naturally came 

 to America. 



Again, a social revolt in Germany, about 1850, sent to 

 America some 150,000 Germans each twelve months for a period 

 of several years. 



Further, beginning in 1866, at the close of our Civil War, 

 Scandinavian immigration began, reached its maximum in 1880 

 with about 100,000 persons, and finally settled down to about 

 50,000 annually, so continuing to this day. 



Thus, not only did all immigration practically cease for the 

 seventy years preceding 1820, but in the years following up to 

 1880, the United Kingdom, Germany and Scandinavia — the 

 United Kingdom providing the greater part — sent to America 

 only some 6,000,000 persons. When we reflect upon the fact 

 that during this period, owing to the continued net fecundity of 

 the native population, the total population in 1880 reached 

 50,000,000, it is obvious that the people at this time were 

 scarcely less homogeneous than in 1820. We may, therefore, 

 carry forward the date from 1820 to 1880 without seriously 

 affecting the result. 



The next important fact is that by this time the country was 



