THE COMPOSITE OF RACES AND RELIGIONS IN AMERICA. 



239 



such for instance as the careful investigation into the immi- 

 grant's personal and family history, his admission depending upon 

 a favourable report. The whole problem will be solved 

 satisfactorily, and without question the United States will con- 

 tinue, not for charity's sake, but lor the sake of mutual advantage, 

 to receive the incoming immigrant and to transform him by 

 constantly increased etticiency into the true American 

 citizen. 



AVhat kind of composite will he be in race and religion ? 



The process of course is only in its beginning. The final 

 proiluct will not appear for a long time to come. Yet it has 

 gone on long enough to permit of observation and rational 

 prediction. The composite will be a genuine composite — 

 remarkably varied in characteristics, remarkably rich and 

 fruitful in its possibihties. This because almost every race on 

 the globe will have contributed souiething in culture, disposition, 

 interest, aptitude, blood and religion to the product. The 

 composite will be richer and more complete than any one 

 constituent element because the development will be under 

 conditions most favourable for race building and perfecting. As 

 the people of Great Britain, themselves a composite, are to-day 

 perhaps the finest, fairest, most conscientious, altruistic, forceful 

 and tremendously vital race in world affairs, so after a little the 

 sceptre will pass over into America, because that people will 

 not alone possess the idealistic, altruistic, dynamic qualities of 

 the Anglo-Saxon, but in addition the very best of all the other 

 peoples who are to-day contributing so vitally to the production 

 of the new racial and religious composite in America. 



1. The Biological Composite. 



This is perhaps the least important aspect of the prublem. 

 We shall be brief in its discussion. The quotation given touched 

 upon certain physical changes which are probable. In this 

 matter the biologist must largely indulge in prophecy. He has 

 had little opportunity for genuinely scientific study of such 

 fusion. Perhaps he would even say that, biologically, fusion 

 seems contra natv.ram ; yet the process is assuredly going on 

 under his eyes in America. 



Only in small communities has it proceeded far enough to 

 permit of observation. In the State of Iowa, for instance, in a 

 Bohemian settlement another generation will witness almost 

 complete fusion with the genuine American stock. A complete 

 mixture, however, nowhere exists as yet. Perhaps the nearest 



