FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283  
284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308   >>   >|  
ept at the top and over-rewarded if he is unworthy) is essential to eugenics; but it is quite incompatible with the existence within the state of a number of isolated groups, some of which must inevitably and properly be considered inferior. It is certain that, at the present time in this country, no Negro can take a place in the upper ranks of society, which are and will long remain white. The fact that this situation is inevitable makes it no less unfortunate for both Negro and white races; consolation can only be found in the thought that it is less of a danger than the opposite condition would be. But this condition of class discrimination is likely to exist, to a much less extent it is true, in every city where there are foreign-born and native-born populations living side by side, and where the epithets of "Sheeny," "Dago," "Wop," "Kike," "Greaser," "Guinea," etc., testify to the feeling of the older population that it is superior. While eugenic strength in a state is promoted by variety, too great a heterogeneity offers serious social difficulties. It is essential if America is to be strong eugenically that it slow down the flood of immigrants who are not easily assimilable. At present a state of affairs is being created where class distinctions are likely to be barriers to the promotion of individual worth--and equally, of course, to the demotion of individual worthlessness. Even if an immigration is not assimilated, then, it yet has an indirect effect on eugenics. But there are other indirect effects of immigration, which are quite independent of assimilation: they inhere in the mere bulk and economic character of the immigration. The arrivals of the past few decades have been nearly all unskilled laborers. Professor Carver believes that continuous immigration which enters the ranks of labor in larger proportion and the business and professional classes in a smaller proportion than the native-born will produce the following results: 1. Distribution. It will keep competition more intense among laborers and less intense among business and professional men: it will therefore raise the income of the employing classes and lower the wages of unskilled labor. 2. Production. It will give a relatively low marginal productivity to a typical immigrant and make him a relatively unimportant factor in the production of wealth. 3. Organization of industry. Immigrants can only be employed economically at low wages an
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283  
284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

immigration

 

intense

 

laborers

 

unskilled

 

native

 

business

 
condition
 

classes

 
professional
 
proportion

indirect

 
present
 
essential
 

eugenics

 
individual
 

equally

 
distinctions
 

created

 
worthlessness
 

decades


demotion

 
promotion
 

barriers

 

assimilation

 

effect

 

independent

 

effects

 

inhere

 

arrivals

 

character


economic

 

assimilated

 

results

 
typical
 
immigrant
 

productivity

 

marginal

 

Production

 

unimportant

 

factor


Immigrants

 

employed

 
economically
 

industry

 
Organization
 
production
 

wealth

 
employing
 
smaller
 

produce