Speech #590092336

It appears from this table. taken from the book by Hall. to which I have before referred. that of the southern Italians 62 per cent of the males and 74 per cent of the females who arrived in that city in that year did not know a letter in the book. of the Poles so arriving that 36 per cent of the males and 48 per cent of the females were illiterate. of the Lithuanians it was found that 66 percent of the males and 78 per cent of the females were utterly unedu"cated. and of the Syrians 55 per cent of the males and 81 per cent of the females could not read and write. Mr. President. this is the character of immigrants who are coming to our country at this time. or at least 66J per cent of the immigration that is flowing into this country today is made up of this class of people Mr. President. I do not want to be understood as meaning that an uneducated manan unlettered manmay not. under certain circumstances and conditions. make a good citizen. that he may not make. in some cases. among the best of citizens.