XVII
33°
ASSIMILATION AND PROGRESS
Process of Assimilation Slow
Progress in the development of social institutions,
of whatever nature, is necessarily slow. Such institu
tions are in good part the result of the influence of
the environment, natural and social, and in conse
quence any change in social or economic conditions is
likely to bring about a modification of the social
structure very slowly. Moreover, every people is
loath to change materially the nature of its institu
tions. In consequence, when new races of persons
from countries with different customs, come as immi
grants, it is desirable that as soon as possible they
shall adjust themselves to the new conditions and
adapt themselves to the social, political and industrial
institutions of their adopted country—in other words,
that they become assimilated.
BENEFITS FROM IDEAS OF IMMIGRANTS
This fact does not preclude the possibility of immi
grants bringing with them from their homeland some
ideas that may gradually be worked into the structure
of the institutions of their adopted country in such a
way as to improve those institutions, but any such
change, as a matter of fact, must be slow and, gener
ally speaking, such changes will be few. It is largely
on this account that when the immigrant race is wide
ly different in appearance and customs from that of the