CHARACTERISTICS OF IMMIGRANTS 
37 
scarcely suffice for any important change in this re 
gard. Naturally, the chief aim of a person with this 
intention is to put money in his purse; to secure as 
much wealth as possible in this country, not for in 
vestment here but for investment in his home country, 
so that upon his return he may possess a better eco 
nomic and social status. The question, then, of a per 
manent, as compared with a transient, residence in 
the United States becomes a factor of prime impor 
tance in determining the ease of assimilation of the 
various races of immigrants. In this respect an im 
portant distinction is to be made between the races of 
the new immigration and those of the old. 
Our earlier immigration records did not take ac 
count of the aliens leaving United States ports, but 
beginning with 1907 such a record has been kept and 
the figures for the year 1908 are available. Inasmuch 
as in the fall of 1907 there was an industrial crisis 
followed by a period of depression, the return move 
ment during the year 1908 was doubtless greatly 
stimulated, while on the other hand the immigration 
during the earlier part of 1907 was also very large. 
The European emigration, including the Syrians, into 
the United States in the year 1907 showed 22.7 per 
cent, of the old immigration and 77.3 per cent, of the 
new, whereas the difference between the immigrants 
of these two classes leaving the United States in the 
year 1908 was still more striking, those of the old 
immigration numbering only 8.9 per cent., while the 
new formed 91.x per cent. These facts would seem 
to show that the races of peoples composing the older 
immigration are much more largely permanent resi 
dents, whereas a very large proportion of the newer 
immigrants are merely transient dwellers who come