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