CHARACTERISTICS OF IMMIGRANTS 
39 
most important factor of the entire immigration 
question. In this regard, too, the difference be 
tween the old immigration and the new is quite note 
worthy, altho not so great as in some other respects, 
7i-3 per cent, of the returning immigrants of the old 
immigration, of the years 1908 to 1910 inclusive, being 
of those immigrants who have been in this country five 
years or less, while 83 per cent, of the new immigra 
tion had been in this country during that brief time. 
The distinction of the sexes also is noteworthy, 
emphasizing again the fact that it is among the 
newer immigrants that we find by far the largest 
proportion of those workers who come here with 
out their families, with the intention of returning 
to Europe for their place of permanent abode. 
Among returning immigrants of the old immigration 
63.6 per cent, were males, whereas of those of the 
new immigration not less than 85.4 per cent, were 
males. It seems that of all the immigrants coming 
into this country at least one-third returned to 
Europe, and in the years just preceding the war ap 
proximately two-thirds of all those who returned to 
Europe remained there. This migratory tendency, 
of the new immigration especially, has doubtless a 
most important influence upori the difficulty of 
assimilation of the immigrants into the great body 
of American citizens, and is a factor that should not 
be overlooked in estimating the influence of the 
different races upon our country. 
Probably the large majority of the immigrants from 
Europe who later return thither leave in this country, 
as the result of their toil, an increase of wealth con 
siderably greater than that which they take with them, 
as the result of their savings, for investment in their