to the Slavic and especially the
Polish colonies visited by the writer in a number of states.

The immigrants already settled in large colonies of one nationality cannot
be redistributed, but they can be reached by other means, one of which is
an efficient public-school system, which is dealt with in later chapters.

Measures should be undertaken for the distribution of the new immigrant
settlers so as to avoid their congregation in large colonies of only one
nationality. The experience of private land dealers and colonization
companies shows that it is not wise to settle a single immigrant family
among native settlers or the settlers of another nationality. Such a
family becomes lonesome and sooner or later leaves the settlement.
Therefore the immigrants must be settled in groups according to their
nationalities.

The question is, how large such national groups must be in order to keep
the settlers in the colony and at the same time to avoid their becoming
clannish and remaining untouched by American influences for a generation
or a number of generations. The observation of the writer and his
interviews on this question with the people engaged in colonization have
led him to the conclusion that such groups ought to be of from five to
fifteen families each, settled in the same neighborhood among either
groups of other nationalities or native settlers.

Such distribution of the immigrant settlers in smaller groups is favored by
the immigrants themselves. As a rule, they are eager to learn American ways
as soon as possible, and usually accede with alacrity to distribution,
provided no violent compulsion is used and they are directed to land where
they are able to make a success by their investment and toil, without being
cheated or exploited. The writer discussed the size of a rural immigrant
group of the same nationality in a number of the immigrant colonies. The
settlers, even the Russian sectarian peasants, believed that if there were
not less than five families in one group no loneliness would be
experienced. If there were no more than ten or fifteen families there would
be no danger of their becoming clannish and self-sufficient, for they would
of necessity have to deal with other groups and intermingle with them for
both business and social purposes.

A rigid selection of settlers on the basis of their ability to farm and
to stay on the farm is of prime importance. Among the applicants for
farms in new colonies