ABSTRACT
The demographic phenomena presented by the Jews in various countries are very instructive. In addition to the fact that no uniformity can be observed, which practically excludes ethnic causes, they are also valuable in giving a striking picture of social conditions of Jews in various parts of the world. The demographic phenomena of Jews may be taken as an index of their social, economic, and intellectual conditions, which again are mostly dependent on their political position in the countries in which they live. Sociological works, particularly in England and America, abound in descriptions of characteristics of the Jewish workman. The high proportion of Jewish students in universities and high schools is not at all an indication of a "greater thirst for knowledge" of Jewish youth. It must be borne in mind when considering social conditions in Eastern Europe, that the bulk of the non-Jewish population belongs to an agricultural class which rarely send its children to high schools and universities.
