ABSTRACT
The internal structure of the family revolved around the children, while in externals religion played an important role. Catholics, foreign-born and native, were much more thoroughly indoctrinated than either Protestants or Jews. A less strained explanation suggests that the Catholics lived in an area with a high incidence of families on Relief. Most women relied on their neighbors for social contact, but these relations were usually superficial. Thrown back on their own resources, most families were closely tied to relatives. Although many families had no firsthand knowledge of Europe and others had only dim recollections of "the other side," their appraisal of international developments was no better and no worse than most people's. In contrast, most Protestant and Jewish families on Relief lived in neighborhoods where the majority was working. The history of these families can also be culled for interesting findings about the consumption patterns of the low income group.
