Some Pioneers and Pilgrims on the Prairies of Dakota: Or, From the Ox Team to the AeroplaneReese, John B.
History
Some Pioneers and Pilgrims on the Prairies of Dakota: Or, From the Ox Team to the Aeroplane
Reese, John B.
Frontier and pioneer life -- South Dakota
"Boston, Dec. 16. President Charles W. Elliot, who in an address
before the Economic Club of this city has declared in favor of an
unrestricted immigration and proclaimed the ability of this country to
'digest' the newcomers of every religion, education and nationality,
has been at the head of Harvard University since 1869, was a graduate
of that institution in the class of 1853, and holds the degree of
LL.D. from Williams, Princeton and Yale. He is considered one of the
highest living authorities in his specialty of chemistry and has
written many scientific works."
Permit me to offer a word of caution in this connection regarding
certain tendencies and attitudes toward the immigrant which are
working just the opposite result from what is intended.
There is that splendid movement inaugurated during the war--the
Americanization movement. Many, and I would like to believe most of
the workers in this movement, approach the recent immigrant with
understanding and respect and not with that disgusting provincial type
of mind and patronizing air which we see here and there. Now it should
be said very emphatically that any one who regards himself as a
superior being merely because born on this side of the Atlantic and
the immigrant as an inferior because born on the other side, should
keep his or her hands off Americanization if for no other reason, for
this one: They are not themselves in any true sense Americans, lacking
both the American spirit and ideals. It is such sociological tinkerers
that often de-Americanize more immigrants than the others can
Americanize. These recent comers are as keen to detect a patriotic
sham as any native, and their disgust and resentment of it is
profound. And the inevitable result is that they will judge the
country by its supposed representatives.
Even such organization as the American Legion and Home Guards should
refrain from every appearance of functioning as spies and censors of
the immigrant or even of organizations which may be considered radical
so long as they do not clearly advocate lawlessness or violence.
Yellow paint, personal violence and breaking up of peaceable
assemblies, in short, lawlessness, such as has already taken place
over the country, will not tend to teach regard for law or love for
country on the part of the victims. A mother cannot gain the love of a
child or even respect by the abuse of force, neither can a government
or organization inculcate patriotism by petty persecution and abuse.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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