The Immigrant Tide, Its Ebb and FlowSteiner, Edward Alfred
History
The Immigrant Tide, Its Ebb and Flow
Steiner, Edward Alfred
United States -- Emigration and immigration
When the Jamestown Albanians scattered as far east as Natick, Mass., and
as far west as St. Louis, Mo., their old friends aroused interest in
them everywhere. In Natick, Mass., a devoted pastor, Rev. Morris H.
Turk, has matched the Jamestown work for these "twentieth century
pilgrims" as he calls them. He has learned enough Albanian to lead in
devotions, and has fitted out a chapel with chancel, altar and pictures.
"We began," he says, "where the Greek Orthodox church left off. We
secured some Albanian hymn-books from Monastir, and thus we were enabled
to conduct a somewhat formal religious service, largely in the Albanian
language. Socials, entertainments, receptions, picnics and other
diversions supplement the religious and educational work done at Natick.
"The results have been remarkable. Two of the men are fitting for
college, a dozen or more have blended completely into the parish life,
and best of all, a hundred or more have had the uplift of friendliness
and acquaintance with our American ideals."
Mr. Turk is making a tour of Albania this summer for the express purpose
of rendering his service to these people more effective; to see life
from their view-point and to acquire a better knowledge of their
difficult language.
Mr. Guy J. Fansher writes from Boston, where he has become interested in
them: "Their love of country is very strong and, like the old Hebrew
prophets in Israel and Judah, we find it necessary to carry on whatever
religious work we may wish to do side by side with their love of
country. This same love of country has been evidenced in their
translating of the Orthodox Church ritual into the Albanian and using
that in their church service monthly in a rented hall.
"I found the men apt to stay indoors too closely, so during the winter
gave them work in gymnastics, using dumb-bells, basket-ball, etc. We had
some flash-light pictures taken of these classes, which the boys were
eager to buy and send home.
"The men are close readers of the daily papers, soon get interested in
politics (were strong for Taft), get out naturalization papers as soon
as possible, and are proud to be in America. They soon learn to dress in
neat suits of brown which is very becoming to them with their dark skin
and hair.
"The men seem to have good control of their habits, seldom drinking to
excess; the cigarette is always with them, however; the social vice is
not theirs to any great degree; they are neat about their rooms and do
not crowd together as the Italians or Jews. These things have rather
assisted our work among them; their exceeding shyness has been hard to
overcome; they must be led, not driven."
"They must be led, not driven," and Mr. Baldwin adds: "They must be
trusted, not suspected; loved, and not merely tolerated."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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