The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-08-19
THE GERMAN ELEMENT.
From the Advance

custom OF American politicians to fiatter
German American voters. The average
of thrift and lecuniary honesty among
them is high, and to the practical Ameri-
can mind these traits commend them
selves with sufficient force A little
friendly plainness of speech, how yer.
would now and then do good, and the
/ pity is that it is not oftener INDUCED in.
Carl Heinzen, editor of the Boston Pto-
neer and leading mind among our Ger
man born citizens, has recently given a
! tardy but emphatic warning TO his coun-
trymen against their national fault OF
| beer drinking. Mr.. fieinzen declares,
what many believe. that but for the sod
den stupetaction and indifference engen-
dered among the mass of European Ger
mans by their habit of constant and ex-
cessiye drink. Germany, would to-day
have been united and prosperous repub-
lie, instead of the stronghold OF mon,
arehy and presenptiye rule. W bile the
German universities are the birth plac OF
philosophy and the home of the highest
mental culture, the peasant, the middle
classes of the German people manifest an
intellectual lethargy and Il spiritual tor
pidity that constitute the least hopeful
phase ofthe Teutonic character. Its from
the peasant class thatthe German element
in our population is chiefly reinforced by
immigration. The cultivated and the we'll
to-do naturally remain where they are al
ready sufficiently prosperous and where
| they are held In social esteem. Those
who have only memories OF oppression
and pecuniary hardship to bind them to
! Fatherland are easily induced to cross the
Atlantic. But they bring their habits
with them. and against their distinguish
| ing habit of continuous beer and wine
drinking, their countryman, Mr.. Helnzen,
has not made his protest moment too
soon.
In material way German immigration
has undoubtedly been gain to the
United States but it is too apparent that,
morally and spiritually, the net result
has been a lowering of the tone, temper
and standard Of our national character.
This would not be matter for so serious
regret were we sure of having given to
our German brother as much as they
have taken from US. But the spread of
drinking and convivial habits, and the
diffusion of atheistic notions among our
people, which are traceable largely to
German influence, have injured AmerI-
10 an American, who usually lives for
something, either good or bad, it is sin
gular fact that majority of the Germans
who come among US seem to make a
selfish, animal enjoyment the central
fact Of life. All other things have signi-
icnance as they tend to promote or
restrict this physical qualification. Such
a state of things must be fatal to intel
lan ~ CO
growth Of the soul need not be thought
of In the same connection; 1T Is utterly
out of the question. The list of emf
ought to be much longer than it Is.
There is some thing wrong. Every
possible opportunity for advancement is
given, but the capacity is wanting, and
wanting not betause OF any parsiu1ony
on the part of nature, but because of
the enervating and Supplying habit of
life inherited and maintained by most
talented Germans. Nearly every Ger
man who in this country has reached an
honorable distinction In letters, politics
or war, has lived temperately and refus-
ed to saturate his brain either with yeast
or alcohol The mind that is constant
ly kept in an atmosphere of malt cannot
do good work Beer and wine stand no
chance with water In the race of life, and
the mass of Germans who come to Amerl-
ca must choose. between the unbrldled
indulgence of an animal appetite, result
ing in social, intellectual and political
incompetency, on the one hand, and on
the other that degree OF temperance and
clear headedness with out which no
people can keep abreast of their fellows.
In politics our German element when
united is formidable on account OF its
numbers onlv-a sort of political avoir
dupois. 1t is not the recognized and dis
tinctive champion of a single princi pie
that has either strength or perpetulty,
although a majority of our German clti-
zens, as individuals, have continued true
to the leading ideas of Republicanism
during the past ten years, and have thus
done good service. When we recall the
record made by thousands of Germans in
our late Army of Freedom, and the stur-
diness with which the mass of them
stood by the Union at the polls, we only
regret the more that so many OF them
should in time of peace unwllIngly be
source of danger to The very principles
and institutions they fought and voted to
preserve. 1t is noticeable circumstance
that the German element of our popula
ton rarely makes public movement, or
in any way comes before the community
as distinct nationality, except when
making a crusade agalns Temperance
or the Sunday Laws. These people,
our brothers, who came to US as fugltlves
from despotism and starvation across the
sea, in their blindness strive to destroy
the very foundation on which rests our
y ~
of liberty and prosperity for all. When
ever a majority of the American people
shall adopt the philosophy and the habits
urged upon them from German sources.
substituting Epicurism for Christianity,
and turning the Sabbath into day of
carousal, the Republic will be at an end.
Our Puritan ancestors committed some
errors Of detail which the present gene
ration of Americans do not propose to
defend or perpetuate, but our Puritan
ancestors did not blunder when, in laying
the foundations of this nation, they as
sumed that among those things without
which a free and just government could
not long exist, were the ascendence Of
mans spiritual nature over his gross ami
NAL a petities, which we call temperance,
and the decent observance of one day In
seven as day of rest and growth, and
not of noisy debaUchery.
These are not words of upbraiding, but
Of friendly counsel. Nither does our
language apply to the thousand of Ger
man-American citizens who regret and
condemn, while they do not share, the SEN
timents and practices of SO maty Of their
countrymen.
4 Lone RoUTE-We find the follow
ing paragraph in an exchange
"A small steamer left Baltimore on
Thursday for louisiana, by way of New
York, the Hudson river, the Erie Canal,
tba yFoctarn I,los tho Foy opd XViSeon-