Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-08-28
THE TIDE OF IMMIGRATION.

America is like great gulf or ocean, into
which the population of the whole civilized
world is constantly pouring. One hundred
years ago the inhabitants of this country re-
garded England as the mother country. This
was the case with respect to the majority OF
the people at that time. 1t is not true to-day.
Every nation of any note is represented in
America. Annually, thousandsemigrate from
the different nations of Europe to the northern
and northwestern sections Of the new world.
At present, as it was when the Scotch, Irish,
English and French first settled in South
Carolina, all seem to agree and harmonic
with the utmost facility. What will be the
final result of this commingling of different
nationalities, no one can certainly predict.
There are some consequences which we may
with some degree of certainty expect. If
there is any thing in the manners and customs
of the people of this country which may be
called American, this will eventually be
changed. When the thirteen colonies were
organized, the prevailing type of American
civilization was English, and the language Of
camp and court was English. The English
feature of the manners and customs of the
people of America has been so blended with
the manners and customs of other nations,
that there's now, perhaps, as much difference
between the manners and customs of the
American people and the English, as there is
between the English and French. The origi-
nal type has been obscured by multitude of
others. The effect of so many different dia-
lectsu upon the English language has been very
great This any one can discover by COM
pairing American periodicals with those of
England. The lettersan words are the same,
but the dialect is not. The change in our
literature in the future will be more rapid and
more thorough than it has been in the past.
In some of our large Cities individuals may
live for years and not be able to speak one
word of English, and yet experience no great
inconvenience. The same is true Of some Sec
tions of the country. The settlers speak their
vernacular tongue and they teach it to their
children.
What will be the ultimate effect upon the
English by bringing so many languages and
dialects into close and continual contact with
it, no one can tell. We may safely say it will
be very great. 1t is more than probable that
in the course of a few decades, there will be
sections of country in America that will not
use the English language at all. America,
in the course of comparatively short time,
may present, so far as its language is concern
ed, such spectacle as is presented by some
portions of continental Europe, each pro-
vince using language in many features pc
culiar to ITSELF In fact, it is not improbable
that should things 60 on as they have COM
menced, that new dialect may be formed in
America taking the English as base. This
was the case in the Roman Empire, which
may be regarded as the prototype of American
institutions. All the different dialects of con-
tinental Europe are either, directly or indi-
rectly, in part or in whole, derived from the
old Latin language. 1t is not impossible that
something similar may take place in America.
This may seem a visionary notion, but we
think different All the impediments to i'm
migration have been removed by the abolition
of African slavery, and the probability is that
the tide will be increased. Thenext ten years
will increase the population of America more
than any previous ten, and the increase will
continue until the vast and unmeasured terri
tories of the United States are settled. These
territories cannot be populated by American
born citizens in the next two hundred years.
We may safely conclude that they will be
thickly settled in less time than that The
only way will be by immigrants. 1t is more
than probable that in less than fifty years, if
peace continues on the American continent, a
very large number of the inhabitants of Asia
will cross the Pacific and take up their per-
manent abode in our country. 1t is scarcely