Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-07
TRANSATLANTIC EUROPEANS IN
AMERICA

One of the best articles printed on
the subject of transplanting an average
of about three hundred thousand Eu-
ropeans on and into American soil
every year, is from the pen of lady,
Mrs. Helen NJ. Bernard, in an official
report to the Secretary of the Treasury,
under date of December i, 1873. Mrs.
Barnard was appointed early in June
last to investigate the treatment re-
ceived.by women, children and other
emigrants from Great Britain, Ireland
and the Continent 10 this country. She
visited Liverpool ard other cities, from
which large numbers of emigrants to
the United States take ship to cross the
Atlantic. She took Storage passage
on her return from Europe without the
officers of the steamer knowing her OBJ
ject. 1t was a ship of the Inman Line
to New York, and brought one hun
dred and ten emigrant passengers,
made up of English, Germans, Rus
slams, Swedes, French and Irish.
The report says, ''for fourteen days 1
did not cross the forbidden bar which
divides the cabin from the steerage
deck. / ate, slept and remained there
all of that period" This was an adj
mirable way to learn how this import
ant work is done, without exaggeration
on one side by sea-sick land people
closely packed in their sleeping accom-
modations, and OF the other side, by
mistatements by owners of ships, per-
haps unseaworthy, or sound vessels in
command Of tyrants with rascally sub
ordinates. How this class of passen-
gers fare is thus stated:
Upon the observations and investi-
cations made have the honor to re-
port that thetreatment of Storage pas
sengers on the responsible and respect
able English and German lines is gem
orally good, judged by the popular
standard of what Is due the poor and
ignorant classes in return for value
given by. them; that the food, though
of the plainest and most inexpensive
kind, was good and wholesome in quail
ity and sufficient in quantity. For
breakfast they gave fresh bread and
butter, hot coffee and oatmeal porridge.
Fordinner, nutritious soup, either salt or
fresh beef, boiled potatoes, varied on
Friday by fish. For supper, bread and
butter, with tea and oatmeal porridge
In addition, beef tea was served dur
ing the day to the sick"
The sleeping accommodations are not
so free from criticism. The ventilation
of German steamers is not so good as
that Of the English, perhaps owing to
the known activity of English philan-
thropists. An analysis Of the air in the
storage of the City of New York was
made by hanging small walls of per-
manganate Of potassium In different
parts of the cabins and compartments,
which showed the state of purity of the
atmosphere by change of color. The
Storage cabins were thoroughly wash
ed and sanded every day.
Il observed" says Mrs. Barnard,
''that among the superior officers there
was far greater kindness extended to
the passengers than among the subOr-
dinates who have charge of the admin
istratiOn Of affairs. With the latter
the fundamental principle of action
seems TO be that an emigrant is an I'M
pleasant fact with which they have TO
deal, and as an individual he has no
rights they are bound to respect. The
result of this feeling renders these Off
cials coarse and often brutal in speech
and manner toward the steerage pas
sengers. This would soon be corrected
if the passengers themselves under
stood their rights; but subordination
to authority has SO long been the habit
of their thought and life that they new
er question it, and are often in conse-
quence subjected to arbitrary rule
when unauthorized"
So profitable is this species of rams
portation that it is now conf IDENTIFY
stated that some twenty-five or thrty
emigrant steamers will leave New York
every week next summer Allowing
Europe TO have a population of three
hundred millions, the number Is not
far from that, and the annual excess
of births over deaths is one per cent, or
three million, One-tenthiof that increase
coming to the United States Will give
us that yearly addition to our white pop
ulation as long as grass grows and chill
dren are born IN Europe. Nothing like the
true influence of this human power for
good and for evil in our country has
ever been calculated. With a limited
territory and Resources for the support
of mankind, can We divide our soilwith
millions of new corners and reap any
advantage to our posterity? With not
another immigrant from any foreign
land, our forty million souls viii double
every twenty-five years. AT this rate
of increase, our farms will have to feed
and clothe, in fifty years, one hundred
and sixty million people, and in seven
ty-fye years, three hundred and twenty
million. May We not have more
sovereigns and hungry mouths than
our impoverished fields Will easily sup
port? The terrible sufferings in Persia
and Bengal from famine, admonish us
of some of the evils of a population in
excess Of bread and meat to support
them. Nothing is easier than to CEN
sure all or any mistakes in man, but as
such censure did not prevent the late
civil war, neither viii it give our child
rem and grandchildren immunity from
similar calamities in the future.
The report before us shows what was
well known before, that European So
ciety sends many paupers, some crimi-
mails, with a large infusion of
its most stupid inhabitants to
this country as breeding stock
Of the genus homo. AS compared