Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1882-09-02
DISAPPOINTED IN AMERICA.

DAoAA VAN Ell IN AN LnAyAs
The Reasons the Jews who Have Re.
turned to Russia Give for their Fail.
ure in this Country.
ST. PETERSBURG, July 2O.-Thous.
ands Of Russian Jews after being
mobbed and otherwise rpaltreated here
crossed the ocean full of hope, believ-
ing that the United States would
prove to be their true land of promise
They dreamed of enjoying there DO.
litical and religious freedom and ma
terial prosperity About year has
passed since tho movement began and
now the Jewish emigrants are return
ing back to Russia by hundreds. The
experience of those coming back from
America is particularly interesting
They say they have discovered that
Russia and the United States are two
different worlds, and represent two
different civilizations. In Russia over
80 per cent. of the population are
illiterate, while in the Uuited States
hardly ~ per cent. are illiterate. In
Russia there is an autocrat who rules.
and in the United States the sovereign
people hold their destinies in their own
hands; in Russia industry and trade
are undeveloped, while the United
States in this respect stand among the
foremost nations of the world.
The Russian Jew being, as rule,
educated to certain degree, can
always find easy and profitable en-
ployment among the millions of Rus
sian peasants. In Russia the Jews
constitute a large percentage of the
merchants, professional men, land
agents, trade agents, and SO on.
But when they arrived in the United
States they discovered that, as
regards education and business expert
ence, they were far below the av-
erage Americans, and that they were
not in position to secure the easiest
and most profitable situations, but
must take any work offered to unskill-
ed laborers. Moreover, on account of
their foreign ways and habits, thew
could not successfully compete even
with common American workingmen.
In short, when they came face to face
with the intelligent and industrious
Americans, the Russian Jews realized
that in order to succeed in the new
world they must begin life from the
beginning. But that seemed hard
task. In the meantime their brethren
in Russia heard glad tidings from the
Cars new minister, and the emf
grants learning that things were like
ly to be better for them in Russia. be-
gan to long to get back again.
.sls there no hope for you people in
the United States?" l asked re-
turned jew.
''There is hope" he replied, ssbut
upon condition that our journey thith-
er shall take rot fourteen days but
forty years. 1T is useless to try and
straighten an old crooked tree,' runs
an old Russian saying. If we should
send only our young twigs and
branches, the Yankees in proper time
would make good timber of them"
Another Jew, assistant surgeon,
who bad also tried his luck in the
United States, thus related his exper-
fence:
"They told me it was free coun-
try, but when | got there they did not
allow me to practice medicine. Get
first doctors diploma they said.
What an idea! No diploma, no prac-
tice. Is that freedom? Then my
wife was obliged to cook, wash, and
do all the Homework herself, while
here in Russia she never did ANYTHING
ofthe kind. In short, felt more
comfortable in Russia, 50 here l am
again"
A Jewish mechanic said: "Thouph
failed to compete with the American
Yorkingmen, yet | am glad l have
been in America. Before seeing the
American factories and farms I had
an entirely wrong idea of what is
called hard and thorough work. What
we consider hard work, or good work,
the American workingman would cali
child's play, or FOOLS frolic. An
American mechanic or farmer at his
work is sight worth seeing. l tell
you an American working,nan is
worth four Russian workingmen. If
the Russians were as industrious rs
the Americans are there would be no
richer country in the world than Rus