Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-08-22
DISAPPOINTED IN AMERICA.
The Reasons the Jews Who Have
Returned 80 Russia Give for Their
Failure Here.

st. Petersburg Correspondence Neto York Sun.
Thousands Of Russian Jews, after being
mobbed and otherwise maltreated here.
crossed the ocean full Of hope, believing
that the United States would prove to be
their true land OF promise. Thev dreamed
of enjoying there political and religious
freedom and material prosperity. About a
year has passed since this movement began,
and now the Jewish emigrants are returning
to Russia by hundreds. The experiences Of
those who come back from America is par
ticularly interesting.
They say they have discovered that Rus
STA and the United States belong to two
different worlds. and represent two different
civilizations. In Russia over 80 Der cent.
OF the population are illiterate, while in the
United States hardly ten per cent. are
illiterate; In Russia there is an sutocrat who
rules, and in the United States the sovereign
people hold their destinies in their own
hands; in Russia industry and trade are un-
developed, while the United States in this
respect stands among the foremost nations
Of the world.
The Russian Jews being, as a rule. edu-
Gated to certain degree, can ALWAYS find
easy and profitable occupation among the
millions Of ignorant Russian peasants. Tn
Russia the Jews constitute large percent
| age or the merchants, professional men
land agents, trade agents, and so on. But
when they arrive In the United States thew
| discovered that, as regards education and
business experience, they were far below
the average Americans, and that they were
not in position to choose the easiest and
most pronsaole occupations, but must take
up any work offered to unskilled laborers.
Moreover, on account of their foreign ways
and habits, they could not successfully COM
| pete even with common Americ IN work
| ingmen. In short, when they came
face to face with the intelligent and
industrious American the Russian Jews
realized that in order to succeed
In the New World they must begin
life from the beginning. But that seemed
a hard task In the meantime their breth.
rem in Russia heard glad tidinRs from the
/ Czar's new Minister, and the emiprants.
learning that times were likely to be better
for them In Russia, began to long to get
| back again.
'Is there no hope for your people in the
| United States f' | asked returned Jew
"There is hope" he replied. ssbut on the
condition that our journey thither shan take
not fourteen days, but forty years. 1T is
useless TO try to etraighten an old crooked
| tree runs Russian saying. II we shouId
send only our young twigs and branches the
Yankees In proper time would make good
| timber of them" eON
Another Jew, an Assistant Surgeon. who
has also tried his luck in the United States
thus related his experiences:
| "TheV told me 1t was a free country. but
"hen got there they did not allow me to
practice medicine. Get first a DOCTORS
diploma they said. What an ideal No
dlploma, no practice. Is that freedom?
Then my wife was obliged to cook. wash
and do all the housework herself. while
here In Russia she never did anything of the
kind; and so here am again.
Jewish mechanic said: tThouph 7
failed to compete with the American work
ingmen, yet am glad have been in Amer
lea. Before seeing the American factories
and farms had an entirely wrong idea of
what Is called hard and thorough work.
What we here consider hard work, or good
work, the American workmen would call
child's play, or FOOLS frolic. An Ameri-
can mechanic or farmer at his work is q
sight worth seeing. 1 tell you an American
Workingman is worth four Russian working
men. II the Russians were as industrious
as the Americans are there would be no
richer country IN the world than Russia.
Peter the Great used to send his subjects to
Germany and Holland to learn trades. His
successor now would do q great thing bv
sending his subjects to the United States to
learn how to work.
The Judophobe journals here'are cracking
jokes abouts'the newly arrived Americans. =
as they call the returning Jews, and con-
graduating them on their transatlantic ex-
| perienee.u