Omaha daily bee., 1888-04-22

i ind most damaged. The
man who bendppes completely American
ized-who dalHbrates our constitutional
centennial fhaead of the queens jubi-
lee, or the Eourth of July, rather thar
Saint Patrick's day, and who stalks
United States" instead of the dialect OF
the country which he has OF his own
free will a~bandoned-is not only doing
his plain duty by his adopted land, but
is also rendering to himself a service OF
immeasureable value.
This last point is one that can not be
too often insisted on. The chief inter-
est served by Americanization is thato Il
the individual himself. A man who
speaks only German or Swedish may
nevertheless be a most useful American
citizen; but it is impossible for him to
derive the full benefit he should from
American citizenship. And, on the
other hand, it is impossible for him,
under any circumstances, to retain the
benefits incident to being a member of
the nation OF which he has left. 1t
would be hard to imagine another alter
native where the advantage was so
wholly on n side. The case stands
thus: BY becoming completely Ameri-
canized the immigrant gains every
right conferred upon citizen
ship in the country to which
he has come; but, il he fails to become
Americanized, he nevertheless loses all
share and part in the nation which he
has left, and gains nothing in return.
He cannot possibly remain an English
man, a German, or q Scandinavian; all
he can do is to refuse to become an
American, and thereby make himself q
kind of mongrel waif, of no Importance
anywhere. Under no circumstances
can he longer have a part in the history
of his former country; indeed, it is u
curious fact that his former countrymen
will probably feel a certain dislike or
contempt for him until he ranks as
wholly an American-and her he occu-
pies a position such as we rightly be-
lieve is held by the citizen of no other
land.
The nation from which he sprang can
have no part or parcel in his career.
Gallatin became one of the foremost
statesmen of America; but had he re-
fused to assimilate himself to his fellow
Pennsylvanians, and thus never have
appeared in American history, he would
nevertheless have lost all hold on Switz-
erland, quite as much as was actually
the case, and would merely have de-
barred himself from making an honor
able mark anywhere.
If the immigrant heartily adapts him
self to his new surroundings, he may
reach the highest position in the land,
save the presidency. He may serve in
the cabinet or senate, like the Scotch
man, Beck, the Irishman, Shields, OF
the German, Schurz. To his son the
presidency itself is open-as it was to
the descendant of the Dutchman, Van
Buren,. If, on the other hand, he re-
tains the speech and feelings of his for
mer country he can play no prominent
part here, whether as lawyer, legislator.
soldier or author, and he self-evidently
fails to retain the power to play any
wholly loses his former citizenship; the
attempt to.keep it merely results in the
additional Joss of some of his chief
privileges as an American.
Our annals are filed with illustrious
names, names dear to every American
heart, which would never have been
heard of had their fathers not been wise
enough and patriotic enough to cast in
their lots in every way with that of
their adopted country. Had the Spanish
speaking Farragut, who came here in
the last century, educated his son
among his fellow Minorcan immigrants,
and taught him Spanish as his mother
tongue, the United States would have
been deprived of their greatest admiral,
history would have peer by SO much
the poorer, and the loyal cause in the
great civil war by so much the weaker,
but who can measure the immeasureable
loss to Farragut himself?
Had Clusters people remained as un-
affected by their surroundings, as has
been the case with some Pennsylvania
! communities, then he would have been
| through life merely an insignificant
| individual in an min npptont hn1u of
men, who spoke a bastard German dia-
lect, and were looked upon by Ameri-
cans with a tolerant good humor closely
akin to contempt, and by such Germans
as knew of their existence with even
more pronounced distaste; whereas he
has now won deathless fame, as the
American arch-type of a skillful, dash
ing and absolutely fearless cavalry COM
mande
If the French Louisianian, Beaure-
gard, had been sent to Paris to be edu-
Gated, if his tongue and interests had
remained French, then he might posi-
bly, have risen to the command of some
Creole contingent in a Louisiana bril-
gade, but he would never have taken
his place in history as one of the most
prominent confederate chiefs.
Sheridan's anne is a talismau where
with to open every American heart, and
1t Will shlne; by time, as
long as lasts the memory of the civil
wal itself. There is no school boy but
knows him; no historian who does not
pay him reverence. There is no other
living American, save grand Tecumseh
Sherman, who has such q hold ON the
passionate loyalty of our people. He
already has the highest military posi-
ton in our gift, there are many among
his fellow citizens who are only with
held by his own wish from endeavoring
to put him in the highest civil position
as we'll. We claim him with jealous
pride as being utterly and exclusively
our own. Whether his parents were
born in ireland, or came over IN the
Mayhower, is a point of interest only tC
the genealogists; it is quite enough for
us to know that he himself is an Ameri-
can. Is not his a position that any man
on earth might feel the keenest pride
in filling? And does any believe that
he would now fill it if his people had
persisted in identifying themselve:
with some body of Irishmen who re-
manned foreigners, and not Americans
and who busted themselves exclusively
with the politics of a foreign power?
So it was in the time of the re yolution.