Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1888-05-05
An American.


The native Indian does not exactly
1.-THE bill, even when he is improved.
In fact, when he is much improved
he disappears. l used to think that
10 be an American one had to be born
in New England. or to have come
there at very early day, with the
serious intention of having everybody
who was just right born there after
the date of 1921. But the Dutch of
New York and the Germans of Penn
sylvania and the French Of Louisiana
seem to have had different ideas
about it. There used to be kind of
test such as we applied to ascertain
theresidence ofvoters, that everybody
who had his washing done here was
an American but sincea lot ofpeople
have arrived who call themselves
more American than the oldest
settlers, but who do not have any
washing done anywhere, that test
breaks down. AS, sometimes, it
seems to be an easy way to settle the
question by declaring that no one
not born in Ireland is an American,
but this would justly offend the
Germans, and irritate a considerable
portion of our rural population who
do not enjoy city government.
Ability to read the Constitution of
the United States, coupled with a
short residence, seemed to answer
until we discovered that ability to
understand it did not go with the
accomplishment of reading, and still
less the intention of obeying it, or of
accepting its spirit. With an increas-
ing number of people, America is
sort of go-as-you-please place, where
every man is law unto himself, and
every woman also, and that it is very
un-American to interfere with the
indulgence of any sort of vagary. 1t
is sort of no-man'S land, from
which nobody can be excluded, a
common sand-lot for the occupation
of trampS, and where man, by the
mere fact of his landing, is entitled
to set up any sort of government or
5 no-government, as he pleases, and to
pull down anything existing that
1 does not suit him. In short, it is a
S leftover region that belongs to every
e body, and he is the most American
=, who exercises the utmost license in
I speech and conduct. Consequently
e it is surprise to many who arrive,
e that they find they have brought
e with them some rights that they
e supposed they had ran away from,
i namely, the right to be imprisoned
or to be hung for disobeying the
e laws.
a 1t may not be possible to define
e exactly what an American is, still
g less to describe the American spirit
q about which we hear so much and
y which is so variously conceived. But
l. it is time that one thing were very
8 clearly understood by all the new
{, corners who purpose to favor Us
h with their society, and that is, thai
q the country is already made and i,
Ii not waiting for them to make it
IS That it is just as much a nation, with
IF as well-defined and as distinct s
q political life and purpose, a.
n Germany, or England, or France
9r This fact clearly understood will save
W the newcomers great deal 0
st trouble. Wehave had a real, though
4, not long, historic growth as a nation
ee we were not made by stroke of tn,
pen, but evolved out of many people
y and long colonial and revolutionary
he and constitutional struggles, into
a true national life, under conditions @
If government absolutely new in tn
t. world, but which for a century hav
ne given greater advantages and chance
'd for ordinary humanity than an,
20 other government that has proceeds
n. it. In our federal system and GU
lr local self-gOvernment we find tn
IS. American idea, and it is just as di
OF ferent from the license and tn
IS socialism which some conceive to
es the American idea as can be. 1t
hs useless for foreign newcomers to but
We their heads against this idea; it wi
ed injure their heads. They may a
e. well understand that we have
IL government very satisfactory t
ey ourselves, and that we do not requir
their aid in making one, and if the
k donot like it, they are as free as al
or not to come. 1t is not a good plaC
no for experiments, for we have not VI
is got tired of our experiment, whic
Ito fnr Hnor