New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-02
THE NEW-ENGLANDERs.
WHAT HAS BECOME OF THEMa
wEsT-GERMAEs AND scANDINAvIANs
TAKE THEIR PLACES.

slr: read with much interest In your paper OF
last sunday as doubtless many others did, article
taken from "Donahoo's Monthly entitled New.
England u Misnomer' Tho statements made In tho
course OF This paper presume are correct certainly
have no desire 10 critcise them, and have heard no
one DOUBT their truthfnlness. Among these state
ments Is ono that Now England Is to-day virtually
fOregn country far the nativity of the people
arc concerned. over onehah OF the total population
being either actually foreign born or but one remove
thorofrom; and mat the great majority Of this eie-
ment-over 90 per cont l should Judge from tho
tenor Of the article though no such exact statement
is made-aro Of tho Irish nationality As said at
first, do not doubt these figures, though have no
means OF knowing their tr1thfulncss; my limited oh.
sorvatonS in the states under consideration would
certainly not to question them. For aught
know they would apply 10 this state well !;
possibly TO other Eastern Stairs; cannot speak for
the East But the writer makes another statement
which suggests TO my mind a few reflections. IL 10
that the New Englander when Ire passed away went
10 me boundless West" / do not deny this either,
but wish TO say that in doing so no became, II I
may DO allowed TO use the expression, lost in the
shuttle He may bo there. but II so like his brother
left behind on tho native bills no IS swallowed up in
a mighty and ever Increasing army OF foreigners.
live in the Northwest and without any statistics
to Offer nevertheless beel that know something
about tho state Of things there and the figure the New
Engander-or any sort OF American for that natter
cuts In that region. I have found in the course Of
months visit In the East that II seems to be gen
orally received opinion here that the disappearing
American Is to be found In the West that that region
has not been by foreigners like the East that
the writer before referred intimacs, tho Yankee
has merely removed his home frOm the New England
hns to the trans Mississippi plain. Perhaps he has
but 10 Is lost among its habHaons OF the Irsh the
German and the scandinavian, lie Is doubtless there
but l can point out many specimens Of him In
49, .yA
wishes thai he might exchange his English for German
or Scandinavian so that he could CONVERSE
readily With bis ncghbors. There scores Of West
cities as truly under foreign control politically
rs Is New-York or any New-Englsnd town.
Allow me TO say 4 fow woris about my actual
personal experience. ! was born aud lived the first
twenty years OF my life In a little rural Minnesota
community. Naturally my earlier rcmembr7uoeS reach
back 10 when there but few people OF any
nationality there the land being mostly virgin prairie
Tho Indian reluctantly httiug 90 his hold and
tho territory beginning to wish for statehood
but later on, say eighteen or twenty years ago.
] remember the DeRhborhood almost ideal lttle
rural community In which every family was American,
though Cosmopolitan enough when II came 10 their
local or origin. How many families there
IN this community, which included IN circle
Of some five or six mills in diameter being bound
together principally by the Influence Of two churches,
Methodist and Presbyterian, with pretty and sub
stAntal buildings q half mile apart the centre
O. tho circle-how many families there wero | viii
not prrtend say, but tho number quite largo,
a. nearly every "qusrtoT Secttoa' could boast It's
neat farm house; but Of twenty i've which i'm.
medIAtoly rccur 10 me now by nsmc perhaps half.
dozen wrrc some Of the missing Now Enganders
another half dozen proud Of York state their
homo; a. many hailed from Pennsylvania;
pcrh aps almost many wrrn from states further
West A. Ohio and Michigan, while to or troe bOaStsd
Of having been among tho first families o. Virginia,
having left the Ola Dominion becanse conscientious
,cruplcs prevented their taking up arms against their
county. II may b. thought that this somewhat
heterogeneous community, but | doubt II there
Wa ever = nrighbOrlood moro peaceful or generally
happy than this. Visits, small evening gatherings.
tho Inevitable donation party and O,hcr Ors OF social
Iitrrc0irso numerous, especially ~ the winter
when there little farm work. Both churches
were we'll supported aud each vas provided With
minister who lived among tho people OF his dock
and Was not supplied from a distance. Some four
or i've district schools WIRE kept open seven
oght months In tho year and WIRE well attended
Look az this same section nOT-Gobsmiths sweet
Auburn ootbi not show q creator change IN many
respects. TIE Germans aro everywhere. do not
believe that there arc . hNlfdoEe pure American
families thrOugh0u the irngth and breadth OF this
American settlement Tho churches might almost
a. we'll be clusoi-there IL only occasional preaching
by missionaries. Most Of the school houses open
In tho winter only for short term, In tho
II seems 10 BE- considered thai when a German child
4 largo enough Ia 90 10 sohoUl be Is largo enough
to work. and work Is tho mono Important.
Well Il will 10 said, the Germans came by the
land honestly tho Americans had just as good a
chance a. they had" The argument applies To
the Chinese problem. But the Americans cannot com
pete with the Chinese, It b answered. Neither can
they with German peasants. German family,
peCially when they first arrive IN this country, Will
1--we on food and with surroundings that not ono
American In a Thousand endure, The few
Americans who remain IN the community Of which
wrfte have a saying Witch has almost passed Into
provorb which, though II does gross Justice to the
Germans Is nevertheless IN tho line Of truth. II Is
this "Tho reason tho Germans dnvo out tho Ameri-
cans Is that what the Germans can't sell they fred
10 their hogs and what the hogs won't eat they eat
theusevess Nor Is this all. In tho average
Weston German farmers tAmily tho women do moro
Of The held work than he let young
American couple and q young German couple start
side by side m the busy season tho American hiros
a man: the Germans wife comes 20 the roScue-snd
perhaps works most OF the night and does u all her
self and the German becomes the Amoric ans hired
mani What has become Of tho Americans IN this
community II is hard to say, but death, another
Westward move aud migration to tho towns accounts
for most Of them. The Germans made money and
could afford to pay them good prices Tor their farms
and so secured thom. A few Irish have penetrated
the community but they do not secm 70 DO
ablo TO hold thoir own against the Germans. This
u not an Isolated case uere ARC hundreds Of them
all over Minnesota. II Is not Germans alone by
any moaus-in fact, 10 give gneSs, ] should say
a. the Soandnaylans cons dcrably exceeded hop 10
numbers taking the State at large. Ton miles fofn
tho nolglLborhoOd a. which have rntorred theto Is
dense Norwegian settcpenl where doubt the
Americans ever lad fOothoh, Among tho bluffs
along the Mississippi the IRISH supreme. Across
tho river In wscorstu, King Oscar Of sweden can
and solid townships OF his subjects one day pDde
Atty mites on bOrsebaok In Southern Minnesota With
out eucOuntering person az farm house who could
dive me directions about the road In good English,
and usually met but vacant stare and shake OF
the head. ] could have got almost As much verbal
assistance In Interior Tarfary.
II the region usually called tho Northwest f. not
already practically d breigI country u Is rapidly ba.
coming So Tho two coming states OF Dakota, what
eloquent politicians or enthusiastic real estate
dealers may say, stand we'll up 81 the head, II
the very bead when comes b. percentage OF foreign
population. That light sprnkng Of the better class
10 a it, i.nd GO, hss D., rcs,,s,t,, a. ~