The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-06-13
THE DISAPPEARING AMERICAN.

Over one-half of the total popu-
lation, it was shown, are either for
eign-born or have parents who came
from abroad. The nationality of the
foreign element is Irish, to the ex-
tent, it is estimated, Of 80 per cent,
the remainder being chiefly Cana
dams. The change is progressive,
and within a few decades the social
and political character of New Eng
land are expected to be completely
altered.
Taking all this as admitted, a
correspondent of the New York
Tribune, who is familiar with the
Northwest, undertakes to show that
the missing New Englanders are
not in that part of the Union.
81 have found" he says, Gin the
course of months visit to the East
that it seems to be generally re-
ceived opinion here that the disap-
pearing American is to be found in
the West; that that region has not
been overrun by foreigners like the
East; that, as the writer before re-
ferred to intimates, the Yankee has
merely removed his home from the
New England hills to the trans
Mississippi plain. Perhaps he has,
but it is lost among its habitations
of the Irish, the German and the
Scandinavian. He is doubtless
there, but 1 can point out many
specimens of him in agricultural
communities where he feels lone
some and wishes that he might ex-
change his English for German or
Scandinavian, so that he could con-
verse with his neighbors more read
ily."
The American, it is contended,
has been ousted from the Northwest
to even a greater extent than he has
from New England, SO that eff
the region usually called the North
west is not already practically for
eign country it is rapidly becoming
So" Minnesota and Wisconsin, in
which the Anglo-Saxon predomi-
mated a quarter of century ago,
are now possessed almost wholly by
Scandinavians, Germans and other
foreign nationalities.
The writer illustrates the altered
state of affairs by citing the history
of little rural Minnesota commu-
nifty in which he spent the first
twenty years of his life. Eighteen
years ago every family in the COM
munity was American. Halfa dozen
were from New England, another
half dozen were from the state of
New York, as many more hailed
from Pennsylvania and the remain
der had come from Ohio, Michigan
and Virginia. No language other
than English was spoken. There
were two churches, the Methodist
and the Presbyterian, which were
well supported, each having its resi-
dent minister. Four or five district
schools were kept open seven or eight
months in the year. Now the Ger
mans are everywhere.
"I do not believe" says the Tsib-
une's correspondent, "that there are
a half dozen pure American families
throughout the length and breadth
of that once American settlement.
The churches might almost as well
be closed-there is only occasionally
preaching by missionaries. Most of
the school houses are open in the
winter only, for short term, as in
the summer it seems to be consider
ed that when a German child is large
enough to go to school it is large
enough to work, and work is the
more important"
The Americans cannot compete
with the incoming Germans any
more than with the Chinese. A
young American couple and young
German couple contend with fortune
on unequal terms. In the busy
season the Germans wife goes into
the field to work his crop, while he
himself becomes the Americans
hired man! The financial situation
Of the German at the end of the sea-
son bears no comparison, therefore,
with that of the American, and in a
few years the former buys the latter
out.
But the Scandinavians are more
even than the Germans.
Il one day rode fifty miles on horse
back in Southern Minnesota" says
he 1ribune's correspondent, "with-
put encountering a person at farm