The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-09
THE DISAPPEARING AMERICAN

TIE DISAPPEARING AMERICAN
Awriter In a recent number OF D0adh9es Monthly
laborcd TO prove that New England Is today yirtu.
ally foreign country. the native New Englandcrs
having for one reason or another vacated their
homes and gone West Over one half Of the total
population, Il was shown, are either foregn.born
or have parents who came from abroad. The
nationality Of the foreign element Is Irish, to the
extent II IA intlmated, of 20 por cent the remain
der being chiefly Canadians Tho change Is pro-
grcsslyc aud within few decades the social aud
political character Of New England arc expected to
becompletey altered. Taking all this as admitted
correspondent OF Tae hew York Tribune who is
familiar with the Northwest. undertakes to show
that the mlssing New Englanders are not In that
quarter OF the Union. 81 have found" he says,
sin the course Of months visit Ia the Fast that II
seems 10 be generally received opinion here that
the disappearing American IL TO DO found In the
Vest that the region has not been oyerrun by
foreigners like the last that ~ the writer before
referred 10 lntimatcs, the Yankee has merely 70.
moved his home from the New England hills Ia
the trdnsMss'ssippl plain. Perhaps he has, but II
IL lost among IT, habitatons OF the Irish, the Ger
man and the scandinavian. lie Is doubtless there
but can point out many specimens of him In
agricultural communities where he feels lonesome
aud wishes that he might exchange his English
verse more readily with his nolghbor." The
American, II l. conicndcd, has been busted from
the Northwest 10 even greater extent than he has
been from New England. ~ that III the region
usually called the Northwest Il not already pfac.
tically foreign county II l. mpldly becoming
80" Minnesota aud Wisconsin. In which the
Anglo saxon prodomna,cd quarter Of a century
ago. are now possessed almost wholly by soandn.
| aylans Germans aud Other iofclgn nailonalltleS
| Tho writer illustrates tho altered state
OF affairs by citing the history u little rural Min
ncsoln community Ia which he spent the first
twenty year Of his life. Eighteen years ago every
family in the community was American. Half a
dozen wcrc from New England, another half dozen
wcrc from the State Of New York rs many more
hailed from rcnnsylvania aud the remainder had
come from Ohio Michigan aud Virginia. No Ian.
guagc other than English was spoken. There were
two churches the Methodist aud Presbyterian.
which were we'll supported, each having ITS rest.
dent minister -Four or i've district schools were
kept open seven OF eight months In the year Now
the Germans are everywhere II do not believe"
says The TribHncs correspondent that thcc arr a
hall dozen pure American families throughout the
lcurth aud breadth Of the once American settle
mciit. The churches might almost ~ we'll DO
oloscd-thcrc Is only occasional preaching by
missionaries Most Of the schoolhouscs hro
open IN the winter only. for short time, as
la the summer II seems 10 DO considered that
when n German child Il large enough N go TO
school be l. largc enough 90 work aud work IA the
more impofttnt" Tho Americans cannot com.
pete with the incoming Germans any more than
with the Chinese A young American couple aud
young German couple contend with fortune on
unequal terms In the busy season the German .
wife goc. into the field 10 WORK hi. crop, while he
himself bccomss the Americans hind mani The
financial situation OF the German AZ the end Of the
season bears no com parison therefore. with that II
the American, aud Ia a few ycars the former buys
the latter out But the scandinaylans are mole
numerous even than the Germans II onc day
rode fity miles ON hor,chuck In southern Mime
| sofa" says Ths 'TibuHss correspondent without
cnoountoring pcunn al a farmhouse who could
give me directions about the roads In good ELg
| iish" Tho two coming states oi Dakota haY,
a stlll heavier percentage uf ioriEn popula
ton. An Instance j. cited NJ n settlement u Pin
landcn In south Dakota Who's Ninety votes wcrg
purchased At recent election with suit Of clothes
jug of alcohol aud SIS In cash given 10 the ony
man In the numbct who could SPEAK English. Tn,
moral the writer dmwS ifpm hls observation 81
what II going ON In New ENGLAND, the Middle
states aud the West l. that Immigration must b,
checked II VERY well IN b. hospitablc aud In
yllo the shcltcfoss stranger 10 shan your bod aud
huad Occasionally. but whom h. arrives In sucl
numbcr a. N crowd you out upon the rooi Il 4
time 70 consider your duty ioyouf Own family. r.
nanimou SHA
The above is a sample Of the misinior'
nation as 10 population that is being cir
culatcd without question by even journal
OF as wide rcpule for statistical and genera
accuracy as The Baltimore Sun. As TO III,
statement In Donahot's Monthly touching
supposed change In the population II New
England, We find from the census RETURN
Of 1850 that the total iorcign.born popula
ton In the States was 0. i0o, $50 and In III,
Territories $50. 100. the native population
being i2,S7i. $50 in the States and 0Oi. 2s
In the Territories OF these the six New
England States had total Of 703,0i
foreigners aud a total Of 3,2iG,ol7 native
born men, women and children, dis
tibutcd as follows