The Irish standard., 1892-12-31

,ATl D RID a Y D Gen
Americanism By asserting that they had
remained stubbornly hostile and alien
and that their conclusions, based on
superficial half truths, shallow general
izations, prejudice and aundigested facts,
were worthy Of the writer Of American
editorials in the Tory Saturday Re
vie " of London. the clerical busybodies
who act as the spiritual and political
guides Of their race in this country were
Iirritated beyond measure aud resolved
to make the lecturing tour OF Prot.
Boyeson fat failure. The clever Nor
wegian is American in every fibre OF his
| nature and he administers a wholesome
castigation to Scandinavian snobs who
come to this country after committing
criminal acts at home and misrepresent
and Witty the American character and
our republican institutions in their cor
respondence to the papers OF the old
countries. The literary Norwegian also
talks plainly on politics and declares
that the Norwegians are jealous of the
Swedes, the Swedes of the Norwegians:
and the Danes of both, the result of
their jealousies and discussions being
that in soma localities where they ara
numerically twice as strong as the Irish,
the latter carry off the political plums
and fill the most lucrative offices. The
distinguished writer has no great love
for the Irish, like the majority of his
countrymen, and blantly declares that
| if the Republicans should succeed in de-
taohing the Irish in large numbers from
the Democratic party they must bs pro
| pared for large detection OF Scandlna-
Wan voters in the north western states
'The Norseman and the Oelt,'' he says,
will never pull together, aud can scarce,
ly be gathered into one political fold.''
There is no doubt that deep rooted an
tipathy exists between the Scandinavlans
and the Irish in this country, but in Eu-
rope the Norsemen sympathize with the
natives of the Emerald Isle in their con-
stitutional struggle for self government.
It cannot be that the many bloody con-
ficts between the Norsemen ana the
Colts for three hundred years, until the
former wore completely routed at Clon-
tart, eau account for the unpleasant feel
ings in the breasts of their descendants.
We are inclined to attribute the animos-
ity to difference of creed Both the
Norseman and the Celts are essentially
religious in their nature; the former is
generally Lutheran while the latter is
q Roman Catholic They are equally in
earnest in their religious belief, and men
of deep conviction are necessarily hostile
and contentious when thay disagree Oh
essential points Ut doctrine. We see no
earthly reason why the Helt and the
Norseman cannot respect each other,
even if they disagree in politics and re-
ligion, From an intimate and long &C
quaintance with the Scandinavians in
this country, The IRISH STANDARD cheer.
fully admits that they possess many adj
mirable gu .ltiss. They make excellent
citiz ,ns and have materially assisted in
developing the resources Of the north
western states. In Minnesota it is esti-
mated that there are 100000 persons of
Scandinavian origin, there being at the
last census $4,000 Norwegians, $4,000
Swedes and $4,000 Danes who saw the
Light for the first time in the regions
of the midnight sun or thereabouts.
They are certainly hardy. industrious
people, and they acquire command OF
the English language with more facility
and rapidity than any other class of i'm
migrants from non-English speaking
countries. In this city they support a
weekly paper in the English language,
and though we do not always agree with
our esteemed contemporary. TheoNorth,
we appreciate the good work it is accom-
plishing in the Americanization. of it's
race. In Wisconsin there are 100000 in
habltants of Scandinavian descent, while
about half that number have locatsl in
the two Dakotas.
Prof. Shaw Of the "Review of Reviews"
is authority for the statement that there
are at present in the United States about
100000 of Scandinavian immigrants and
their descendants. During the past
twenty-five years. according to official
returns, 974,l93 immigrants arrived in
i, tie United States from Norway, Sweden
and Denmark, while Ireland furnished
/ l,l9O, 1875 during the same period. Dur
ing the last seventy years the Green Isle
gave this country 3,431,074 Of the best
kind OF emigrants, 70 per cent of them
being between the age of Is and 40
years. Norway and Sweden during the
same period furnished about one-fourth