The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-01-13
Mr.. BELLAMY's LECTURE.
The Spirit of Americanism-Perils from
mmigration-Liberty, Equality Fand
Fraternity in Relation to the New Amer
lean Idea

Fraternity in Relation to the New Amer
| 1can Idea.
| The lecture of Mr.. Francis Bellamy
last evening at Kotzschmar Hall was an
excellent opening for the course of the
Women's Literary Union. The au-
dience was large, most appreciative and
almost entirely feminine. The men
| present could almost be counted ON the
| fingers of the two hands. Young ladies
acted as ushers with the greatest skill
and grace, although the important func-
| ton of taking the tickets was entrusted
| to man. The floor seats were filled,
and considerable number found seats
in the gallery.
Mr.. Bellamy was accompanied upon
the stage by Mrs. DR.. Hersom and Mrs.
Geo. G. Frye. president of the Union.
Mrs. Frye introduced Mr.. Bellamy
with a few graceful words, and the lee
turer began, saying that all signs pointed
to
A Revival of Americanism.
The desire to foster our foreign trade,
the increasing of our navy, the flag
movement ofrecent years, the American
spirit shown in magazine articles all
point to revival of the American spirit.
After the war we felt that patriotism
had been worked too hard; and men
! plunged into money making. Art was
| TO gotten, taste was passed by, dollars
| filled every lap. There was the dollar
| active which took the place of brains,
the social dollar; the shameless, indecent
almighty dollar came in and turned the
| heads of our people from the con-
| temptation of our better traditions.
| Then we began to compare ourselves
with other peoples, we began to go
| abroad, to feel the quiet disdain with
which Europe regarded our buoyant self
confidence. Then we began to be quiet.
Some of us became ashamed of our
! country, and Europe became filed with
people who tried to make themselves
forget that they are Americans. The
veriest immigrants who sail up our har-
| Dor are better material for citizenship
| than these people who would rather be
| kicked by the Prince of Wales than be
called the countrymen of Wendell Phil
| lips. [Applause.]
There are those who doubt if, amid the
| incoming waves of immigration, we shall
| be able to retain that which is American.
| But there are immigrants and immi-
grants. We have always been nation
of immigrants. Immigrants have felled
our forests and built up our institutions.
| The people who did this came from the
northern and western nations of Europe,
| from peoples who were really Americans
in spirit before they came. But q differ
ent class ar coming now. They are
| coming from countries whose institu-
lions are entirely atvariance with our own
| from Russia, Poland, Armenia, Bohe-
| mia, ltaly-and these immigrants are not
the best spirits from their own coun-
tries, but the outcasts of their land. In
1870 of $4,000 immigrants only 1000
were from Russia, Poland, Bohemia and
Italy. In 1892 of 100000 immigrants
1871 200 were from those countries.
America cannot live on what America
cannot digest. We cannot be
The Dumping Ground of Europe
and bloom like flower garden.
There is then good reeson for a revival
of American spirit-not the spirit that
looks only to commercial gain.
Americanism is that which looks to
the highest interests of America-it is
not conceit, bumptiousness OF selfish
ness. America has too broad a destiny
for Americanism to to be synonymous
with protection of American trade.
America is but another name for oppor-
tunity. Americanism means the duty of
every citizen to be independent of in
ferior party leaders, to attend the pri-
maries and elections, the putting of that
which is right into our legislation.
America is not trammelled by the con-
ventionalities of Europe. There is moth
ing to hinder it legislating the right into
every question.
Is this the old Americanism or the
new? 1t seems new, but it has the old
ring. Its principles are those OF the old
Americanism Go back for moment
with me through the past. See the
hardy men land on our shores, see their
tolls, their perils, their success, behold
the true democracy of the town meeting,
expanding into the legislature and con-
gress. See the little early school house
and church developing gradually into
the great religious and educational
plants of this country. The ideas of
these institutions were regnant a hun
dred years ago. The Frenchmen came
| over and carried them back to coin them
into the CELEBRITY, equality and fraterni-
ty'' which played so startling a part in
France.
But as the century opened the people
| of America began to think of liberty
more than of equality or fraternity.
Liberty became the watchword. Frater-
nifty and equality were forgotten.
But liberty has been run into the
ground.
| Our Liberty
is much like sand heap, where there is
liberty for every atom, for those on top
and or those at the bottom. There is
liberty here for incompetency to lift
itself to the highest offices; liberty for
bosses to control caucuses and put forth
tickets unfit to be supported; liberty for
great corporations to Cypress the. peo-
Pile; liberty for gas companies to charge
the American people ten per cent on 100
millions of fictitious gas stock; liberty
for the West End Railroad Company of
Boston to stretch it's death dealing wires
so that in cases of great fires like that of
the other day the burning flesh of the
poor fremen sizzles and taints the atmos--
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