The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1901-03-28
Paper Read Before the Chautduqua Circle.

Iupef heuu beI0fe Ue CHdutduquG Circle.
There will come a time when the
Indians will be no more; when the wal
dances, snake dances and medicine
dances will be transferred from the
plains and forests of North America
to that heaven which is reserved for
all good and pious Redskins. When
that happens, the Scandinavians will
claim the entire country by 'right of
possession" for the first white man to
set foot on this continent was born and
raised among the snow-capped noun
tains, uree-croWned hills and renowned
fjOrds OF n Norway. Left Erickson visited
the shores of Massachusetts about one
thousand years ago. l wish Left could
come back now to look upon the fair
country which he discovered by chance,
come back to look upon the still fairer
people who in the meantime have
founded the greatest commonwealth
on earth-people who, like himself,
grew weary of the oppressive, unequal
and unjust conditions of the old world,
broke their bondage, and-by sacri-
ficing friendship, relationship and
often their own existence-gave to
millions of suffering humanity glori-
Gus heritage. the privilege, opportunity
to become citizen of modern America.
And that title, American citizen,
means much. 1t implies education
and refinement, generosity and broad
mindedness, fairness and justice, hap
piness and contentment, patriotism and
honor. There is no title would rather
bear! L don't mean to say that the
Americans are so good that there
really is any grave danger that they will
die in their infancy: Happily we find
they possess enough redeeming vices to
entitle them to a ripe old age. The
American has his peculiarities and
none can listen to fair criticism with
better grace than can he.
l shall never forget my first impress
sion of the American way of saying
and doing things: Walking from the
steamship pier to one of the railway
depots in New York city spied one of
those tall buildings, which have made
New ork famous. must have struck
rather foreign attitude as 1 stopped
on the sidewalk gazing at the sky
scraper and moralizing on the ad-
vantages or disadvantages of living up
tharQ in ;<l
planets, for l was rudely awakened
from my semi-coDsciOusness by.a heavy
hand on my shoulder and gruff voice
in my ear-"Move onp'
Then and there | learned the two
words upon which the social, political
and financial conditions of America are
founded. "Move on" is the watchword.
The man with the hoe and the man
minus the hoe have this battle cry in
common. You breathe it in the air.
1t manifests its presence in the bankers
office, merchants store and mechanics
shop. Like the sulphurOus odor from
a living volcano it permeates every
object, animate or inanimate There
is no escape from this deleterious and
nerve-racking sentiment. You listen
to minister's earnest sermonizing, to
the fiowery rhetorics of public educa-
tor, to digniied judicial instructions, to
the shallow and passing hilarity of the
comedian, like red thread through
the fabric is this restless, resistless,
impulsive sentiment: "Move on"
If you work on the farm at S15 per
month, "move on till you own the
farm and the farmers daughter. If