The daily Republican., 1902-12-02
NORTH AMERICA
FOR CHRIST.
Mr.. Shape Points Out Dangers
Which Are Growing Out
OF immigration.

WI h"OAi Ili. poiukSN Wv Nou
gers OF the American immigration.
His text was: ''He which soweth
sparlngly shall also reap sparingly.,
and he which soweth beautifully,
shall reap also bouutiIulIy' II Cor.
90
Mr.. Shape said in part:
Immigration figures ior the fiscal
year 1902, are in. They are suggeS-
tive and startling. The total was
64S, 743, or 80 per cent more than in
1901, 4o percent more thanin 1900.
20S per cent more than in 1899 and
2s3 per cent more than in 1928. The
record has been broken both as to
quantity and TO quality. The more
they come the worse they come. OF
those over IA years old, 2S7 per cent
are illteraJe. From Eastern and
Southern Europe a. per cent of the
whole have come and these make III e
least desirable citizens. From South
ern Italy the least desirable portion
OF that kingdom came in 1899, 65, 500;
in 1902 the number was 1872, 900. The
number Of Poles that came to this
country in 1899 was 2s, 400; in the
fiscal year just closed the number was
G9,OO0 The New York Tribune in
commenting on these figures which
it gives in its issue Of August 18th
1902. says We cannot Justly be
charged with unlrendliness and in
hospitality in saving that such an in.
tlux must De checked 1t Is all well
enough to talk Of Americas being
the "asylum for the oppressed" and
all that. America should not be an
asylum of illiterates and degenerates.
Itshouid not be made the dust bin
and cesspool Of the nations.
81 say to you this morning that
it is of importance to every Ameri-
can citizen and to every American
Christian to consider the significance
of this huge illiterate herd on
American conditions and American
institutions. 1t is not sufficient
surely to meet it all with a blind
optimism and say. so plastic is our
political system that with q dige s.
ton stronger than an ostrich, the
American eagle is able to digest the
coarsest foreign materials The
eagle will surely get an overdose if
he continues this enforced german
diZiug.
The flag we love has never led
our forces III oppression. 1t teaches
US usefulness and self-forsettulness.
1t incuicates the principle of de-
votion to the welfare OF others. 1t
represents American manhood, com
plete, symmetric chivalrIc. 1t does
not stand for earth-hu1ger. 1t does
not want the earth, 1t has all it
wants aud little more. Its star
~ fields are borne as on eagles
wings above the desire for terri
torial aggrand cement, and bids
other nations follow ir a higher,
nober nation al aggressiveness. One
star differs from another star in
glory, but here is a starry cOnstel.
latiUu all glorious. 1t stands tor
higher civilization, for purer
baI'ot.box (even If it dOesn get it IN
Delaware) for the sovereignty and
for equal rights for all.
Is 1t TOO much to say that these
principles. these sentiments must
be taught to the foreigner who
comes to our shoresa Is it too much
to Bay to him You must put your
self under our civillzlng influence,
aud asslmiiate with our institutions
or pack up ana sail back on the
next steamer! This perhaps would
be an easy solution, but its value
would he measured by the ease with
Which it was reached. Such Il dis
missing of our obligation would he
neither Statesmantlke, American,
or Christian. The responsibility to
do something for and with these
future citizens presses hard.
America must unheathenize
these new corners or they will de-
cnrlstlaniHa us. They are having
their influence already III our land,
New England is becoming a new
France; Boston is a foreign city;
Providence Is 4 foreign city; New
York has become New Cork. The
question is largely resolving itself
into this Not what shall we do
with them, but what will they do
with ust The secuiarzing of the
Sabbath. the decay in religious fer
vor. tho degraded taste for sensa.
tiOnalisnl, and the coarse taste for
sunday papers has all come as |
believe directly indirectly through
the luf'uenre Of the multitudes now
rrOWdlug to our shores, with no
knowledge Of, nor sympathy with,
tue pi"us principles Of our Puritan
fathers in whose simple minds
Day OF National Thanksgiving arose
to express to the Col of nations
wOrshlPfu! gratitude for tho bless
lngs OF the year. No better Illus
tratiun Of the Notwithstanding Of
America needs to be- looked fOi than
the one Afforded On Thursday last,
when drunkenness, worldly pleasure
railroad excursions and foot ball
i'll the land took the place of
Thanksgiving III our churches
q bat is TINS all? Has nothing been
done III a Christian way for the un.
evangelical Of America? Yes, thank
God, yes. bnr own American baptist
Home Mission Society has done and
ls doing much to cave the foreigner
at home. It was org ganizeI in 1892
and IN The Sevcnty years OF it's eY-
istence it has distributed 1854
Bibles and Tes!aments, distributed
2,0lO, 72O pages Of traGta. taptized
4,yj1, received by letter and exper-
ience 7.449, organized l42 churches
and has total chuICh mem bership
~ AZ pis net ynar ~ 5id , u,rI