Evening star., 1903-08-01
THE GOLDEN LURE
How It Stimulates the West
Indian Ambition.
MANY SUCCESSFUL, TOO
UNCLE SANS EASTERN CITIES
ARE STRONG MAGNETS.
Great Fortunes Are Made and Stories
of Their Accomplish
mentS.
Copyright, 1903, by f. b. warner)

Copyright, 1908, by f. b. warner.l
Written for The Evening Star by Bassett Stanes.
While he was riding through West In
dian village the other day American
tourist stopped to take drink and have a
chat with the natives. School just be-
ing dismissed, and the boys, who are al
ways eager to see and speak with
stranger from over the seas, crowded
around him. The man asked a few of
them what they were going to do when
they grew up, and without an exception
they replied:
Going to America, sir, as soon as ever
can get enough money for the passage.
That's the place where West Indians get
on, for there's no room for them to so
ahead here"
The tourist made further inquiries among
all classes of people, white and black. and
found the same story everywhere. Every
family had son daughter in the states,
or one saving up money with the idea of
going there and making a fortune.
The Northern Loadstone.
| America Is the magnet for all enterpris-
ing spirits throughout the West Indies.
There are large British West Indian colo
MES In Boston, New York, Philadelphia.
New Orleans, Newport News, Baltimore
and other cities along the Atlantic sea-
board. These colonies never attract any
| attention because they are composed of
people who speak English properly. and do
not differ, outwardly, from Americans, as
most the other immigrants do. But they
are immigrant colonies none the less, with
their own peculiarttisS and their own clam
nish sentiments.
They cling together, and make a po.nt OF
hunting up new arrivals from the West
Indies and helping them to find their foot
ing among strange people In strange
| land. They retain feeling of loyalty and
affection toward their native country and
the flag under which they were born. Rare
| ly does British Danish, Dutch or French
| West Indian take out his naturalization
| papers and become American citizen,
however long he may dwell in this country
In that respect they differ most markedly
from other immigrants. And when they
gather together, as they often do, on fes-
| tive occasions, it is to celebrate one of their
own national holidays and pay honor to
| their own flag and their own monarch. But,
| though they thus decline to be assimilated,
they esteem American institutions and
form an excellent element in any commu-
nifty in which they settle.
How They "Make Good"
Usually they come to this country poor
in everything save youth and spirit. They
have no money, no knowledge of American
business methods no acquaintance with the
ways of a big city. Many a young man
arrives at Boston or New York from ia
maIca-where there is the largest exodus
with IS or SO In his pocket and not the
slightest notion of what he is going to do
| or where he is going to look for job.
| West Indian immigrants seldom have the
$50 required by law, but they
are always first-class passengers on the
| steamers the immigration inspectors do not
trouble them. They are incredibly reckless
They will throw up good job in Barbados.
Jamaica or Antigua, spend almost their last
cent buying frst-class steamship tickets,
and land IN America with a wife and
family, but neither money nor prospects. =
Yeti somehow or other. they always
make good" and often win positions of
wealth and Importance in the community.
| when l arrived here" said Jamaican,
who now holds a leading place in finan-
cial circles in Boston, Il a youngster
| of eighteen. who had never seen big town
or city l had just - in my pocket and my
| chum, who came with me, had four.
| Boston scared us al tirst-it was so large
and so full of people-but some West Indian
friends took in hand and we both got
| places as clerks in business offices the first
day we looked for work. hard for
the two of us to live on those So until our
first pay day came around. but we man.
aged it; and ever since then we have both
gone ahead steadily.
| american business houses. a rule
glad to employ British West Indians. They
are we'll educated. trained to responsibility
| from the earliest youth intent on making
| their way and familiar. of course, with
| West Indian products and requirements. It
| IS true. they don't know many of the things
| that every American clerk knows; but then
| they know many things that no American
| clerk knows, and that more than COM
pensates, from the employers point of
| view.
The "Remittance Man"
"I have followed the careers of hundreds
| of West Indians who have come over here
| continued the Boston merchant, land I
| have known very few of them to fail and
| go back home again. Those few have made
the big mistake of getting remittances from
| home.
Il have known young West Indians who
| tramped the streets, worthless and pennileSS
and nearly starving, while their fathers
owned big plantations and employed hun
| dreds of negro and coolie laborers A letter
would have brought them all the money
| they wanted. but they were too proud to
| ask for help. They wrote home cheer
| fully, and never said a word about their
! struggles until they had made good Such
| fellows as those are bound to make good
| in any American city
Boston contains the largest West Indian
| colony in America. There are nearly fo'll
| thousand West Indians there, mostly {. A.
| naicans Many of them are engaged in the
| banana trade Of which Boston is ohe
| American headquarters and Jamaica the
| tropical center.
In New York there are probably three
| thousand West Indians. and one street
| turning off the lower part OF nth avenue Is
! almost entirely inhabited by Jamaican ne
| groeS, who swarm together in one cun-
| munity by a natural instinct.
l l.l 1t l{t,rr TO