Evening star., 1903-07-24
ITALIANS AS FARMERS
CAREFUL TILLERS OF THE SOIL IN
THEIR OWN COUNTRY.
Reasons Why Immigrants Shun Agr-
culture in the United States
A Social Phenomenon.
From Chicago Christendom.


The ever-increasing italian immigration
to this country presents this striking fea-
ture, that. although so per cent of it is
composed of the peasants of Italy they do
not come to till the American soil, but set
tie down In the American cities. where they
meet with and cause endless evils. This
is indeed their original sin, from which
they shall be redeemed only by going back
to agricultural life on the soil of their new
country.
In trying to ascertain the cause of this
social phenomenon. one should consider the
conditions under which the Italian peas
ant leaves Italy, and the conditions which
he meets in this country. First. he leaves
Italy poor. having been there for endless
genera tiOnS-perhapS since the Romans of
old had their large estates in AQuila, Cam
pania. Sannium, Lucania, Sicily and Sar-
dina, of which Plny says: Latifund1
Italia perdire only servant of.the glebe:
that glebe which for 1,C0J years he has
watered with the sweat of his brow
Furthermore, the Italian peasants of the
central and southern parts of Italy. and of
the islands, who are known by the name OF
Cafoni. and who form the bulk of the ltal-
ian emigration. are not Il rural population
Except in the provinces of Naples and
Casertia and the western part of Salerno.
which are exclusively agriculturaD in the
sense in which that term is understood in
this country and in the northern part of
Italy. There the peasants huddle in towns.
which in many cases number as many as
,0.W0 inhabitants. These towns are the
outgrowthS of the burgS of feudal castles,
under whose protection they were built
The Italian peasant has lived there Tor
many generations only to go out early IN
the morning to the farms. gardens. fields
and Vineyards which sometimes are miles
away and to come back in the evening.
Only during the harvest time and for Ger
tain special duties. do the Italian peas
ants and farmers and their families sleep
in the country. The origin of this habit Is
found in the insecure protection the open
country once afforded on account or wars,
barbaric incursions. brigandage and ma
laria. This implies the lack OF proper and
comfortable rural houses for the peasants.
who have only rude buildings and huts.
except some country villas which look
more like strongholds than country places.
Avoids the Wilds.
One should not wonder, therefore, that
the Italian peasant coming to this country
with or without his family, does not see his
way clear to go and live the pioneer life in
rural districts where his own language IS
not spoken. the women would object to
this more than the men, because they have
had less occasion than the men to leave the
native burg. But after all. one could not
say that this Is insurmountable obstacle
confronting the Italian cafOni willing to
come pioneering farming in this country,
for many Italian CafOni of these regions or
Italy who have emgrated to Brazil and TO
the republics of the River Plata have be-
come good pioneers and farmers, as have
said
Another reason for the italian peasants
lingering in the cities is that he has been
kept in such subjugation. on account of
his former occupation. agriculture. that he
feels ashamed of himself and of his work.
He comes to this country still detesting It,
and here he throws 1t away with the same
pleasure that Hercules had in tearing from
his body the shirt of Nessus. The main
and principal reason, however is the fol-
lowing: The Italian peasant leaving his
burg for America is entirely ignorant of
the possibilities of American agriculture,
and it never occurs to him that he could
earn money and make position for him.
self by tilling the American soil, having
been accustomed to look with distrust and
hate at the soil not as the alma parens.
but as a cruel and ungrateful stepmother.
None of his countrymen who are already
here. and who send money home, or have
brought it home themselves, ever write
say that they earn their money by working
the soil. first for others, and afterward
for themselves as farmers or the moral
and material advantages of American
country life, of the comforts and inde-
pendence it affords, of the rights and duties
of the American farmers, pioneers of
civilization and as exponents and examples
of the American principles Of self-Sovern-
ment. which cannot be learned in American
cities. owing to the political corruption, he
is totally ignorant. since he has always
been a servant of the glabe with many
duties to perform and very few rights to
enjoy. He never had the right TO vote at
home.
The Old Instinct.
1t Is impossible to believe that the Italian
working in the country a railroad, see
ing the splendid American farms. does not
feel a desire to till the soil, in the way in
which he sees 1t done, which seems to give
promise of prosperity and comfort Ger
tainly he must feel the old ingrained in
stinct. bred in him for thousands of years.
awaking in him. venture to say that
there is not Italian cafoni doing un-
skilled work on railroad grading who at
the sight of an American farm, with a
white-fenced and red-roofed house with
windmill. Capacious stables and outhouscs.
with extensive fields where crops are grow
ing and maturing. or of pair of robust
American horses dragging a plow. or a
well-hlied cart OF produce. or a herd OF
cows. sheep or swine. of n court we'll
stocked with poultry. does not feel the nos
talgia for his old calling, and a strong at
traction to the soil. He would like to till it
again In that diversified and intensive way
for which he Is SO famous But he does not
know how to get the land and the means
to work 1t until it produces a crop. He
does not know of any of his countrymen
who, by word or example could show him
the possibilities Of becoming farmer in
America. He Is ignorant of the laws gov
erning the proprietorship of land. and he
has no hint at all Of the homestead law by
which. after a few easy formalitieS. he
could obtain 1G0 acres of government lands
at once. while for generations his ancestors
have never possessed single acre OF soil.
The Italian immigrants, having settled so
largely I'm the American cities. have formed
In them centers of Italian population. which
always attracting other immigra nts.
Considering that the great majOrfty Of Ital-
ians who compose these centers are country
people. they should have been established
In the country. IL this had been done the
Italians in America in general would be
more respected. Hence the impera tive ne
cesSity of the establishment OF Italian agri-
cultural centerS. or neucei to attract the
Italian peasants who come to this country.
Extraction Of Perfumes.
F-om Nature.
The extraction of the perfume from flow-