The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-24

of the Bureau of
The object of this article is to show
how the Italians in America, the peo-
ME to whom 1 belong, are making
good in their adopted country. 1
hope to prove that the prejudice
which exists against them as a race
&c unjust, that on the whole they are
desirable citizens, and that their as
sanitation into the American COM
monwealth is rapidly proceeding and
should be encouraged.
Fer good or i'll the italian is here
in America, and here to stay. His
numbers are rapidly increasing. Ac-
cording to the 1900 census there were
12l7124 in the country who were
horn in Italy or of Italian parentage.
The Italian population in New York
state was then 272,572: on Jan. l
of the present year, according to a
careful estimate made by the Italian
Chamber of Commerce of New York
city, it was 486,175. This remarkable
increase in one state in four years will
give an idea of how rapidly the Ital-
ian population is growing throughout
the country.
But if the facts are examined there
reed be no cause for alarm on the
part of Americans. 1t would indeed
be strange if the people whose an
cestors moulded, the culture of Eu-
rope and gave to modern civilization
most of it's sweetness and light, should
be an evil element in the social sys-
tenn of America.
The artistic sense which has made
Italy world-famous is well developed,
as a general rule, in even the poorest
Italians who come here, but it does
not prevent them from taking full
advantage of the opportunities offer
ed to them in this industrial COM
munity.
You walk through the streets of
Little Italy" in New York, Phila-
delphia, Boston, St. Louis, Chicago,
or some other city, and see many evil
dences of poverty. But if you make
inquiries you will find that the peo-
pie who seem to you so poor are
comparatively recent arrivals. They
have not been living in the tene-
ments long; they are already saving
money, educating their children, and
looking forward to a better home and
better conditions of life.
The people who lived in those tene-
ments before them now own tenement
houses and other real estate, run
stores, have comfortable balances in
the Italian banks, and are in every
way responsible and respected citizens.
Here is the most hopeful feature of the
Italian problem in America-the fact
that the population of Little Italy is
always, speaking broadly, a floating
population.
In London and other English cities
the inhabitants of the SlumS are mostly
people who have 'seen better days"
and gone under" but in America they
are people who are starting at the foot
Of the social ladder with firm deter
mination to climb. This is true of ten
ement jewellers of other nationalitieS
besides the Italians, but 1 think it is
true of the Italians in a pre-eminent
degree.
Figures can be given to show how
we'll Italian immigrants graduated
from the tenements have succeeded
financially. According to Gino c. Spe-
rama, an Italian who is recognized as
a leading authority on the subject, the
individual holdings of Italians in their
savings banks in New York city
amount to over $15,000,000. and they
have some four thousand real estate
holdings of the clear value of $40 000,-
00O. About ten thousand stores in the
city, worth 100000, are owned by
Italians, and to this sum must be add
ed about $780, 900 invested in whole
sale business.
The estimated material value of the
property of the Italian colony in New
York is over $50, 0000 900 a value much
below that of the Italian colonies of
st. Louis. San Francisco, Boston and
Chicago. but a fair showing for the
great dumping ground of America, 3"
says Mr.. Speranza.
It may be objected that this is an
Italian and therefore a prejudiced
view. But it is corroborated by
Americans who are qualified to speak
by having made a special study of the
subject.
Robert A. Woods, one of the. lead
ing settlement workers in Boston, says:
Many Italian families have been sent
from Boston into the country, with
excellent results. The New England
farmers are at first suspicious of them,
but soon come to regard them as good
neighbors. The large majority of the
Italians in Boston are industrious and
thrifty. They carry on several kinds
OF small trade with 'commendable as
siduity. Over 81, 900, 900 worth of real
estate in the Italian district is held in
The names of Italian owners.
The children of the early north
ltallan immigrants have now Deen
through the public schools. Many OF
the stumbling blocks which embar-
raised their parents have been re-
moved for them. They are beginning
to take their proportionate place in
the skilled trades, in commercial es-
adjustments and in the professions.
Our important industry which has
mad an educational effect upon the
Whole country and for which Boston
Is the center, that of making plaster
casts of the work of great sculptors,
has been developed wholly by Ital-