Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-09

roneous one. Why, sometimes before we are
through with an immigrant We see his face
half dozen times.
"You see, it is this way. The government
is supposed to look after an immigrant for
a year after his coming. Then, again, an
immigrant, because he lands here, gets here
his first Impressions of America Among
other things he knows that the men in uni
form he sees about him have the power of
keeping him out or of admitting him to the
country From this he argues that they
are all powerful and he makes note OF
this illogical conclusion. Then when ne
falls on evil days he hunts up policeman,
says Ellis Island the cop brings him over,
and the son of Italy, or OF Germany as the
case may be. pours his tale OF woe mo
my ears through an Interpreter, and with
the confidence born of childlike faith, looks
to me to make his path thornless one
once more 1t Is not an infrequent thing
for two score sorely troubled immigrants
to come here in the course or day, ana
twenty-four hours never pass that DO not
have at least bakers dozen OF such cases
to look after"
opened and an attendant brought in two
Monochrome, a Pole of about twenty-five
years and of buxom build; the other an
Italian, wrinkled and stopped with age
and lifetime of drudgery.
picked up In New York by the ponce
said the attendant briefly.
The interpreter questioned the younger
woman first. Then he turned to the god
father"
Got Lost.
"She has been In the country six months
she SAYS, and has been working as a COOK
in a family. Yesterday afternoon she went
out for walk, got into part of the city
she did not know and could not find her
way back home. Now she wants you to
find out for her where she lives.
The agent of the Polish Society, which,
like all such societies, materially aids the
t. L. ir,Sy
immigrants, was summoned. When the
situation was explained to him he agreed TO
find the girls employer, and he LED her
away but not before she had looked trust
ingly up into the face of the godfather
and delivered herself of about the only
English words she knew: THANK you.
The elder woman was then quiZzed. Hers
turned out to be pitiful case. She had
come over to America at the solicitation OF
her four sons, who had preceded her by
several years. For three months they hao
contributed to her support, but two days
before she had been put out or Tonys
house, and when she went around to
Michael's his wife closed the door in her
face, and neither Angelo nor Pietro wouio
provide for her any longer. She did not
know why all her children had refused TO
look after her: she had been a good mother
to them, and tried not to interfere with the
ways of their households. But she had
been turned out in the street, and she was
dsgraced and did not want to stay in
America any longer. Would she be sent
back to Italy right away-the sooner the
better?
No well not send her back to the old
country until we've tried to make those
bows of hers contribute to her support,
said the godfather" Tell her that, and
put it strong.
Persuasion and Threats.
I'VE have a great many similar cases"
lie continued. quite frequently we bring
such pressure to bear that the mother or
the crippled-up old father is assured of de-
cent care for the rest of life by sons or
daughters. Sometimes however, even
threats, delivered in the name of the United
States government, are not sufficient to
move stony hearts, and there is then only
one thing for us to do with the unfortunate
parent. That is TO send him or her back to
the old country. If we didn't send the I'M
fortunate back. would either have to
keep him here on the island, or he would be
placed in some charitable institution and
thus become burden to the state. So the
easiest and cheapest way out of ii is for
the government to pay the cost of passage
to Europe"
Hundreds of immigrants are sent back
yearly at federal expense. but, happily not
all OF them are parents whose children
have refused to support them in their old
age. Many are men who have become dis