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

When all is said there is sound rea-
son TO believe that the Italians will
prove a valuable factor in our COM
posite population. They are beginning
10 appreciate and take to themselves
our industrial standards and our po-
HtlcaI Royalties. We ought to begin
to be deeply thankful for what they
oilhS OF sociability, gayety, love of
nature, all-round human feelings. The
continental peasant has much to teach
u.s."
Similar opinions, formed by Ameri-
cans VINO nave come closely into con-
tact with the Italians, might be quot
ca oy the score and the hundred; but
the unanSWerable testimony of facts is
even better. The investigation made
some time ago by the Committee of
fl1ty OF New York of nearly 80, 900
cases in which application had been
maze Tor charitable relief, showed that
tne cause of distress was drunkenness
in only 81 per cent. of the Italian
cases, while it was the cause in So per
cent. of the Irish cases, rs per cent.
or the English cases, "a per cent of
the American cases and 20 per cent. of
the German cases.
Certainly, his worst enemies can
not fairly claim that the Italian is a
drunkard. On the contrary, he is the
sooerest of all the immigrants who
come to this country. Other statistics
fully corroborate those gathered by the
Committee of Fifty, but the fact is
well within the knowledge and obser-
walton of the average city dweller. A
drunken italian is one of the rare
sights of the streets.
Thanks to this sobriety-one of the
most strongly marked of his national
traits-and to his thrift, the Italian US
ally proSpers under the economic stress
or American life. BY ruling out drunk
enness an immense sum total of crime
and poverty is'removed from the race.
Those stories of poor boys who have
worked their way up to fame and for
tune, which are so often published for
the stimulation of American youths,
find many parallel among the Italian
Americans.
Take, for example, Rocco NJ. Ma
fasco, who is prominent in all charit-
able work for the benefit of the Italians
of Greater New York He started his
career in America as a bootblack, and
is now worth over half a million dol
lars. He was the first of many Italian
landlords to help his countrymen by
building model tenements on the East
Side
At a dinner given recently by Ital-
ian-Americans to that well-known
New York politician, Senator Fitzger-
aid, there were a couple of italian mil
lionaires present and several other rich
Italians whose united wealth amount
ed to over $400O,0O0 Many of these
men started as poor boys, selling news
papers or backing boots, and rose to
their present position of wealth and
influence by dint of hard work, thrift,
intelligence and grit.
The Italian boy is eager to work and
get on in the world, and make money
to help his parents if they are poor.
Sixty-six Italian youngsters. between
the ages of 8 and IA, We're asked by
representatives of the Children's Aid
Society what career they were going
to choose when they were old enough
to work. Only four had no definite
answer to give. The remaining sixty
two had thought the problem out long
before. One of the four replied to his
questioner:
when l can work I will do any work
1 can get, because l have to help NAM
ma, because paper is sick
The fathers of the boys were hod-
carriers, laborers, street-cleaners, rag
pickers and other poorly paid and de-
spised workers. Only ten of the boys
said they would follow their fathers
trade. The others wanted to get on in
the world. They aspired to higher
things than their fathers had been able
to attain.
Four wanted to be doctors. Their IA
theirs are a hod-carrier, a tailor, a
bricklayer and a macaroni maker. The
son of a street-cleaner and the son of
tailor both desired to become law
yers. Others wanted to be authors.
musicians, artists and farmers.
OF course. not all these ambitions
are likely to be realized, but some of
them will be. Young Italys ideas and
aspirations are all right, and the chill
dren of the first generation of Italians
in American cities are turning out good
citizens of their adopted country.
But it must not be thought that the
Italian-Americans are pure material
lists who think of nothing else but maxi
ing and saving money. On the con-
trary, their fitness for American citi-
zenship is notably displayed on what
4may be comprehensively called the
spiritual side of their nature-in their
charity, their devotion to religion, art.
science, and generally to the higher
things of life.
The Italians in America do not leave
the care of the poor and helpless
among their number to the strangers
among whom they dwell. On the con-
trary. they stand ready to assume full
responsibility for them in the hour
of need. If an immigrant cannot find
work, or misses meeting his friends
in this country; il a laborer meets
with an accident. or an overworked
mother falls sick: if any one of the
thousand misadventures that beset the
lives of the poor should chance to
happen, there is always an italian
benevolent society, hospital or other
charitable organization ready to give
whatever help is necessary.