The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-02-26
A GERMAN FRESHMAN.

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Washington Star: A officer OF tn.
navy was telling me not long ago of an
Irish bluejacket In the German navy, with
whom the sailors Of the American fleet
met up at Kiel during the big naval do
ings there a few years ago." said Frank
German OF Chicago. 1.-THE Irishman, a
Kildare man, had previously served in
the United States navy for several cruises.
and he had been known throughout the
service for the breadth of his brogue and
his shrewd and witty fo'c'sle sayings and
comments. AT the time when 1t seemed
likely that Germany was going to war
with Great Britain the 1rishman had
shipped in the German navy, with the
idea Of participating in a naval wallop-
Ing Of the ancient enemy of old Ireland.
The difficulty between the two powers
was amicably arranged. however, to the
profound chagrin Of the Irishman. But
he made the most Of 1t, and settled down
philosophfcally In the German nava serV-
Ice. He had been In the German navy
for nine years when his former American
shipmates came across him while on shore
liberty at Kiel. The American bluejackets
had a great laugh over the Irishman's
pronounced German accent-he had al
most forgotten how to speak the English
tongue.
well, I had the mate to that. story.
There's a Teutonized Irishman in Chicago
who Is as queer an example of what might
be called figurative self-expatriation as
can be imagined. He is at the same time
a first-rate living illustration Of the.
adaptability Of the Irishman. The Irish
man In Chicago who know him speak Of,
him with vituperation and scorn, but he
doesn't mind that a little bit. The Ger
mans Of his quarter are his sworn friends,
and as he has to all intents and pur-
poses become a German himself he appears
to be perfectly satisfied.
This GermaniZed Irishman Is a Kerry
man who settled in Chicago a good many
years ago and started a small saloon in
what was then an Irish neighborhooG.
The Germans began to flock into the
neighborhood, however, much to the re-
sentiment Of the Irish. The Irish fought
the invading Germans for q number of
years, but they finally had to surrender
to the might Of numbers. The Germans
took complete possession of the neigh
borhood. When the Irish saw how they
were being outnumbered they moved away
to another quarter Of Chicago.
But the Irish saloonkeeper didn't move
away. He had a good corner for his bus
mess, the Germans patronized his estab-
lishment and were first-rate pay, and he
determined to stick. He set about ac-
curing the German language, not only
from his patrons, who We're almost eX-
clusively German, but by attending a
German night school. Inside of a year
he had the German tongue down SO pat
that to listen to his deep cultural accents
nobody would ever have supposed that he
hadn't been born and reared In the faith
erland. His business grew and prospered,
and he employed four German bartenders
direct from Germany. He put up a new
building on his corner, calling his estab-
lishment the 'Hofbrau Haus,' and began
to serve imported German beers and to
nr0yiGa old -fo shjora5 Earroop ooolerv for
his guests. for the Germans Of his neigh
borhood were prospecting, too, and had
plenty of money wherewith to crafty
their appetites.
THE Irishman married a fair Katrina,
will golden hair, who knew not a word
Of English, and they got along ~gloriously
together. In due course Of time the fair
haired young ones began to come along.
Their dad sent them to the German pa
rochial school in the neighborhood, and
when the boys became large enough they
went on the altar of the German Catholic
church and served as acolytes. The Ger
man and his wife were devout members of
the German Catholic church..
1.-The Irishman at length gave up speak
ing English altogether, unless it was alb
solutely necessary to employ that tongue
in business conversation with people who
knew no German. 1t is not to be under
stood that he entertained any grudge
SOIL lllS " pCOplc, VI llldl liz luduG Il
German Of himself for any other reason
than that he liked the German folk and
their ways, and that he perceived the bus
mess sense, inasmuch as his environment
| had become a German one, Of adapting
himself wholly to his clientele.
HE possesses a fine basso voice, and he
is a member Of any number Of German
!. singing societies. I am bound to say that
it Is n sight for the gods to see this
Z harp the flannel on whose tongue when
he first came to Chicago was all wool and
more than a yard wide, leaning back In
his chair at a German saengerfest, let
ting out his vast voice In the swelling
choruses of the German songs.
! 1T may be Imagination on my part and
or the part of a lot of Chicago men who
!, are well acquainted with this Irishman
but 1 positively affirm that he has grown
: to look as much like a German as If he
had been born in Germany Of a long line
of German ancestors. He Is a big, stout
, good-looking man, but he wears his BLACK
hair in a decided German %pompadour, ant
his full beard Is of a cut that immediate
: ly suggests the prosperous, middle-aget
German business man.
H is, in truth, so wholly and convinc
ingly a German at the present time tina
the Germans who meet him for the frs
time become incensed, thinking that the,
g are being joked and trlfled with, whel
the Germans of the Irishman's neighbor
: hood tell the strange Germans that he l
0 merely a self-made German-not only that
but a German self-made out of the who'll
cloth Of an Irish immigrant.
One Of this Irishman's growing son
has exhibited great talent for the stage
He has taken leading parts in a humble
. Of representations in German classica
e plays in Chicago, and the manager of
y big German theater In New York has al
y ready made overtures to him to go on tn
VI | 1,VnfaSsInnal Garron N Sf~on Cnrr1 loJ-
II in odd phases OF sociological question
will take up that singular Chicago Irish
IS mans case one of these days, and, If h
l wants to make a popular seller Of hi
treatise on the subject, he will call
j. How a Mick Became a Heinie.'"
d Bismarcks' Corns.
!, From the Argonaut: 1t is relate
!. that Pinnow, the faithful servant an
l. parSaNal valet of fhe 1ata pripco DC