Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-13
Odd Burial and Wedding Customs.

The emotional character of the Italian Is
seen whenever there Is a funeral of one Of
their countrymen at Hammonton The house
of the deceased is then crowded with peo-
pie who weep and shout as If crazy. FIRE.
Quently all of the clio; he's of the deceased
are put the body. and in one case
baby. in addition to its other clothing. Lad
on three coats when buried. Artificial
flowers are placed on the forehead and
petunias IN the mouth OF the corpse. Often
graves are marked with little wooden
! houses filed with wax flowers, statues and
pictures.
A bride and groom on their way to be
married are commonly followed by la sc
crowd which shouts, fires off pistols and
showers the couple with white almond
shaped candies.
Many Americans say that when out late
at night in this region they have less fear
of Italians than OF Americans. Those of the
lower classes OF Italians who steal never
! enter houses. but pilfer chiefly fruit in the
field other eataDies from the farm or Its
outbuildings. The lowest classes have a
weakness for litigation and will go to law
about many trifies. Although frequently
|, quarreling among themselves their quarrels
with Americans are very rare. and they
are naturally a temperate people. especial
ly long they adhere to their own
native wines. They take little interest in
politics. although some attend town meet
ings.
AS FARMER ana MILL w OTkeT.
Superstitous Italian farmers Of the first
generation are often found to do their
planting at certain stages Of the moon.
The newcomers are familiar with the mat
took and the noe only and are often awk
ward and intelligent, but utilizing every
inch of ground with an economy which
amuscs the American farmer. The women
of the first generation are reported to be
hot 70 y Ia hut Il
of the second generation are becoming pro-
gresSive, some attending the farmers insti-
tutes. In the Hammonton district 2SS Ital-
ians own 4.226 acres. on which berries are
largely grown. One OF these, VINO speaks
no English, made from $500 10 $1,000 in
I.S5 on blackberrieS and GewberrieS alone.
The second generation of these people
find farm life irksome, and more often
seek the quick returns ana excitement of
the Shoe factories. cut-glass works mills
or brickyards of the community. In these
various industries over 400 men and 10
girls now employed. The Italians born
in America found to be better fitted
for skilled labor than those born in the old
country. but even the latter are found to
have greater endurance than Americans.
and are faithful steady and sober workers
as good in their way as ignorant Irish or
Germans. Italian mill girls, Unlike their
American co-workers, do not cry over diff
cultes. but cheerfully persevere in over
coming them. HOuSework is not attractive
to the Italian girl. and the parents also
fear to have them enter the domestic serv
ice of other families.
Physical measurements made by Miss
Meade show that Italian children grow
taller in the United States, particularly In
the country. The solution of the problem
OF assimilatiTg our Italian immigrants ac-
cordng to the investigator les in estab-
fishing them in our rural districts, where
they should be conveyed direct from the
immigrant station without stop in any OF
the large cities
An interesting fact brought out in the
course of the inquiry is that our Siclian
immigrants are scorned by the other Ital-
ians as "a little black people-not Italians"
and that the Neapolitan element consider
themselves the only real Italians
JOHN ELFRETR WATKINS.