Evening journal., 1907-04-26

the colonial days new waves of immigra
~tion from time 70 time swept hither across
the ocean. now from one country. now
from another. The same thing has gone
on ever since our birth as a nation; and
for the last sixty years the tide of im.
migration has been az the full. Tho new
comers are soon absorbed into our eager
national life and are radically and pro-
foundly changed thereby, the rapidly OF
their assimilation being marvellous But
each group Of newcomers, as it adds its
blood to the life. also changes IL some
what and this change and growth and
development have gone on steadily. gem
GRAFTON. by generation throughout three
centuries.
The pioneers Of our people who first
landed on these shores on that evontful
day three centuries ago, had before them
a task which during the early years was
Of heartbreaking danger and difficulty.
The conquest of a new continent is iron
work. People who dwell in old civiliza-
tions and find that therein so much of
humanitys lot is hard, are apt TO CONE
plain against the conditions as being
solely due TO man and 10 speak as If life
could be made easy and simple If there
were but a virgin continent in which 10
work It is true that the pioneer life was
simpler. but it was certainly not easier
AS "a matter of fact, the first work of the
pioneers IN taking possession Of a lonely
wilderness is so rough. so hard. so dam
gerous that an but the strongest spirits
fail. The early iron days Of such a con-
quest search out alike the weak IN body
and the weak in soul. I'm the warfare
against the rugged sternncss OF primoval
Nature, only those can conquer who are
themselves uncomfortable. Ii is not until
the first bitter years have passed that the
/ life becomes easy enough TO invite a mass
of newcomers. and SO great are the risk.
hardship. and toll Of the early years that
there always exists n threat Of lapsing
back from civilization.
The history Of tho pioneers Of James
/ town, Of the founders OF Virginia, illus
trates the truth Of an this Famine and
/ pesulonce and war menaced the little
/ band OF daring men who had planted
themselves alone on the edge Of a frown-
ing continent. Moreover. as men ever find,
whether In the tiniest frontier commun-
I ity or in the vastest and most highly or
ganizcd and complex civilized society.
I their worst foes were I'm their own bos-
oms. .Dissehslon, distrust the Inability OF
some 70 work and the unwillingness Of
others jealousy. arrogance and envy.
| folly and laziness-in short all the short-
comings with which we have TO grapple
now were faced by those pioneers and
at moments threatened their whole enter
prise with absolute ruin. It was some
time before the ground on which they had
landed supported them in spite Of IT'S pos
tential fertility. and they looked across
the sea for supplies. AT one moment so
( hopeless did they become that the whole
colony embarked. and was only saved
from abandoning the country by the op-
perfume arrival of help from abroad.
AT last they took root Ga the land. and
were already prosporing when the Pill
grims landed at Plymouth. In few years
ag reat inflow Of settlers began. -Four Of
the present States Of New England were
founded Virginia waxed apace. The Car
olinas grew up to the south Of it. and
Maryland TO tho north of IT, The Dutch
colonies between which had already alb
sorbed the Swedish We're an their turn
absorbed by the English Pennsylvania
was founded and. later still, Georgia.
There were many WARS with the Indians
and with the dauntless captains whose
T banners bore the lilies Of France. AT last
the British nag flew without rival IN
all eastern North America. Then came
F the successful struggle for national indie
pendence
For half a century after We became
separate nation there was comparatively
Ntte immigration TO this country Then
the tide once again set hither and has
flowed in ever-increasing size until I'm each
Of the last three years a greater number
Of people came 20 these shores than had
landed on them during the entire colonial
/ period. Generation by generation these
people have been absorbed into the ma
tional life. Generally their sons almost
always their grandsons. are indistinguish-
able from one another and from their
/ fellow-Americans descended from the
colonial stock For an alike the problems
Of our existence are fundamentally the
). same. and for all alike these problems
change from generation TO generation.
4 Conquest OF The Continent.
\ In the colonial period, and for at least
a century after It's close, the conquest Of