The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1908-09-10
A PEEP AT THE lMMIGRANTs
Some Of the Requirements Before The,
Can Enter Cur Country.
AT TIE GATEWAY OF TIE NATION
(Sslected.)

Visitors, are you not?" asker
tn ruard at the immigrant landinf
on the Battery. 'Then go straigh'
ahead"
Before us gleam the bright waters
of New York bay, throbbing witt
life. Huge steamers, little snortine
tugs, graceful white-winged schoon-
ers, barges laden with coal, the ever,
crowded ferry boats, pass to the &C
compartment of whistles, toots ano
deep-toned bells.
At our right, separated from US
by iron bars, is a crowd of foreign.
born citizens. Gay ard laughing.
they are waiting to meet their fani-
lies and friends from over the seas.
One young Italian. in particular.
catches our fancy, his face so bright
that it seems to radiate sunshine.
! But soon the little governmer t
boat comes dancing over the wave:
and bears us all to Ellis Island
Here looms great. red building
the gateway into America.
From q barge nearby a crowd of
gaily-dressed people is hurryinr
through the grand entrance. ",
also enter ard are directed to gal
levy which over-lools an immens,
h'l. the receiving room for the in
migrants. This is divided into manl
partments fenced by iron rails.
Here. indeed. is trooping cf In.
natioss. Up the broad stairwal
from the room below pours stead,
stream Of hunany-Hungarians.
5Iegyars, Poles, <Slavs, Germans,
italians, French, Russian Jews
sixty-th.ec hundred and sixteen Is
the record for to-day
The women in their bright dresses
and shawis and witt, white kerchiefs
on their heads, are loaded down Will
enormous bundles. Almost all cf
their belongings are tied up in sheets
or quilts and carried on their backs.
One old woman struggles unde,
what appears to be feather-bed
Iile men, some Of whom seem to
have stepped from the pages of ar
Old World romance, are even more
gorgeous than the women. Here is
one youth in tight leather breeches
and a red shirt with brass buttons.
His head is topped with tall. fuzzy
hat. Another, a piratical-lookine
fellow with long black hair and long.
fierce mustachios, is clothed in pur-
pie velveteen, and wears gold ear
rings. No doubt he has a stiletto in
his belt. After him comes a Jew,
his hair and beard white with the
frosts of many winters-a noble
looking man-truly father in
Israeli
AS for the children, they are many.
We see one German mother with
three, four, NINE boys and girls
the youngest, a faxen-haired tod
dler, carrying a wooden doll.
AS the immigrants Chamber up the
stairs, we see that each one wears a
paper pinned to his clothing. On
this paper is a number to indicate
his group and letter to show his
place in that group. An officer with
polyglot tongue is shouting, Get
your health tickets ready!'
Another uniformed official stamps
the tickets with the Ellis Island
stamp, and our future citizens are
turned into the narrow alley way s
for medical inspection. and the weed
ing out Of undesirabies has begun.
Here keen-eyed doctor is On the
watch for any sign Of contagious
disease, physical deformity or idioey,
Escaping from the first physician,
the people are passed on to another.
Will, a little instrument he ski'lfuly
lifts each eyelid, dips his hands into
:. basin Of Gisinfectsnts and quickly
dries them on towel. He is look
ing for trachonaa, a dreaded disease
# tie eyes, very common among the
people Of Southern Europe. All
SUSPICIOUS cases are chalk-marked
and sent to the detention PEN in
the rear for more rigid examination;
the others having safely passed the
gauntlet Of the doctors, so forward
for their final test at the reglstra-
ton desks.
Here the immigrant is asked some
very personal questions as to the
state of his finances, prospects and
friends. The answers being salts
factorily given. he is sent through
the eate-into America, the land OF
liberty and gold.
We go now into the hall marke q
Temporarily Detained A little
Maeyar girl of twelve or thirteen
attracts our attention by her thin
features and pitiful looks. Her SIS.