The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1911-05-27
THE IMMIGRATION INTO THE SOUTH.
Glass Paper by Miss Adele Hymel,
Bay St. Louis High School, 1911.


be treated from practical standpoint.
My subject covers a wide field, and
am unable to say whether the emigrant
here referred to is intended to be ma
tive of this, or of foreign, country.
Authority cites the definition of emf
grant as zone who goes distance to
settle as a permanent RESIDENT. AS to
the distance, suffice it to say, our emf
grant is at liberty to come whence he
may. But I take it for granted we are
to discuss him here from all points OF
the compass; as to who he should be,
who is desirable, and what precautions
we should take.
It is a noted fact that this great coun-
try Of ours was made up of foreigners
from the start. They were men OF brain
and of letters, who never resolved upon
a thing they did not successfully carry
out and execute. They came to this
country with the fibre and best blood
of the Old World in their being, and
"stood their ground" in the new upon
their manhood for noble achievements,
civilization, right, justice, civil and re-
ligious liberty.
1t is not my intention to go into his
tory any further than to show that
since Columbus discovered America;
since the landing of the Pilgrims; since
the Revolution against the British;
since the Declaration of independence;
since we are free, united people; since
the Constitution of the United States
has been penned by that body of great
and good and patriotic men whose lives
will ever be immortal upon the pages CT
history: these and those periods will
ever be monument, teaching us that,
so long as the emigrant is of the right
calibre, it matters not what his natio-
nality NAV be, or whence he halls;
whether it be from the Atlantic Coast
or the Pacific Slope; whether from the
North, the East, the Middle, or the
Western States; or whether he be from
French, German, English, or Irish soil
it matters not, so long as he is Valua-
BILE accession or acquisition to the coun-
try in which he resides. He is well
come; therefore, it stands to reason
that the entire matter of immigration
the benefit and n-benefit-resolves
itself into question of quality in the
Individual: his attributes of character;
steady habits; good conduct; average
intelligence-whether he be of this or of
any other country.
Unfortunately, our subject is neither
specific nor definite. The foreign emf
grant who does not speak our language,
except possibly smattering, is retarded
for a while, until he knows our customs,
laws, language, etc., and, consequently,
our material development would be
equally retarded from an educational,
agricultural and commercial view, Be-
sides, the foreign emigrant Of today, as
rule, only seeks our shores when
driven by the furious gale of necessity,
and then his motive becomes selfish,
and all sense of what the citizen should
be is quite submerged for some time.
For this reason, l rather think the
committee who favored us with this in
teresting theme intended that we should
discuss the ever ready native, or those
residing within the United States long
enough to be identified with all that is
| near and dear to us. Those who under
stand our institutions of government
know what excessive taxation means;
the value of schools and churches to
their children; people who are with us
and amongst US in the spirit of Ameri-
can citizenship; who, in the distant
North, East, or West, are watch
ing our success and happiness, in
contrast to their billiards and prairie
fires, or who have soil too difficult tc
work, or too barren to grow their crops
without much labor and expense.
The good emigrant is looking for good
soil, where one crop after another may
be planted. The good emigrant is on
the lookout for reasonably cheap homes
and farms, cheap transportation, water
as clear as crystal, good neighbors, just
laws, and decent citizenship.
The South welcomes such as these
and feels our relationship reciprocal
} And through the medium of the press,
or whether it be on cliff or on the tail
trees, along the great railroads OF the
country, or in valleys, or in tunnels un-
derneath, or in the great hotels over
khead, we are hera!ding the South as the
emigrant's home, a haven of rest: in
peace and plenty. Where great riches
abound, and where good old mother
earth is ready to open up her great de-
! partment store of resources and wealth.
| She virtually obligates herself to ''first
come, first serve", and proclaims to the
world that she is the elysian field in
climate, health, general prosperity, and
perennial happiness. We say to him:
"We welcome you and yours. Our
schools are modern and among the best;
our churches are of your denomination.
The live oak, the crepe myrtle and the
magnolia bathe your mental vision in
dreams alluring, while the mocking bird
in the arbor vitae carols to his mate
4. eSs