Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1911-03-16

disease or other reasons. The trag-
edy of the returned foreigner is one
of the saddest of our history. And
the suestion, How are we to solve this
problem? has a four-fold answer.
First, we should establish stations in
the foreign ports rather than just in
this country, where competent men
are to be stationed to examine the
people boarding steamships bound for
our ports Then, if the physicians
find the would-be immigrant unfit to
be admitted to this country, he may
be refused passage on the steamship,
which would reduce to a minimum
the tragedy Of the returned foreigner.
Second the regulations providing for
proper transportation of immigrants
in steerage should be rigidly en-
forced. Third, once here the immi-
grant should be conducted to health
preserving, morals preserving home,
rather than allowed to seek his own
kind in the large cities. Thousands
Of foreigners huddled together can
not be assimilated as rapidly as can
those scattered, and it is our purpose
to make Americans of these people
who come TO us. Lastly, we must
take care that the rising generation
is properly educated and trained. Al
most always the children are 10 all
intents and purposes real Americans
before their parents have ceased to
talk the foreign tongue or drop for
eign methods OF living. We cannot
deprive Europe of a refuge; we can
not shut the hungry hordes of Europe
from the privileges of freedom, but at
the same time we must protect our
own rights. The way to do this is to
follow this four-fold plan, stations in
foreign ports, enforcement OF steam
ship regulations, direction of the
landed immigrant, and the education
of the rising generation.
"The Toilers in the Depths, plea
for the betterment of conditions tor
the man in the mines of our country,
was given by Calvin O. Race. Mr.
Race showed how poor was the en-
vironment in which the miner had to
live and the unfortunate influence OF
this environment upon him. he
showed how directly and to what a
great measure we common people
were dependent u n the miner for
the necessities of life and what would
be the imaginable results should there
be no miners. Ten per cent, he said,
of the accidental deaths of working
men of this country were among
miners. and were the result of at
tempts at cheap protection by the
mining companies and the employ
ment OF ignorant foreigners. He
showed the effect of child labor and
lack of education, and plead for a
bettering OF conditions by the enac-
ton and enforcement of better laws.
Archie Daley, in his Grafton, "What
Is LIFE" urged upon older people the
necessity of so training their children
by precept and especially by exam
pie that they should not place the
dollar above everything else, but that
love of God, of country and of fellow
men should pervate their lives He
spoke strongly against child labor.
His delivery was spirited. "The
Need of the Hour by Arthur Nc
Intyre. dwelt upon the liquor prob
lem. The young man showed how
statistics showed the use OF liquor
promoted crime, as is shown by our
prison statistics, poverty as IS shown
by our poor house statistics, and dis
ease of body, as is proved by our
hospital figures, and OF mind, as Is
manifested by our asylums for the in
sane. He asked for the prohibition
of the traffic War was the subject
Of the oration "The lnhumanity Of
Man, given by Hugh BARLEY, and
the absolutely unnecessary waste Of
property and life occasioned by it
was the theme Two thirds of the
pages OF our history is devoted to
warfare chronicles War gives the
victory to the strong, not necessar-
lily to the right. 1t saps the strongest
vitality OF the nations. and takes their
best young men. 1t is prohibited
among individual men; why is it not
abolished among individual nations
1t was not so much the fact OF war
but the prevailing martial spirit that
the speaker spoke against
John Ludwick gave one of the best
orations of the evening on the sub
ject. "The Demon in the Cup" His
delivery was excellent an his thought
very clear He denounced the use Of
liquor, showing that it was not in ac-
cordance with biblical instruction,
with physiological welfare, or social
veal
In the bible a distinction is made
between the unfermented and the fer
mented wine. and the use of the lat
ter is denounced. He showed that