Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-04-09
.l0lansa lAkf~.

When We listen to tho unintelligible
Chatter Of the many members OF the
different natlonalities that come flocking
to our shores, We are led to think that
the confounding Of tongues ct the build.
Ing Of the Babel tower was thoroughly
radical piece Of work, the purpose Of
(which We do not understand. There 10
one language that never has been icon.
founded" and which oil can understand,
offhand and without study-the Ian
guage of the heart, which is conveyed to
the senses by smile or tear. The
color Of the skin, the kink Of the hair
and the twist OF the tongue have no part
nor lot In the matter, and never had.
That goes without saying 1t.
And the question that confronts us IL:
Are the strangers with the 'confound-
ed" tongues menace to republican In
stitutions, q blessing or banep Possibly
that may depend upon the example that
is set before them. It should not be for.
gotten that the corners from the "effste"
populations of . world that has grown
old and mouldy with age are in the In.
FAINT class of American citizenship, and
are sadly In need of judicious teachers,
with which the nation 10 not overstock-
ed. When "lunkhead" teacher rules,
q turbulent school Is the result.
The following will pass for sample
''schooP'-possibly an unusual one:
Zone evening an American came among
us; splendid type Of agile manhood.
When my men saw him, they said:
This is . prince!' They did not know
that he was q politician. He shook
hands with every one of rs, and said to
the men: This 10 democracy Poor fool
did not know that this was the day be-
fore election. Then be marched the
men to the bar, and said to the bar
keeper: Fill 'em up!' When the whis-
key took effect, they were marched into
large hall, where other Poles, drunk a.
they, were congregated; speeches were
made, full of twaddle of political jargon
which they did not understand, and
when the morning came, these Poles, 30
intoxicated that they did not know
whether they were North Poles or South
Poles, were marched to the voting. place
and sworn In.
II have told this story in the place
where It occurred, and judge said to
me: Don't tell that story againr why
notP It is true. Yes, he said, 1T IL
perfectly true, but you'd better save
your strength. In this city, not only the
foreigners, who are not citizens, vote;
but the dead vote, long after they have
become citizens of Kingdom Come"
Some Americans are about as "effete'
as they make 'em.
The call of the West is strong upon
those of the East, as the call of the
South land Is upon tho birds of passage
when the north winds blow and the
feeding grounds show short commons,
and for about the same reason. The
ebb and the flow of the tide OF immigra-
ton is as natural as the ebb and the f,w
of old oceans tide And It is as I'M
avoidable that the incoming tide should
drop "slag" upon our shores as the In
flow of the sea drops kelp, and kelp and
"slag," when rightly handled, add wealth
to the land. Even as 1t Is, and has been,
the industrial world owes debt TO the
"slag," the Dagoes, the Hunkies and
the Huns. The American farmer doesn't
know 1t all and need not feel above tax
ing lessons of the Dane, the Swiss, the
"Napes and the Firms" $50 to speak),
whose management of abandoned farms
has made them to bud and blossom as
the rose.
What has the ebb tide done for the
fatherland? 1t has created an unrest; 1t
has troubled the waters of the stagnaut
pool; it has helped to awaken new
ness of life and quickened the heart
beats of wider world than ours. II is
Americas contribution to the lands be-
yopd the sea.
"God is In his heavens, and all's we'll
with the world" JOHN.