El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-01-03
Heroes Among Immigrants
Many Hardships Are Endured In Or
der that Family Needs
May Be Met.
BY Frederic J. Haskin-
W AsHINGToN. D. C.. Jan. s.

=" ? ASHINGTON, D, c.. Jan. s.
NJ A study of the conditions
under which the new immi-
grant lives after coming to America,
serves to convince the student that he
is often something of a hero. He often
lives in filth and squalor, but frequent
~ 1t is necessity that compels him to
do so. He is sometimes found in camps
where conditions are so bad that they
would make the best of US Indifferent
but he lives in this way so that he may
provide for his family, present or pros
pectlve- If he has a family with him
IN America, he shows himself provident
of heart by bearing uncOmplainingly
the hardships of today in order that
MS FAMILY needs may be met to-
morrow
The hundreds of thousands of i'm
migrants who live in camps lead an
isolated life. Their daily existence is
little more than working, eating. Sleep
ing in endless round. They live in
shacks, have about as few of the crea-
ture comforts as men may have and
their only diversions are drinking and
gambling.
Appreciate Kind Words.
The women of the immigrant com
munity appreciate the help and en-
enlargement OF American women
something they do not often get. The
LIE OF these women Is seldom easy and
often hard and dreary. Their homes
nave many births and many deaths.
They are as meek and submissive in
the home as the men are at work. An
instance of what a good American may
DO is that of a Pennsylvania woman
who visits the houses of poor immi-
grant women in her community and
carries to them the gospel of cleanli-
ness. Often these mothers protest
that there is some good in dirt and
vermin. But the sweet cleanliness of
the visitor comes in and the parasites
go out. She teaches them how to feed
their children, and invites them to
little meetings which she holds. They
come washed and neatly dressed. and
from month to month their homes
grow better kept and their burdens
grow lighter.
Cleanliness in Homes.
One of the most interesting phases
of the investigation of the immiG-atiou
problem made by the Immigrant com
mission concerned the condition of the
homes of immigrants in cities. Per-
haps the most striking result was the
showing of the large percentage of
clean homes among immigrants, in
spite of their being forced so often to
reside in districts where proper stand
ards OF cleanliness are hardest to
maintain. The investigation covered
more than 10000 households in which
lived upward of $4,000 people. These
households are located in New York
Chicago, philadelphia. Boston CleVe-
land, Buffalo and Milwaukee Four
f1fthS of these households were in
apartments of four rooms or less 4
third Of them were four room apart
mentS, and nearly a third were three
room apartments While nearly all of
the households of the new immigration
had about five people for every two
sleeping rooms, they still managed to
keep things fairly clean in a large ma
1nr of hnfr hon l..
half Of the households of the foreign
ers they had but one room outside of
the sleeping rooms, and in one eighth
of them they had no room except the
sleeping rooms.
Many Keep BOarders.
In more than one-fourth of the
foreign households OOarders were kept,
while in one-tenth of the native house
holds were boarders found. AS is the
rule in most things. the children OF
immigrants seem to be about half
American and half foreigners in this
respect. One-sixth of their house.
holds have boarders. The equipment
of the average foreigners home was
only about half as good as that of
native Americans, in such matters as
and other facilities. All of these con-
veniences are found much more fire.
quently among the people of the "Old'
immigration than among those of the
drawbacks of oyercrOwding, keeping
boarders, having only one room they
did not have to sleep in, lacking proper
equipment, and the ike, only one
which conditions were bad, only one
fifth of the Slovenians, only one-sixth
of the Slovaks, Poles and Hebrews, and
only one-tenth of the Magyars.
Famous For sOcities.
The foreigners Of the new immigra-
ura 70 h.afv ~, Te
is estimated that there are a hundred
national societies of one kind or another
among the Italians of the country.
There are estimated to be 1000 sOcie-
ties and clubs of all kinds among the
Poles of the country, and they have an
aggregate membership of some 500, 900.
Among the Sloyenians there are some
1900 clubs and societies, with total
apprOXimating 1875, 900.
Among the Slavic peoples in Europe
there is a communal tendency. The
lands near the villages are cultivated
on a communal basis and all prosper
or starve, together. Their societies
and. clubs in the United States are a
reflection of this.
There are a large number Of church
organizations. Some of these pay sick
and death benefits. and nearly all Of
them are under the ultimate control
of the spiritual advisers of the people
There are also many secular organi-
cations looking to the protection of
their members in case of sickness and
death. The Italian government always
has taken a deep interest in the Ital-
ian immigrant and has instituted q
protective society for Italian labor.
which is supported partly by a gov
eminent appropriation and partly by
monthly payments from its members.
Poles Train For Army.
Among the Poles there are a large
number Of military societies. Usually
there are one or more such sOcIE ties in
every Polish center. nd the members
are drilled like soldiers A Polish priest
has estimated that there are 10000
Poles receiving some sort of military
training in the United States, in an
of the day when their be-
loved Poland attempts 20 free itself
from the grip of Russia
The main body of the new" immi-
grafton is Catholic. Out of q million
immigrants arriving probably 100000
are of Catholic affiliations It is es-
timated that during the past 20 years
10 100000 Catholics have come to
America. To shepherd these millions
of souls, speaking thirty different
languages, to soOthe race hatred and
national preiudices, and do the many
other things that such a situation in
wolves, are problems the like of which
no ecclesiastical body ever has had to
meet.
Take Numerous Holidays.
When the foreigner takes his recre-
alton it is usually in a spirit of re-