The Washington herald., 1913-10-19
GERMANS CELEBRATE TOMORROW

that Invasion so far-reaching in its re-
suits. In course of time they were Joined
by the -Anglo-Celts. the so-called Scotch
Irish. and the two races frequently In
| termingled, but the Germans were path
finders and turned the forest and the
prairie into luxuriant fields Of grain.
of all the nations gathered in this
country, the Germans-in Colonial as
well as modern times-have been ac-
krowledged 10 be the most successful
cultivators of the soil Other pioneers
usually started by cutting the bark of
| the trees and waited till they had rotted
and therefore were unable for some years
to raise any crops, while the Germans
1 began at once TO make a real clearing
by feeling and uprooting the trees and
burning so much of the wood as was not
needed for building and fencing purposes.
Year by year this clearing was enlarged
and soon the German settler had a fine
farm. while those of other nationalities
were still relying on the chase for sus-
1 tenance. or trading skins from the In
/ dians for whisky. The Germans also
understood the value OF meadow land
for pasture and chose their land accord
ingly. While others allowed their horses
i and cattle to stay in the fields during the
winter, the Germans put them into sta
bles and fed them well. They built large
I barns TO house their crops, even before
they thought of building a comfortable
home for themselves They introduced
the culture of wheat, OF fruits and fow-
ers and of grapes and in more recent
years were the first 10 reclaim wet lands
by drainage. Today, as 200 years ago,
/ German farmers are easily recognized by
the magnitude of their barns. the neat
ness of their houses. the cleanliness of
4 A.. NNa flf hal lo do
from weeds, and to this day the Ger
mans are the chief producers Of vege-
| tables and flowers in this country. 1t
| is evident that the German immigration
has added immensely to the wealth of
| the country.
Skilled as Artisans.
Germans in other professions besides
that of the farmer have taken a lead
| ing part in the development of this
country. German artisans have always
been in demand on account of their
thorough training in their trades. Ger
man skilled workmen, chemists and civil
engineers have contributed largely in de-
veloping the large modern industries.
Andrew Carnegie has said that he owes
a part Of his great success to the Ger
man chemists whom he wisely engaged
to analyze the ores that went into his
furnaces
The German engineer, Boebling. built
the first Brooklyn Bridge, the eighth
wonder of the world, and the first bridge
over Niagara
The first book ever printed in this
country was a German Bible. 1t was
published in 1872 Not until forty years
later did the first English Bible printed
on American soil appear. The printer of
this German Bible, Christoph Saur, also
published a German almanac in 1ISS,
which appeared 7or forty years in sue
cession, and the first German news
paper, which an English authority says
had 10,000 subscribers. During the middle
of the eighteenth century Two German
newspapers appeared in Philadelphia
The Staatsbote published the first notice
of the Declaration of Independence sew
eral days before the English papers.
Active in Other Fields.
Many Germans and descendants of
Germans in the United States have
made their mark in the fields of litera-
ture, theology, the sciences and the fine
arts. The love of Germans for music
is proverbial. When they emigrated to
the new world, music came with them.
As early as Christmas, 17fs there was
heard In the Moravian Church at Bethle-
hem. Pa, the sound of vioIins. flutes and
horns. and in the same town Haydn's
oratorio. THE Creation" was presented,
long before such an attempt was made
elsewhere in America The German
song has preserved for the Germans the
most sacred memories of their father
land and 3 casting rays OF sunshine
into the somberness of life. II today
America is classed among the countries
of the world which foster and cherish
music, the credit belongs in large
measures to those who came from the
land of Beethoven. Mozart, Bach, wag-
ner and nearly all the greatest masters
in that art
The first musical instruments in this
country were made by Germans. The
first pipe organ was built in 1871 by
Matthias Zimmerman in Philadelphia.
Three-fourths of the pianofortes made
in this country are made by Germans
A few of the German-AmeTicans whose
names have become famous. besides
those already mentioned, are John Jacob
Astor, Henry Steinway, manufacturer OF
pianos: the Rev. DR.. Karl Minnigerode,
the pastor of President jefferson Davis;
Carl Schurz, major general, Senator and
Minister of the Interior under President
Hayes; August Belmont, banker and
politician: Eberhard Faber, manufacturer
Of lead pencils: Thomas Mast, famous
cartoonist, the Spreckles and Havemeyer,
sugar merchants, and many others.
Record In Civn War.
During the Civil War eleven generah |
and seven major generals of the Union |
army were Germans, the most noted
among them being Franz SigeL But on |
the Confederate side also noted Germans |
rendered conspicuous service. General 1
Karl G. Memminger, Of South Carolina
native of Wurttemberg, was called by |
Jefferson Davis into his Cabinet as Min
lister Of Finance, and Gen. John A. Wag-
ener, a native of Hanover. defended Fort |
Walker with 800 German artillerymen |
against the attack of the Union fleet |
The Legislature of South Carolina SUBJ |
the bravery he and his artillery battal- /
ion had displayed in the fight. What an
ardent supporter of the Confederacy
Gen. Wagner was, is seen from the fol-
lowing war song, composed by him:
Arise. arise. with main and might,
Sons Of the sunny cimei
Gird on the sword, the sacred fight
Tho holy hour doth chime.
Arise, the Northern hosts draw niEh
In laundering arsyI
Arse, ye brave, let towards ~;
The hero bides the fray.
Strike hard strike hard thou noble band
Strike hard with arms of are;
Strike hard for God and fatheriand,
For mother, wife, and sire.
Let thuDders roar, let lightning fash,
Bold Southerns never fear
The bayonet's point. the saber's clashi
March on, well do and dare.