Omaha daily bee., 1914-10-04

This year the Germans of Nebraska and
western Iowa made preliminary arrange
mehts for a grand home coming" and
celebration at the Deutsches lIaus und
Garten, German Home) on South Thir-
teenth street, october and 4. But the
war in Europe disarranged the plans to
some extent ana the matter of a parade
has been abandoned, but there will be
concerts by the children, musical pro-
gram by the singing societies and each
day a grand concert by a band of forty
musicians and speeches in German and
American Many old veterans who fought
in the Franco Prussian war of 1870 and
1871 will be present, also at-grandsons
of veterans whose ancestors fought under
-General Blucher at the battle Of La
Belle Alliance" which battle has been
called by the English the Battle of Water
loo. In this engagement the English
only had 1900 soldiers in action and
the Netherlanders and Germans $1,000, and
General Blucher entered into action with
$500 Prussian soldiers. when the allies
had been practically defeated at D. m.
on the 18th day OF June. 1915. ninety
nine years ago last June. German his
torians claim this should be victory for
SLAMS under General Blucher, and they
call 1t the battle Of La Belle Alliance"
The Homecoming will be simple and
unostentatious yet impressive. The ques-
ton will arise what have the Germans
been doing for America, and what are
our GeIlnRn-Americans doing2 With the
magnificent history in war and peace, the
B German people can and should hold their
heads high. We wish to quote to some
extent from an article which was written
in 1918 by William w. Young, former
editor OF HaInptons magazine and later
editor of the Mcclure newspaper syn
dicate. 1t will not seem boasting when
coming from the pen OF true American.
He said:
"In tventy-nine states our Is, 100000 Ger
man-Americans lead all other nationali-
tics and in great many industries, pro-
Hessions and arts they are at the top.
And now 1t is shown that this race was
here before the pilgrims furnished our
first martyr In the cause OF freedom, the
first here in the fight for a free press,
and a lot of other firsts' about which
We may have had some misconception."
He says: No other nationality has
stamped itself so indelibly upon the pop
ulation map of tho United States of
America as has the German. There Is
not IL state in which the German-Amer-
lean does not stand well at the top OF
the socalled foreign population, and in
twenty-nine states this nationality leads
all others. Stolid and phlegmatic are
the two adjectives MOST frequently used
in connection with the German None
but the ignorant or unthinking would use
them.
DO you call that race stolid that
braved the terrors OF the Atlantic and
made history on this continent years
before the Pilgrim fathers thought OF
coming over? Do you call that race
stolid that furnished the first martyr in
the struggle of the American people for
liberty?
do you call that race phlegmatic that
issued the first written protest against
slavery right here away back in 1888?
"Do you call that race stolid that
printed the first Bible on this con-
tinentr
do you call that race stolid that pro-
duced the hero that first faced trial
and suffered imprisonment in order that
the freedom of the press might be estab-
lished in American
rs that race phlegmatic that furnished
five OF the chief officers Of the revolu-
ttonary army, that furnished 10000 fight
ers to the federal army in the civil war,
OF whom 5000 were officers, among them
nine major generals and thirty-three