The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-08-22
wv ITH the nations Of Europe d.
w vided by flaming lines of hate

w 1TH the nations of Europe d.
w vided by flaming lines of hate
and war. it is not strange that
there should be some friction in the
United States. where all the warrinS
nationalities touch elbows in streets
and shops. The great wonder is to
see men. whose brothers in the Old
World are at one another's Threats,
marching shoulder to shoulder in the
industrial army Of the New World.
their children sitting side by side in
the schoolroom and playing together
in the yard. For nowhere else in
these unhappy times do Europeans
meet without a blow
Imagine Australia and its cities with
multitude of American immigrants
from, the North and the South hud-
died together at the time of the civil
war. That is simple way OF BRING
ing home to the ina glnation the ex-
rraordinary conditions that exist to-
day in the United States and in nearly
every American city. when Uncle
Sans happy family Is far more as
tonishtng exhibit than that which Bar
mum assembled from the Jealous king
do11s of the brute world
Nation of Refugees.
The late Eugene Field solemn!y as
sured Mrs Humphrey Ward that when
caught ne was living IN a tree. But the
rest of the White Americans. before
they were caught by Uncle Sam. were
denlzens of Europe.
No fewer than 3."o0nO of the inhabi-
tants Of the United states at the time
Of the latest Federal census we're for
eiEn born-nearly a sixth OF the total
White populs alton of the country And
of 100000 CaucasIans, 100000 were
either foreign born er had a. foreign
horn parent Thus more than third
are at most only one generation re-
moved from aliens. And doubtless far
more than half of the American people
cannot trace their lineage for 100 years
without crossing the Atlantic.
Most of the new Americans are de-
rived from Germany and the British
Isles. the two nations which are the
dearest foes in the war. and most OF
the remainder are from three other bell
Egerent states-Italy. Russia. and Aus
tria. 1t chances. however. that a large
majority of those who came out of the
British nation are OF Irish blood: that
most of the Austro- Hungarian contribu-
ton to the population are chiefly Slavs
and MaGvars. and that nearly all the
immigrants from the empire Of the
Ear are Poles. Jews, LIthuanIans and
Firms No love was lost. therefore. when
hey parted with their soverelGns.
Nor did German immigrants come
away from the Fatherland signing a fond
farewell to the monarchs and govern
nents of Germany. quite the contrary.
Like the rest of us. English or Irish.
Jews or Poles. or whatever we i've, they
led TO the New World as refugees from
he royalty, the politics. the religions or
he economics of the Old.
These arrangements are fortunate for
the republic. The immigrants because
of them were the more willing TO cast
off their old natlonahties. burn their
bridges behind them. and put on a new
citizenship. free from the ancient and
deadly grudges of Europe.
The earliest German immigrants. in
deed. the forbears of what are called
Pennsylvania Dutch. were anti-militar-
lists OF a downright Quaker type. The
next great stream of Germanic immi-
grafton took its rise IN the revolutionary
81 nd la
leaders were bitter anti Monarchists.
Their Republicanism and their hostility
to the Hohenzollern and other German
crowns are we'll reflected on the pages
If Carl Schurz' recollections.
But the achievement of German unity
forty-fve and fifty years ago and the en-
lightened domestic policies of the German
empire have reconciled Germans abroad
as well as Germans at home. Now, when
those in America see Germany in a
perilous international isolation. encircled
by an iron ring of enemies. naturally
they quite forget their old differences
with her rulers and give their syrppa-
thies to the land of their fathers. 10y
atty is not fault. but virtue in any
people.
The American Verdict on the War.
Americans of German origin, however,
do an injustice to their fellow-citizens
and to American history when they inn
agine that those who differ with them
are actuated by racial feelings and
when they denounce the United States
an ally Of England. Surely the re-
public has not often been suspected OF a
partiality for that empire from which II
seeded in l1a6 and upon which again it
declared war 100 years ago when Ger
mans and Russians and nearly all the