New-York tribune., 1916-01-02

Of the Carlisle school and was in business IN
New York. He came in strutting, with deroy
hat and large quantity OF American slang
He would listen to their long and earnest
questions and then turn to me with some
slangy and scornful Interpretation OF what tney
had said. The four chiefs went away without
understanding what they had seen. The sec
ond generation could not help them
This is what happens to most immigrant
families. They learn the sinister side OF Amer
lean life. They learn nothing OF American
ideals. How can they' They work ten or
twelve or fourteen hours day to make liv-
ing. When they have leisure, what IS there
to put in t2 Cheap movies, slot machine
pictures. the drab American saloon. We have
turned over their leisure to speculative COM
mercialism.
NOTHING FOR LEISURE.
This leisure is the time when person gets
symbols and beauty, the things that take hoio
on imagination and emotion. America pro-
vides nothing for their leisure
In their own country their leisure is proWdeo
for. The Church takes care OF much OF II. IN
Italy every fourth day seems TO be feast day.
When I was in Italy used to go around to
a little apothecary shop near my house, every
now and then to buy something. But hkeiy
as not | would find it closed. And the shop
keeper would say to me: "Of course the shop
isn't open to-day. This Is the feast of ST.
Somebody or Other" The Italian communi-
ties have their festivals and legends, their
songs and dances In Germany there are
multitude of free band concerts and cheap
seats at good theatres
But here-just think of our American Sun
day! If we had civilized Sunday half the
problem of immigration would be solved. The
churches here have made little provision tor
the leisure of their people. They are only be-
ginning, few Of them, to realize the oppor-
tunity they have missed
For instance, at St. Georges Charles l..
Stafford organized policemen's chorus, meet
ing, I believe, on Tuesday nights. He ex-
pected about twenty-five but the attendance
has been so large that he has had to limit it,
Even in their religious service the churches
have shown the influence of American COM
merciaism The Church designed by its
architects and artists of the middle ages to
give an IMPRESSION Ol VI 'ooN''NSS, ~
mystery. But in one New York church that
l have in mind electric lights have been sub
stituted for the candles around the capitals OF
the piers These lights teveal all the hidden
corners They rob the building OF its i'm
pressive mystery. They undo at one stroke
the work Of artists through the centuries.
IMMIGRANTS EXPLOITED.
Our immigrants are dumped on our shores
The government does nothing but see that they
are healthy and provided with money Then
they are turned over TO the exploiters who
throng every port of entry. These exploiters'
I should add, are usually not native born
Americans They are the immigrants OF ten
wears ago, who have learned the sinister side
OF America.
If America expects these immigrants to be-
come Americans it must take some response
blity for their leisure. Ultimately the state
should make itself responsible for this, prowo-
ing theatres and concerts and insuring an edu-
cation that presents the history and ideals OF