New-York tribune., 1918-04-22

TITO THE remotest corners of the Old
World. to the obscurest and most
dcsolate villages and towns lying
within the shadow of tyranny, came the
great light from The New World, gleam-
ing across endless oceans and vast
stretches Of land and bringing cheer and
gladness to the detected denizens of for
saken and wellnigh forgotten communi-
ties. Larger and larger grew the light as
we learned more and more of the wondrous
land far away, and it llumned our hearts
and minds and clarified our blurred vision,
and our bent backs grew straight and our
bowed heads rose erect we watched the
beckoning CLEAN.
Amerca-it was another word for hope.
Stricken by poverty, harassed by oppres~
sion, deprived of national and general hu
man rights, had almost despaired of
the coming of new and better day. Then
came the light streaming from new con-
tinent, came the inspiring message of free
dom and brotherhood, and we took heart.
Marvellous were the tales of the
derland which came to us from across the
seas; filled with wonder and amazement
were we as we listened to the glowing
descriptions of the fabulous wealth, the
unheard-of happiness of the people, the
unparalleled freedom, the magc-likc
achievements of the country.
The Land of Wonders
In our Old World ignorance and pro-
vincial naIvete we magnifed our meagre
knowledge, and with imagnations fired by
the stirring tales from far away spun
dreams out of the woof and warp of fam
tasy around the miraculous land; con-
jured visions of its lustrous life until the
veritable fairyland of the stories we told
L. IL
on the distant horizon. A fairyand, as if
it had emerged out of our old-time legends!
Yet it was not to remain mere myth, the
creation of fantasy, for, most wonder
full of all, we, ourselves, in our own days
entered therein, and with eyes
and with our own hands touched the
things that we had seen in dreams, and
experienced in reality the life which cx-
travagant imagination had conjured up
The first villagers set out for America
and we stood in awe of the venturesome and
lucky men who went forth to seek out the
miraculous realm far away. The sadness
of parting was mitigated by the great hope
which the new land held out, by the bios
soming of love which the mere mention of
it's name had already aroused.
You remember the thrill that came 70
those whose kin were among the privileged
to embark for the legendary country? You
remember the Joy that was aroused by the
arrival Of the first letters? AS a messenger
of good tidings we hailed the approach of
the postman when we saw him at the end
of the street. Surely it was a letter from
America, for few letters came to us alto
gether, and the postman rarely seen
on our street, and if it was not a letter
from America why should he be bcaming
with pleasure as he approached our house :?
For the joy pcrmeated the carrier of the
message, who knew by the mere postmark
and stamp the envelope that he was
bringing good news.
A Letter From America
letter from Amerca-it meant bread
'and butter and meat-cven white bread,
which, according to the fantastic tales,
they in America were eating with meat
every day Of the week; it meant food and
fuel and rament. light and warmth for cold
and darkened homes, new shoes for bare
foot little children trotting the barren, un-
f1oored rooms; it often meant means where
with to pay off debts a mortgage on
burdened home or farm. And how re-
markablc it all was! Only number Of
weeks after the emigrants departed there
came these letters filled with good cheer
and high hopes and bearing crisp, shining
money orders. Soon after came the photo
graphs showing the former poor peasants
the ragged village laborers, dressed up like
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