New-York tribune., 1918-04-22
Another Word for Hope
An Immigrant's Call to the Immigrant
By Bernard c.. Richards

lords, the great light of the New World
Frightening their countenances. You re-
member the great day, not very long after
that. when the news came that we, too, the
children and wives Of the first emigrants,
would be taken to the joyous land across
the seas, and soon came the great, big, long
letters with more money orders and steam
ship tickets! So, to thousands and tens of
thousands in all parts of the Old World
came these missives bearing gifts from
bounteous and generous America.
The eventful departure, the journey. the
exciting arrival, the happy reunions-have
you forgotten them? Then the time came
when we, too, who for awhile had been left
behind came into the land of realization,
and beautiful as were our dreams of It.
rich as were cur fantasies surrounding it,
the splendors of the land itself were
grander STILL Freedom from want, freedom
from oppression, freedom to lift our souls
to heights of subimity, freedom to work
and think and plan for happier and more
glorious humanity-America gave us all
that, and more.
Shall We Forget?
Now America is in the throcs of tre
mendous struggle against all the things
which IN times gone by had kept us in
ignorance, had denied us freedom had de-
prlved us of the opportunity to look up-
ward toward the light; now America is
battling nightly against all the evils which
IN the past had filled the world with horror
and which only yesterday had by the whim
OF monarchical monomaniac, cast whole
continent into darkness, and We whom
these benign and benefcent United States
have received with open arms, have be-
friended, aided and uplifted-shall we for
get? Shall we not at this historical crisis
rise like devoted and grateful men and
women and offer all that we have and are
to our benefactor, the worlds benefactor in
the great struggle for the final emancipa-
tion of mankind? Shall not we, the thank
full and worthy adopted children of America.
bend every effort that is within our power,
make every conceivable sacrifice, to
strengthen the arms, to hold up the hands
OF humanlty's greatest protector, the United
States of America?
Immigrants and sons and daughters of
immigrants born here, new Americans, all,
there never was such a sacred duty laid up-
on us, nor was there ever such opportunity
offered us to pay an historic debt America
has done all she could for u.s. ave, and for
our kin, for struggling and liberty loving
humanity across the seas, and we must do
everything We can for America It is for
us to prove whether we have really entered
'"'O eiiS St'ii VI lHe covenant OF DrOCner-
hood which has been sealed between these
states and all the aspiring human families
which are reaching out for salvation to-
ward the grand ideal of democracy and self
determination.
The Cause of All
Give and lend and give and lend again
to our government. 1t is fighting not alone
the cause of the American people, but the
cause of the peoples yearning and struggling
TOR freedom throughout the world And
its battle cry rings with the same message
of cheer and hope as was sent to YOU and
to me in the letters from America, cheer
and hope for the rcmotest and obscurcst
villages and towns Of the Old World still
lying under the, shadow of tyranny
All of our highest aspirations here and
all of the highest aspirations of the on
pressed nationalities abroad, with which we
claim spiritual kinship, are now at stake.
America and our Allies must win the war
or the whole world will lose the priceless
heritage of liberty. And we, who came
here to seek freedom and found freedom
and happiness besides, shall we not do our
utmost to spread this freedom to the fur
thest corners of the earth? Shall we not
help send forth to others still dwelling in
the shadow of oppression the same message
OF nope, the same light that illumincd our
lives IN the darkest hours? Lend hand to
lift higher and higher the torch of liberty ?