Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-10-06
IHIkNITY.

One Of the finest things upon
loyalty we have read was uttered
by Judge Charles r. Amidon OF the
United States district court for the
district Of North Dakota, recently,
in passing sentence upon Rev J.
FontanA, pastor OF the German
Evangellcal church of New Salem,
convicted OF seditlon. The Judge
said in part:
"You received your final papers
as cltlzon In 1898. ny the oath
which you then took you renouncod
and abjurcd all allegiance to Ger
many and TO the emperor OF Ger
many, and swore that you would bear
truo faith and allegiance to the
United States. What did you mean?
That you would set about earnestly
growing an American soul and put
away your German soul. That Is
what your oath OF allegiance meant
Have you done that7 l do not think
you have.
"You have cherished everything
German, prayed German, road Ger
man. sung German. Every thought
OF your mind and every emotion OF
your heart through all these years
has been German. Your body has
been In America, but your life has
been in Germany. II you were set
down in Prussia today you would be
in harmony with your environment
II would tit you just as flower fits
the leaf and stem OF the plant on
which II grows. You have Influenced
others who have been under your
ministry TO do tho same thing. You
said you would cease to cherish your
German soul. That meant that you
would begin thH study OF American
life and history. that you would open
your mind and heart TO all OF Its
influences. that you would try TO
understand It's ideals and purposes
and love them. that you would try
to build up inside of yourself a whole
sroup of feelings for the United
States the, same as you felt towards
the fatherland when you left Ger
many.
There have been n good many
Germans before me In the last
month. 1t has been an impressive
part of the trial. They have lived
in this country. like yourself, ten,
twenty, thirty, forty years; and they
had to give their evidence through an
Interpreter. As looked at them
and tried as best I could to under
stand them. thcre was written all
ever every one Of thom, Made in
Germany"
THE figure OF my country stands
beside you today. 1t says to me:
Do lot blame this man alone. am
partly to blame. Punish him for his
offense. but let him know that I see
things In new light, that a new
era mas come hers. Punish him to
teach hlnNS and the like OF him. and
all those who have been misled by
him and his like, that a change has
come; that there must be an inter-
probation anew OF tho oath OF al
legiance. II has been in the past
nothing but formula of words.
From this dme on It must be trans
lated into living characters incarnate
in tho life of every foreigner who
has his dwelling place in our midst.
1t u0es not mean simply that you will
not Jake up arms against the United
States II goes deeper far than that
1t means that you will live for the
United States, and that you will
cherish and grow American souls
inside OF you. 1t means that you will
take down from tho walls OF your
homes the picture of the kaiser and
put up the picture OF Washington
that you will take down the picture
OF BIsmalck and hang up the picture
OF Lincoln. 1t means that you will
begin to sing American songs; that
you will begin earnestly to study
American history; that you will be-
gin to open your lives through every
avenue to the influence OF American
life. It means that you will begin
FIRST of all to learn English, the
language of this country, so there