Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1920-02-26
ION BECOMING
AN AMERICAN
Some Meditations of a Newly Natur-
allied Immigrant
lBY Horace ]. Bridgesl-

Reviewed by Scoutmaster James
Knapp.
Occasionally one finds an English
man who will admit that the United
States of America has her good points.
But here we find one who goes farth-
er and freely acknowledges that A
merica is the greatest, freest, best
country in the world-bar none. Mr..
Bridges believes this so strongly that
he became an American and in his
book ION Becoming an American" tells
why it is at once the privilege and the
duty of every foreign born resident
to at once become naturahzed. 1t is
book that every American particular
ly that group who like to consider
themselves as Englishmen, should
"read, mark, and inwardly digest
Mr.. Bridges says that he became an
American citizen because America
gave him larger opportunity than
did England and that he could not
conscientiously accept the hospitality
and the opportunity thus offered with
out also accepting the full duties of
citizenship. The social system in
England, a relic of feudalism makes it
impossible for man to soar to the
heights. We often hear in these days,
the idea advanced that England is
more democratic than America Mr.
Bridges very emphatically denies this,
| and in so doing speaks as an Ameri-
can Citizen familiar with the social
| restrictions of his Mother Country
England.
Some of his citicism of certain
phases of our national life are justi-
fed and exceedingly wholesome and
| constructive. Our treatment of our
foreign-born residents is dealt with
| in manner that while showing up
| the evil, suggest the remedy. We
| should cease to regard our foreign
born citizens as beneath us. Let us
learn their language while they are
learning ours and thus add to our
general culture.
Our system of bestowing the rights
and benefits of citizenship upon the
| immigrant lacks dignity and impress
siveness. The newly made citizen
should by means of fitting ceremony
be duly impressed with the dignity
of the character he has just assumed
| it being that of an American citizen.
The greatest Republic of all times
has just done him the honor of ac-
cepting him as citizen. He should
be made to recognize that the priv
| lege of being an American citizen is
an honor greater than any that can
be bestowed upon him by any king,
prince or potentate and that with that
honor comes certain obligations, "a
mong these being that of defending
| the United States against all her en-
emies whatsoever even-if need be-
against his own native land.
With some of his ideas | do not "a
gree. His chapter on the allegiance of
Catholics to the Pope is very much out
of order in a book of this sort. Every
| good Catholic in America who reads
this chapter will chuckle at the fool
ishness of the fears Mr.. Bridges ex-
presses. [ have had the privilege of
knowing intimately hundreds of Ca
tholics and while they all acknowledge
the leadership of the pope in spirit
ual matters, the ambition of the Vati-
can for temporal power, if such am
| bition really exists in the sense re-
ferred to by Mr.. Bridges, is impossi-
BILE of realization The leaders of the
| Catholic church are too wise to even
| countenance any such idea.
Another chapter with which / do
not entirely agree is the one entitled
"My Country-Right or Wrong" He
! condemns in no uncertain manner
| this attitude as expressed in Com
modore Decatur's famous toast. Per-
sonally, / agree with the Commodore.
If friend of mine gets into trouble,
he may be wrong and while | do not
| condone his wrong doing, if l am a
true friend I will stand by him. A
true father will not forsake his son
because that son may be wrong. He
will stand by him even unto death
Our love for our country it seems to
me, should be as devoted. Even when
our country may be wrong if we real
ly love her we will stand by her even
to the sacrifice of our lives In spite
of Mr.. Bridges arguments to the con-
trary, | must say with Decatur "Our
Country-Right or Wrong"
On the whole, however, Mr. Bridges
book is an excellent one. 1t is we'll
written and entertaining as well as
highly instructive. 1t is refreshing
to get such a book from the pen of an
ex-Briton.