The Washington times., 1921-10-16
LIKENS HIST0RY 7
OF AMERICA TO
MELTING POT
Student In Essay Shows How
Forces Pouring Into New
World Became Structure for
Vast caIdron OF Civic Foment.
BY GENE CASEY.


America as a melting pot. The
base is the vast soil areas-ths
sides are structures Of imasina-
ton. rearing into the sky 30 as to
firmly secure the elements which
are thrust into the continental
caldron.
For untold centuries previous TO
1892 this vast American urn had
existed. In ignorance Of Europe.
There had wandered down It's
sides many tribes of savages. who
lived In a primitive civilization and
advanced slowly.
These savages are now -h0wn
as Indians. and. as their molten
elements settled In America.
crust was formed. They were
the first ingredients of the melting
pot.
The first foreigner to disturb
their complacent rest was Lief
Ericsson, Lief the Lucky" dis
coverer of Vinland. His influence
was but q drop In the vast melt
ing pot.
POLO TANNED SPARK.
Marco Polo famed the spark
which was to provide America with
ingredients to toss itself into a
swirling mass Of progress and
civilization. His book on The
Far East" set men to thinking.
The stream which, since 1912.
has been flowing into this continen-
tai melting pot in ever growing
proportions. was led by Christopher
Columbus. He was the first great
man in American history. the man
who iperched on the rim OF the
melting pot and paved the way for
material for assimilation Of the
varied world persons and principals
In America
Magellan followed Columbus to
the brim of America. and set the
course of a quicker flow into the
melting pot by his voyage around
the world in 1919 He proved the
earth was round, but was killed
during the terrifying journeys
across the Pacific ocean. He was
also in Spanish service. though q
Portuguese by birth.
CORTEZ FOUND WEALTH.
fernando Cortes perched on the
Mexican brim of the melting pot in
1919 while Magellan was yet on his
voyage.
In his footsteps came Coronado.
whose party pierced the brim of the
melting pot across the Rio Grande
river in search Of more wealth.
De Soto explored north to Ten
nessee, where the mountains turned
him back--starting from Tampa
Bay. Fla. where he landed. He
pierced west of the Mississt river.
and Is said to have crossed Coro-
nado's trail on two occasions.
SO the first foreign ingredients
which were destined to set the
American melting pot to boiling
pitch were Spanish. No doubt some
pierced the Indian crust, but the
assimilation which followed was des-
tined to form its own crust for q
while.
NEW FRANCE.
Another leader brought his band
to America. Champlain, the Frsnch-
man, founded New France in what
Ia now Canada. The triple alliance
Of soldier. priest, and trader formed
mutual protection.
The second principal settlement
pierced the Spanish seclusion at the
bottom of the melting pot. From
then on no crust was allowed to
form, for the increasing number OF
men and interests who sought
American shores kept apart those
ingredients that might be welded
together. America was getting
known, expanding.
Another Italian assumed an I'm
portant role In American history.
Cabot did his work for England.
His discovery Of the mainland Open
ed the eyes Of Europe to the pos
sibilities Of the new continent. and
England, In its imperialistic hunger
for territory, commissioned Sir
Francis Drake to further Its inter
ests In America.
In 1882 John Oglethorpe planted
another colony in the melting pot, to
check Spain. His population. which
was composed of English debtors.
settled In Georgia.
Then started the English stream.
of religious freedom. Penn, a noble
of England. relinquished his
popularity to become q Quaker. He
was handsome man, and had a
large following Of Quakers in his
party. They settled In PENN
sylvania." in order to worship their
way without fear.
Lord Baltimore founded a similar
colony for Catholics in Maryland.
In search Of route to India,
1T years after Columbus had ter
minated a similar voyage Q609),
Henry Hudson. Dutchman, dis
covered the river which now flows
In his name. This proceeded the
settlement Of another source Of in
gredient, the Netherlanders, who
founded New Netherlands and
bought Manhattan island for $24.
Today the melting pot has as
simulated those first Spanish.
French, English and Dutch settle
ments and settlers. The pot has
been boiling. as each flow of
molten foreign culture and civiliza-
ton has reached Ii ever since the
Indian supremacy.
America, SO frail and divided
after discovery, has taken care OF
itself and stands as United States,
all for one and one for all, today.
The sides OF the vast melting pot.
structures Of Imagination, still per-
form their functions. Foreigners
are swallowed and become the ma
tive element OF the caldron's con-
tents every year. The only change
N..l ..elI. n