The call of the North. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1923-1924, 1923-11-07

2 = O. F.
For generations they hewed homes
out Of the wilderness. Those late,
coming to our shores faced no such
struggles to subdue natural and ma
tive enemies, but they had TIE same
aspiration and generally achieved it.
Mostly the immigration now coming
is made up Of males. Either they will
do no mating and home making, OF
the wives and mothers must be gath
cred to their breasts from among
superior classes. .=
For every hundred Greek women in
this country there are 444 Greek men,
The Italians now have ratio of LAT
males to each hundred females. From
Southern Europe there have been
coming 1873 males to each hundred
females. In the old immigration
there were Ito males to each hundred
females. Our own native white aver
age is 1887 males to hundred fe-
males. -, -.
It can be summed up, fairly I think
in this: Until about 1880 perhaps
ninety per cent of the immigrants at
least sought the ownership Of homes
Since that date probably ninety pei
cent Of the alien influx have neithe,
our home standards, nor in most cases
the desire to attain them. They are
the tenement herd. The farms and
suburbs know them not. We have ou1
Hester streets and our East Sides in
every large city, and box-car huts and
shacks in every industrial csnter-un-
sanitary, unwholesome, uninspiration-
al-the natural habition and breeding
place of the moron, the nomad and
the criminal.
In no other respect is our modern
immigration more menacing. Its
mental and bodily qualities are lower
ing our level Of literacy and health
but the utter lack of home instinct
throughout the flood of inferior for
eigners that now predominant threat
ems our very institutions. America
means homes, or it means nothing
and will finally end in failure, just
as that retribution has always come
to every country whose citizenship
worshipped not at the shrine Of thei1
own firesides.
This nation is our home. We built
it. We protected it. We should and
do cherish it beyond all other posses.
sions.
It is made up of many homes. They
are its brain and Drawn, its heart
and soul. True Americanism implies
the public acceptance and practice Of
every cardinal private virtue that has
its highest functioning in the home
The love of an individual for his OF
her home, multiplied by many mil.
lions, should exactly measure the
wonderous depths Of our common pa.
Etriotism. Patriotism, real patriotism
is not sentiment; it is the OVERLOOKING
Of the spirit of family life into ma.
tional life. T..
Free Trade" In Cheap Foreign Labor
Americanism, as the vision OF il
lies deep in our hearts, must be found
ed upon the three basic standards
have so hurriedly discussed-educa'
ton, health and the home. Ever
more briefly, let Us now consider two
economic tests Of national stabilit!
and happiness in their bearing upol
the immigration problem.
The first Of these is labor. I be
lieve, in fact I know It to be God''
truth, that this nation is paying tn
penalty, at usurious rates Of interest
for generations of false attitude to
ward the creative forces Of mankind
Since the Lord said," Six days shall
thou labor, and rest upon the seventh
day" all the emphasis has been places
upon the latter part OF that divin
Injunction. We have defiled the Sab
bath, when God intended, and SO ar
ranged His universe, that the six day
Of labor should be all-important. Tn
command from on high was to work
work, work, work, work, work-an'
not by proxy, but with our own hand
and hearts and feet. Otherwise j
would not have been provided in ma
lures laws that health and happines
have no other source that is; 50 in
yariably safe and sure.
This nation has committed, or q
least permitted, fundamental error
lfor which the curse of evil -conse
quences may never entirely be oblit
Grated. Slavery was instituted an
1.-THE racial results Of it will probabl
remain so long as the Republic ha
existence. Then, in response to th
same unChristian dread of greatly
work, more vaguely and yet NOR
generally, we established seryantr.
There followed logically, inevitabl!
the more modern and monstrous chea
labor idea. The steps have beer
owner and slave, master and seryinn
man, -magnate and menial.
/ This is a national tendency whic
| we cannot charge to immigration, Of
or new. In fact the old immigratic
lis perhaps more guiltless than the NJ
Tive stock. But it is fundamental
related to our modern immigratie
J problem.
u Humanity has BECOME commodit
; For mercenary motives, our importer
j Of It want, the most inferior grad
L - q . O. - IL = MI