Evening star., 1932-04-27
i. S. MELTING POT
I W|P|NG OUT BAND
Russians Speaking Germans
of Kansas Find Liberty
Homestead at Last.
BY CARL SANDBURG.

HAYS, Kans., April u (NANA).-
I met in this region some German-Rus-
sian Jayhawkers. They are of German
blood. Their language is Russian. They
are citizens and voters of Kansas. Can
you imagine it?
One of their villages is named Cath
crime, after the Russian empress. Other
villages are named Liebenthal (happy
Valley, and Schoenchen Qittle beauty
Their story goes back. to the early
eighteenth century, when the seven
years war taxes loaded them heavily
They looked across to Russia. where
Catherine the Great offered them free
land, freedom from taxation for 30
years, governmental built homes. freedom
from military service for an indefinite
period, freedom of worship. freedom to
build churches and bell towers, free
dom to maintain schools and retain
their own customs and language.
Moved to Russia.
They moved across into Russia. It
was hard to go, oifflcult to break the
home ties. Also the German Emperor
threatened punishment and confsca-
ton of property if they migrated. Yet
they went. In 1853 over 5000 families
started on the long trek. The Empress
Catherine met them at Orienbaum,
greeting them as friends, blessing them
and giving them money along with fine
promises. ...
They went to the province Saratov,
stood many hardships, saw their crops
fail for 10 years. AS time passed pros
perity and peace came to them. They
built villages and churches. Then Cath
crime the Great their friend, died Jeal-
GUS and tricky Russian officials began
to rob and exploit them. This oppres-
sion reached the limit in 1874, when
the Russian government tried to press
them into military service
The Germans organize l, sent five
delegates out to seek a new land for
them. They considered South Africa
and South America, decided on Kan
sas. In groups of hundreds they mi
grated to this Far-Western region in
good, hardworking citizens. They make
good beer, and whisky having flavor,
for their own use. They are German
IN blood. Their language Is Russian.
They are American citizens.
Melting Pot at Work.
One Of their old women talks a
poetic speech. She told Thelma Hruza,
o Czech girl from the State College at
Hays:
'Our young men no longer listen to
our counsel. Our young women, they
paint their faces, rush madly about the
streets with their bodies clothed in
unseemly fashion, do the. things done
only by their brothers in olden days.
They no longer follow In the footsteps
of their mothers. Our young people
no longer learn our language, few of
them read and write it and many of
them refuse to speak 1t.
"One hundred years we dwelt in the
land of the Gar and in that hundred
years we kept the traditions of our
people; we kept the pure red blood of
our ancestors we worshiped at the
shrine of our fathers. When that hun
dred years had passed and our per-
sonal liberty was endangered, We rose
UP as one man and found another
home
But this United States-only 81
years have we been here and already
it is robbing us of our children, Of our
traditions even of our spirit of liberty.
STEPPED in prosperity and peace, we
grow dull.
Madam, unless we find way, when
another so years are passed our chill
dren will not be German. They will be
American. Thanks to your great melt
ing pot"
(Copyright, 1892, by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, 1nc.)