Evening star., 1932-05-15
CONTINUED From First Page

that her husband is sending her over
to visit her family and see how things
are. II she finds things better he will
come, too. He and his friends have been
talking about jobs in Russia, but they
do not like to sign up for three years.
She would not like him to go to Russia
alone, but If they will let her come, too,
that would be different.
Russian is going back because the
United States has no use for him. He
has worked in a Western State for
Is years, never till this year out of a
job. He wanted to be citizen, applied
three times each time refused because
he didn't know enough" Now he Is
going back to country that considers
1t the states business to teach It's
workers to know enough" to be citizens
On Swedish vessel appear 200 Firms
and Latvians, leaving America for the
Russian factories. The other 800 in
the third class, blond children of the
North, talk about Russia, wonder about
Russia-the jobs, the possibilities, the
dangers-as they must once have talked
about America in those earlier days
when the magnet of opportunity was
drawing them westward.
An electrical engineer has already
sent his wife back to Sweden because
Of family illness. Since she left, a
month ago, he has lost his job-and
now he is going to join her. He has
packed all their things in army trunks
and left them in storage-because he
thinks they will be coming back in a
year. He, too, wonders about Russia,
but thinks the best jobs are already
-aken there. He does not delude him
self by believing that he will find any
thing to do in Sweden, but he thinks
IL VIII not cost anything to stay on the
farm for awhile.
Temporary loy-offs send many back
70 the old country, saying they may as
well spend their money there as In
America, and that they can live more
cheaply with relatives. Relatives-always
relatives In the story of the immigrant.
Is this the final strength of the
family-the poverty Of its members? ?
Individual weakness the communal
strength?
Tide Receding at Last.
Sometimes considerable amount of
money Is being carried out of America
Here Is bricklayer from New York,
going over for visit because times are
slow. He boasts that he will fling his
money about. A contractor from Ohio
has $4,000 in his pockets to spend in
Sweden. He already is drunk at the
ships bar
1t may be good for our complacency
TO consider this flight from America.
The historian of ideas cannot fail to
be interested in such a reversal. For
400 years tide has been flowing from
Europe to America-and now it is at
last receding. The bright image in the
West is dimmed; one doubts that it will
ever be refulgent again. viii Soviet
Russia take its place as the land of
hopes and Dreams land where. as
they used to say about America, any
thing can happen?"
1t may be that presently a more Sc
lected immigration will begin to come
our way-of those Europeans who feel
knship with us, who like what we
are rather than what we have. Now
that we are no longer the gold mine OF
the world, we shall perhaps find other
means Of being attractive.
AS matter Of fact merely ceasine
TO be an Eldorado has automatically
made friends for America. Nobody love,
q gold mine; you do not want to low
1t, you want to exploit it. Toda,
America is no longer a gold mine. ant
she Is being seen in a different light.
In q Viennese delicatessen shop
NCIle group gathers ABOUT an American
who explains that times are hard II
the United States. 1t is SO, they nod il
friendly agreement; they have heart
it from friends in America. Life i
hard all over, life is the same every
where. In former times, shopkeeper
were annoyed: What, you canno
buy? You are a rich American? Blu
yes, all Americans are rich Prob
ably they still say this in France, TO
France is slow at learning new les
sons. But now, in many places, bet
ter relation is possible The shopkeep
er understands when you cannot buy
He regrets the sale, perhaps, but h
suhtly takes on dignity because q me-
brotherhood Is appearing. 1t is true
!, life Is hard. he seems to say, for m'
for you, my friends; we are all poo
together, and this is not altogether un
pleasant. And international amit