Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1950-02-14
They Come With Moderation

1t looks like the Northwest is popular in Scandinavia
The Scandinavans coming to U. S. immigrants
nowadays favor this part of the country their
happy hunting grounds Happy? Well some of them have
been scouting around for jobs vain others have been
successful We are happy to have them here
Fred A. Lind the lawyer of Swedish descent who has
been heading the evening classes at the Central Baptist
Church in Seattle since the twentes believes there is
different quality present-day newcomers Most OF
them he says "are trained for profession and
cupation They're modern they're cultured and many of
them expect do we'll in America They regard it
land of opportunity. They speak in glowing terms OF
Americas material advantages and comforts. 1t all bos
down to prices Things cheaper here
thing and the general makeup of America
is another Some of them don't like everything that goes
into the makeup. It's only natural In the first place
America must be confusing to anyone who comes
here Secondly it rarely conforms the set, sometimes
stad pattern of living traditions, and culture Scan
dnavia Thirdly Scandinavia is far ahead of America
regard social legislation social security and plan
ming all that which lends to modern Scandinavia state
of orderness preparedness and dignity that the
mention of socaled American social injustice, unpalal-
leed in modern Scandinavia is apt to make them feel I'M
easy. Fourthly unlike Americans, they homogeneous
peoples and their customs and traditions conform to def
mite pattern which makes them allergic pronounced
change Of environment Their reaction America large
ly determined by this factor, because they
toned to foreign and outside influences in Scandinavia
other than those that affect them rather indirectly and
through the normal course of interchange with other
When asked how she liked America Scandin-
avian remarked that the thing that strikes
is that the people here to have so little in common
Filthy, they all look upon America leader of demo-
in the free world and they most certainly give it
credit for chronological supremacy but many of them have
retained the old European complex of frownng upon
America distinct cultural entity. Their feeling of cul
tura superiority may be understandable from their point
of view. 1t is legitimate instances judging
from critical American standards
This leads us to the sixth point the newcomers have
nearly always one fault in when they make
appraisal of America. They don't know enough about
history to judge conditions correctly They fail
to recognize the state and federal division of
eminent plays in the development of the country simply
because there is nothing like it in Europe When they
speak of slow social fields where they have
pioneered and set up efficient machinery they overlook
the general sociological makeup of a nation which
largely built up piecemeal basis in conjunction with
the successive colonization and settling of areas
the inevitable struggle of mastering nature and
ment before perfecng the machinery of law social
order.
In remarkably short time built up the richest and most
powerful nation earth We created free and bold spr-
it, eager to assert itself The Free enterprising inventive
and sturdy individual became acclaimed type-hero,
not the despot the allpowerful which
much trouble in Europe One of national
gorfcation of overaggressve typeheroes who took
fair advantage of our cult
Today, aside from maintaining peace the struggle be-
the individual and the problem as
it is and has been with Europeans 1t is sign that
coming of for we are willing to face and cope with