True Americanism 45 



Americanized nevertheless fails to remain a Euro- 

 pean, and becomes nothing at all. The immigrant 

 can not possibly remain what he was, or continue 

 to be a member of the Old- World society. If he 

 tries to retain his old language, in a few generations 

 it becomes a barbarous jargon; if he tries to retain 

 his old customs and ways of life, in a few genera- 

 tions he becomes an uncouth boor. He has cut him- 

 self off from the Old World, and can not retain his 

 connection with it ; and if he wishes ever to amount 

 to anything he must throw himself heart and soul, 

 and without reservation, into the new life to which 

 he has come. It is urgently necessary to check and 

 regulate our immigration, by much more drastic laws 

 than now exist ; and this should be done both to keep 

 out laborers who tend to depress the labor market, 

 and to keep out races which do not assimilate read- 

 ily with our own, and unworthy individuals of all 

 races not only criminals, idiots, and paupers, but 

 anarchists of the Most and O'Donovan Rossa type. 

 From his own standpoint, it is beyond all ques- 

 tion the wise thing for the immigrant to become 

 thoroughly Americanized. Moreover, from our 

 standpoint, we have a right to demand it. We 

 freely extend the hand of welcome and of good-fel- 

 lowship to every man, no matter what his creed or 

 birthplace, who comes here honestly intent on be- 

 coming a good United States citizen like the rest of 

 us; but we have a right, and it is our duty to de- 

 mand that he shall indeed become so, and shall not 

 confuse the issues with which we are struggling by 



