IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES 99 



music of his Church and his country. Lately the Young Men's 

 Christian Association throughout the country has undertaken 

 to develop this musical ability of the immigrant and has 

 frequently held "concerts of all nations," and sought in every 

 way to get the immigrant or his children actively interested 

 in their association. Settlement houses have taken up the 

 same idea and have sought out the musical talent of the 

 immigrant. But I have yet to learn of the matter being 

 taken up seriously in the Catholic missionary or charitable 

 work. Here is a field which we may work with excellent 

 results. 



Where the immigrant from Eastern Europe is a Catholic 

 of an Oriental Rite care should be taken to approach him 

 from that point of view. Although they are Catholics, they 

 have a dread of being "latinized" or being made adherents of 

 the Roman Rite. It amounts almost to an obsession, but 

 racial warfare and history cannot be lightly expunged from 

 their minds. Besides, the Holy See has sternly forbidden 

 time and time again any meddling with the question of their 

 rite. Nevertheless, our American Catholics do not always 

 understand this, and treat the immigrant as though he were 

 not a Catholic or at best only a pretended Catholic after all, 

 simply because he does not understand or care for the Roman 

 Rite, and cannot understand the Latin language. Conse- 

 quently, misunderstandings are apt to occur, and harm is done. 

 It would be well, now that this immigration has assumed suchi 

 proportions, that seminary students in our various diocesan 

 seminaries should be taught the elements, or at least th^ 

 obvious points, of the Greek or other Oriental Rites, so that 

 they might themselves comprehend and be able to explaii-^ 

 to other American Catholics the peculiarities of those rites.i 

 Thereby the immigrant would have a less hostile feeling even ; 

 where he is Catholic, and our countrymen be more effective in j 

 good towards the newcomer in this land. 



The entire matter of the relation of the Church, Church 

 authorities and workers towards the immigrant is one of 

 vast proportions, and I have but briefly touched upon them. 

 The Church can not only afford him the spiritual oversight 

 and care which it is ever eager and willing to do, but can 

 also afford in a great measure oversight of his immediate 

 temporal and physical needs. If any serious effort is to be 



