THE COMPOSITE OF EACE3 A^'D EELIGIONS IN AMERICA. 237 



to maintain a real connection with the past. This explains the 

 Ulsterman in Ireland whose forms of religion, for instance, as 

 nearly as possible resemble those which prevailed in Scotland at 

 the time he left it. It explains the Boer in South Africa who 

 made a loyal effort to establish and maintain in that country 

 the Holland of 1700. It explains the fact that all over the 

 western part of the United States the settlers at once 

 established the same institutions as prevailed at home, making 

 them better if possible, but as nearly like as they could. Their 

 forms of religious worship and their systems of theology to-day, 

 in their conservatism, resemble the simplicity and oi^thodoxy 

 which prevailed in the East fifty years ago and ha\-e 

 greatly changed in the old home region. The mere mention of 

 this fact is enough. Its value and its si2;nificance in the 



o ... 



situation in which America finds herself at this time will be 

 altogether obvious. Fortunate, indeed, is America tliat lier own 

 population was fairly homogeneous ; that every part of the land 

 was settled by practically native people ; that American 

 institutions were everywhere established by those wdiD loved 

 them ; and that the first settler has in him such marvellous 

 power to lay hold upon and assimilate to himself all subsequent 

 increments which may come to him. 



For in spite of all well-grounded optimism, the fact must be 

 faced that present day immigration differs vastly in character 

 from all that has preceded and has assumed ]jroportions 

 relatively vast. It is substantially one million each year, of 

 whom perhaps 800,000 remain permanently. In 1820 the 

 increment was less than 10,000 to a population of 9,000,000 ; 

 to-day it is relatively ten times greater. Moreover, then it was 

 Saxon and Celt To-day it is Slavonian, Croatian and Dalmatian, 

 Bohemian, Magyar, Slovak, Euthenian, Roumanian, Italian, for 

 the most part from South Italy and Sicily, Polish, Portuguese. 

 Germans of course continue to come, and the Scandinavians 

 stand at about 50,000 annually. 



Will the nation which has heretofore promptly seized upon 

 what has come, and has thrived and grown immensely richer and 

 finer in the process of assimilating the new elements, be able to 

 continue this process with the stranger and more difficult 

 material which is now presenting itself ? This is the question 

 America must answ^er. The Irish who came in the middle f»f 

 the last century chose politics as their vocation, anil, especially 

 in the cities, thrust themselves into the very heart of the nation's 

 life, and, in spite of some exceptions, became valuable and loyal 

 citizens. Will Slavonians, Croatians and Bohemians make 



