The DansJc FolJcescimfund. 
87 
pride, no one thing on which they could unite as a basis of their 
common nationality. The question naturally arises, would it 
have been better for the Danes individually if like the Norwe¬ 
gians they had formed compact settlements and a strong church; 
would such a condition have been more favorable for the de¬ 
velopment of good men and good citizens than the present scat¬ 
tered and disorganized condition? 
It is frequently alleged that settlements, churches and 
parochial schools, as established by the foreigners in this coun¬ 
try, form the chief evils of immigration, by perpetuating con¬ 
ditions which produce a heterogeneous population with aims 
and interests antagonistic to republican institutions and a 
stable state of society. This belief, however, is undoubtedly an 
erroneous one, arising out of a misconception of the real needs of 
our foreign population. These settlements, churches and schools, 
instead of being a menace to our state, form one of the main 
safeguards of this country against the dangers accompanying 
the large influx of people of various nationalities. A large 
number of the immigrants are young people, and, as far as 
character is concerned, are still in the formative stage. Nearly all 
of them come from quiet, staid communities where they have a 
recognized standing and the pleasure of social intercourse with 
their equals, and where they are now and then touched by the 
elevating influences exercised by the church, the school or some 
other social institution whose work and sentiment they can 
understand and appreciate. Their social circle holds them re¬ 
sponsible for their conduct, stimulating their desire for respect¬ 
ability, thus constituting one of the most potent checks to 
the vicious impulses that at times are liable to dominate the 
conduct of people left entirely to themselves. It is this func¬ 
tion of stimulating the good and checking the evil, so necessary 
for the development and maintenance of decent character and 
good citizenship, which the settlement and church of the for¬ 
eigner performs, a function which no other institution in this 
country could perform, yet one of invaluable service to the 
country as well as to the immigrant. There is no situation 
much more hopeless and demoralizing than that of the ordinary 
immigrant, unacquainted with the English language and totally 
