Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - XXIX. The Causes of Immigration—American Influence on Europe, and Especially on Sweden—The Condition of the Swedes in America—American Characteristics—Antipathy against Foreigners—The Swedish Press on America—American Heiresses
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
Story of an Emigrant.
2g3
nationalities by their less favored representatives under such
circumstances. There are, of course, many noble exceptions
among the native Americans; but as to genuine tolerance
between different nationalities, I have seen far more of it in
the great cosmopolitan cities of Europe, Asia and Africa,
than in America.
But these shortcomings may be easily overlooked for the
many noble traits of character which all admit him to possess
And most striking and beautiful of these is the honor and
respect he shows to woman. There is 110 other country in
the world where woman is treated with such consideration,
and where she is as safe and honored as among Americans,
and if we judge nations by the way their women are treated,
as I think we should, the American nation has no peer in the
world.
But if the Americans have a one-sided and wrong
conception of foreigners, so have also many foreign people a wrong
conception of America, and we ought not to blame the former
more than the latter. The Swedish press, for instance,—
with praise-worthy exceptions, of course,—has always
shown great prejudice or ignorance in its treatment of
America, and especially of the Swedish-Americans. Thus it has
always been ready to dwell on the dark sides and keep silent
about that which is praiseworthy in this country. If, for
instance, a lawless deed has been perpetrated 011 the frontier
it is pointed to as a sample of American civilization,
without considering that such things take place only in the
western cow-boy or mining life, the days of which will soon
belong to the past. And if an immigrant, who, deservedly or
undeservedly, has been unsuccessful writes a letter to his old
home and slanders America, how eager the newspapers are
to rush into print with it. Even if the man has been here
only a few months, and seen only a small spot of the country,
they are still ready to accept his story as reliable testimony,
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
