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
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Story of an Emigrant.
2g3
complishes most, as instanced by the history of our
presidents, governors, financiers and other distinguished men.
And this is quite natural, for the prospects and possibilities
which a man sees before him in this country stimulate his
ambition, and arouse his energies to surmount the greatest
difficulties.
The new ideas now permeating society in Europe, and
which will gradually transform it, have, to a great extent,
originated in America, more particularly the idea of
brotherhood, the sympathy with equals, the conviction that it is
our duty to better the condition of our fellow-men, and not
despise them, even if they are unfortunate. In this respect,
as well as in many others, America exerts a great influence
over Europe. To me the better situated classes of Sweden
seem short-sighted in their hostility to emigration, for a man
of broad views must admit that emigration has been
beneficial even to Sweden herself. It may not have benefited the
higher classes directly, as they cannot hire servants and
laborers as cheaply as formerly; but the people have benefited
by it as a whole, their condition being now better than
formerly, when competition between the laborers was greatei
America also exerts a great influence on the mental and
moral development of the people of Sweden, although this
may not be so apparent on the surface. The thousands and
hundreds of thousands of letters written every year by
Swedish-Americans to the people of the working classes of
Sweden arouse the latter’s ambition, and develop liberal,
political and religious ideas among them. No one can
calculate the scope of this influence, to say nothing of the
eloquent language spoken by the millions of crowns which are
annually sent home to poor relatives and friends, and which
either lighten the burden of poverty or enable the recipients
to prepare a brighter future for themselves in this country,
and how many a poor, down-trodden fellow, who could ex-
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