Mount Penn Lower Alsace Joint High School - Penn Alma Yearbook (Reading, PA)

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levied a head tax of fifty cents on all immigrants and also denied entrance to convicts, except political offenders. The law excludes also lunatics, idiots, and persons likely to become public charges. Later contract laborers were excluded, and in 1891 entrance was refused to persons suffering from a loathsome or contagious disease and to polygamists. The head tax was raised, first to a dollar, and then to two dollars. In 1907 a head tax of four dollars was levied and those excluded were made to include the insane, feeble-minded, epileptic and anarchists. All immigrants were required to be able to read and write in some language in 191(i. The temporary emergency law now in operation until June 30, 1924, restricts the annual immigration of each nationality to three per cent, of the number of that particular nationality who were here in 1910. It has been proposed that we make this more effective by admitting yearly only two per cent, of the number of each nationality here in 1890. This question will he considered by the new Congress next winter. The question now arises as to whether there is need for further restriction. In the fiscal year ending June, 1922, a little over 300,000 immigrants arrived here as compared to about 1,200,000 in 1914. The fact that almost 50,000 more Europeans might have entered last year before filling their quota shows that there is no danger of a deluge of immigrants. We have always felt proud that our country is an asylum for the oppressed and a land of opportunity for all. The population of the United States to the square mile is much smaller than that of European countries, and we have room for many more people. Is it necessary that we close our doors to the foreigners? OUR NATURAL RESOURCES Miriam E. Schaeffer 'fhe natural resources of a country are products of nature useful to man. They may be inexhaustible, such as air and water. Others are exhaustible and cannot he renewed by man, such as coal, gas, oil and metals. Others can be exhausted hid renewed by man, such as soil-fertility and forests. All these natural resources are necessary and are used by man to supply food, clothing and shelter. Natural resources are also used as a means of natural attractiveness. Years ago, when our forefathers came to this country, the whole country was covered with forests. The soil was very fertile, and over the whole country great mineral deposits were found, and water power was also in great abundance. The white men took advantage of these natural resources and used them in whatever way that brought them immediate wealth. It never occurred to them that there was a limit to most of these natural resources. Whole forests were burnt to clear the land. Streams were polluted and coal was taken out wherever it was the thickest and easiest to work. The carelessness and waste went on until millions of dollars’ worth of forests, minerals and other resources were lost. Our available coal supply is estimated to last only a hundred years; the entire supply will be exhausted in one hundred and fifty years. Petroleum and natural gas are only destined to last one hundred years and high grade iron forty years. As our natural resources grow less the price will increase. The growth can not keep in step with the increase in population, and a country which has wasted its natural resources must be dependent and buy elsewhere and pay a very high price. This can he prevented by conservation, which means simply such wise use of our resources as will permit them to be preserved or renewed in the future. To make conservation successful we must do three things: We must educate, legislate and co-operate. We must he educated lo know the real harm that can come from wasting our resources. We must also educate other people to use and procure resources wisely. We must also legislate and pass laws to restrain people from using resources wastefullv. We must cooperate with other people. Little good is done in conserving if other people waste. To make it effective we must co-operate Page Twenty-one

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The nature of some of the causes of immigration reveals to us the character of the immigrants. Ninety-five per cent, of the “old immigration,” which comprises those people who came here previous to 1883, came from northern and western Europe, from Great Britain, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Of the “new immigration,” which extends from 1883 to the present time, a large percentage came from southern and eastern Europe, including Italy, Austria, Hungary, Greece, Poland, Russia, Serbia and Turkey. Our early immigrants came here for religious and political liberty and to better their economic condition, while the causes of the later immigration are chiefly economic. The potato famine in Ireland, civil wars in Germany, and compulsory military service in several European countries also brought many to our shores. The “old immigration” was the more desirable. It was easily assimilated, learned our language, and soon became naturalized. It brought with it many of the ideas, customs and ideals prevailing in our country today and greatly aided our industrial development. We object to some classes of the “new immigration” because they are not easily assimilated, do not show a readiness to become naturalized, and have a large percentage of illiteracy. They settle in the slum districts of our large cities, where filth and disease abound, commit much of our crime, and lower wage standards and living conditions. However, considering that many offenses of foreigners are caused through ignorance of the law rather than criminal tendencies, it has been concluded from the investigations of the Federal Immigration Commission that “immigrants are no more inclined toward criminality, on the whole, than native Americans.” The crowding of the foreigner in our slum districts is often unavoidable on his part because of low wages and high rents. We find that the later immigrants have done much towards the industrial development of our country. It is chiefly they who do the rough labor, leaving the more agreeable work for us, while some of them are very skilled laborers in certain lines of industry. The Yellow race has also been the cause of much discussion. We object to it because of lack of assimilation and a lowering of wrage standards, while race hatred is the cause of some antagonism. Through the agitation of American labor our Chinese Exclusion Act, restricting all Chinese immigration, was passed in 1882, and has been renewed from time to time. In California much opposition has been raised against the energetic and progressive Japanese owning farms, but why should we not give them a chance to develop our agriculture, since they are very skillful at it? In 1908 and 1917, by our “gentlemen’s agreements,” the United States and Japan both agreed not to issue passports to laborers going from their own territory to the territory of the other. It is our duty not to shun the foreigner, hut to do all we can to help him, seeing that his property and rights are protected. For this purpose the Bureau of Industries and Immigration of the State of New York wras formed in 1910. The North American Civic League aids in protecting and Americanizing the immigrant, while the Division of Information of the Bureau of Immigration gives information concerning resources, products and characteristics of our states and territories, thereby tending to distribute the newr-comers throughout the country. Immigrant Homes provide a temporary home at a moderate price for the immigrant w’ho does not know wdiere to go. While many immigrants cannot read and w'rite our language, their children show great readiness to learn it in our public schools and become true Americans. It has been said by a teacher in a New York city public school that “Children of 29 nationalities enter our school; they go out one nationality.” Besides the public school for the children there is the night school, with special classes for teaching the older folks English and citizenship. Various organizations, such as the Young Women’s Christian Association and the Young Men’s Christian Association, teach the foreigner our language, customs and ideals. The next step, after Americaniza tion, is naturalization, and the naturalized foreigner becomes one of us. From time to time our Federal Government has passed laws restricting immigration. The immigration law of 1882 Page Twenty

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and all help in conserving. The waste of our natural resources is appalling. Let us take the forests. The forests may he wasted by fires, careless logging, sawing, tapping of trees, insects and also by not clearing the forests properly when cutting trees. About one-fourth of the standing timber is lost in careless logging, from one-third to two-thirds in in sawing and about one-fifth in tapping for syrup and various other substances. The damage done by insects is very great. In every thousand feet of lumber, which stand in the forest, 680 feet are wasted. One of the greatest menaces is fire, which may he caused by locomotives, campers, forest trampers and lightning. Since 1870 $50,000,000 worth of timber are destroyed yearly by fire The government does a great deal in the conservation of our natural resources. A Bureau of Forestry has been established. This bureau has taken over more than two hundred great forests from the Mexican to the Canadian border. Its rangers are sent out all over the country, where they keep on the lookout for forest fires, which are immediately extinguished. This bureau also gives advice as to the wise use of forests and how to make them more productive. Nearly all states have forestry departments of their own. All this is very important, as few people real ize the importance of forests and the harm that may come through their destruction. Trees regulate the water supply and prevent floods. They also keep the land fertile. By far the greatest use is for building purposes and for fuel, as well as beauty. Water, though it may not he exhausted entirely, is shamefully wasted. Streams are polluted through carelessness. Water power to the amount of 30,000,000 horsepower is lost yearly. The government has also established boards for the regulation of water power and for the constructing of reservoirs at the heads of rivers to control floods and drought. The most important uses of water are for power, irrigation, navigation and domestic purposes. By the wise use of our water resources freight rates may become cheaper, flood damages will be reduced, deserts irrigated, fuel saved and railroad congestion relieved. The wealth of our country in underground resources, such as coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron and many other metals, is very great. These resources can never he replaced and therefore must he used wisely so as to prolong the supply. For every ton of coal mined a half ton is wasted. This may he wasted through careless mining which causes fires that may burn for years before being extinguished. Natural gas is also wasted hv being allowed to escape from the wells and from imperfect pipes. The United States Bureau of Mines is launching a great movement for the preserving of unde rground resources. 'flic most important natural resource is land. Only a small part of our land is fit for cultivation, one-twenty-fifth of it being swamps, two-fifths arid or dry. The government has established a Reclamation Service, which buys land, irrigates it and sells it to the people at reasonable rates. It also drains land and gives advice to farmers in managing their farms to get better crops from their land, on which depends the food of the nation. All this conservation on the part of the country can become effective if we all help, and our nation will become powerful and wealthy with great forests of wood for man’s needs; unfailing sources of water for all uses; with minerals wisely used against the time of need, and with its soil improved our country will grow steadily onward to greater prosperity for many years to come. THE VALUE OF AN EDUCATION Ethan Allen Doty Ladies and Gentlemen: There are many young people, and some older ones as well, who do not fully appreciate the real value of an education, and they do not find out the handicap until it is too late. Some parents, therefore, unwisely allow their children to leave school at the earliest age the law allows to enter a factory to earn a wage much lower than that earned by a High School graduate when he begins to earn money. Page Twenty-two