"That boy must go to America," he said one night.
"My son is in the stockyards in Chicago." These were some of his reasons
for going: "You can read free papers and prayer books; you can have free
meetings, and talk out what you think." And more precious far, you can
have "life, liberty, and the getting of happiness." When time for
military service drew near, these arguments for America prevailed and
the boy was smuggled out of his native land. "It is against the law to
sell tickets to America, but my father saw the secret agent in the
village and he got a ticket from Germany and found us a guide. I had
bread and cheese and vodka (liquor) and clothes in my bag. My father
gave me $50 besides my ticket." Bribery did the rest, and thus this
immigrant obtained his liberty and chance in America. The American idea
is leavening Russia surely enough.
[Sidenote: An Italian]
An Italian bootblack who already owns several bootblacking
establishments in this country, was trained to a beggar's life in
Italy, and ran away. "Now and then I had heard things about
America--that it was a far-off country where everybody was rich and that
Italians went there and made plenty of money, so that they could return
to Italy and live in pleasure ever after.
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