America of Tomorrow

Library of Congress America of tomorrow. AMERICA OF TO-MORROW BY THE SAME AUTHOR AN AMERICAN STUDENT IN FRANCE. Authorized translation, Illustrated and Indexed. Large 8vo, gilt top Net $2.50 IN THE LAND OF THE STRENUOUS LIFE. Authorized translation. Illustrated and Indexed. Large 8vo, gilt top Net $2,00 A. C. McCLURG & CO., Publishers CHICAGO ABBÉ KLEIN At Entrance to Mandel Hall, University of Chicago AMERICA OF TO-MORROW BY ABBÉ FÉLIX KLEIN AUTHOR OF “IN THE LAND OF THE STRENUOUS LIFE,” “AN AMERICAN STUDENT IN FRANCE,” ETC. Translated with Approval by E. H. Wilkins Introductory Note by Professor Charles R. Henderson of the University of Chicago WITH FRONTISPIECE LC CHICAGO A. C. McLURG & CO. 1911 America of tomorrow. http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbtn.27765 Library of Congress E168 K655 Copyright A. C. McCLURG & CO. 1911 Published October, 1911 Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, England #175 W. R. Ball Printing Company Chicago ©Cl. A297796 No. 1 v CONTENTS CHAPTER I America on Board PAGE 1 “New York or the Country?”—An Ambitious Title—Twelve Hundred Immigrants: the Great Number of Jews; the General Problem of Assimilation—Good Average Americans—A Lawyer, a Colonel, a Clergyman, a Doctor—First Thoughts on the Japanese Question—A National Holiday at Sea. CHAPTER II In New York and by the Great Lakes. Night Schools and Summer Schools 26 My “Seminarist's” 5,000 Miles—Melancholy Quickly Dissipated—At the Paulists' Father McMillan—A Young High School Girl—Visiting on Board Train—Evening Schools: 75 per cent of Students Jews—The Catholic Summer School—Comedy, Camping, Base- ball, Lecture, and Supper—On Lake Champlain and Lake George—In the Land of the Mohicans. CHAPTER III Chautauqua 52 America of tomorrow. http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbtn.27765 Library of Congress The Dream of a Summer's Day—An American Salentum—Chautauqua Institute— An Academic City of 12,000 Inhabitants—Its Origin, Programme, Spirit, and Christian Character—The Thirst for Knowledge. vi CHAPTER IV Impressions of Chicago. The New Work of Catholic Extension 65 View of Lake Michigan—Ugliness and Beauty of Chicago—An Optimistic Doctor and Chauffeur—In the Belgian Colony—A Gallie-Canadian Sermon—The Suburbs—National Grouping—How a Parish is Founded—A Great and Rich Diocese—The American Clergy —A New Work of Catholic Propaganda, the Extension—Its Necessity, Its Origin, Its Rapid Progress—The Home Missions of Protestants and Catholics—Encouraging Perspectives. CHAPTER V The University of Chicago 86 Intellectual Life—History of the University of Chicago—John D. Rockefeller's Twenty Millions, and the Eight Millions of Other Founders—Resources and Buildings—An Outline of the Regular Courses—The Extension Department—The Summer Term—Sermon of a Catholic Priest at the University—The Common Creed of Christians—Social and Religious Sciences—Professor Henderson—University Settlements—Dormitories—An Original Institution: The Greek Letter Fraternities—Delta Upsilon— The Daily Maroon, a Students' Newspaper—The University Press. CHAPTER VI Visits to Peoria and Omaha 115 Peoria for Four Years—The Illness of Mgr. Spalding—His Philosophy of Pain—Country Club—All My Plans Upset by Mr. Petry—Twenty-five Hundred Miles More—Vain Protests of My “Seminarist”— vii Omaha, one of the “Meat Cities”—Commerce and Prosperity— $8,000,000,000 Crops—Creighton University—A Stained-glass Saint in a Rocking Chair— Springing Up of Cathedrals. America of tomorrow. http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbtn.27765 Library of Congress CHAPTER VII Archbishop Ireland 132 —A Celebrated Man who does not Suffer by being Seen at Close Range—Simplicity and Activity—A Prosperous Church—French Missionaries to Minnesota in the Seventeenth Century—Origin of the Town and Diocese of St. Paul—The Jubilee of 1901: Fifty Years of Catholicism in the Northwest—Laying the Cornerstone of the Cathedral (1907): Religious and Civic Fétes—Model Separation—Freedom and Religion Natural Allies—Visit to a Survivor of Heroic Times—The Real Self-made Man. CHAPTER VIII Western Canada 161 A Property of 360,000 Square Miles—Winnipeg and St. Boniface—Religion in Western Canada—Great Distances and Great Delays—The Endless Prairie—A City More Serious Than Elegant: Calgary—Advice to Young Colonists—Banff—The Rocky Mountains—First Asiatics—Dialogue with a Japanese—The Race Question—At Vancouver—Landscape and Park—In Chinatown and the Japanese Quarter—White Against Yellow Race—A Serious Newspaper. CHAPTER IX The Most American of American Cities: Seattle 197 A Fortunate Corner of the Globe: The State of Washington—Its Chief City, Seattle— Material and Moral Prosperity—Disconcerting Activity—A Busy viii Bishop—Moving of Churches and Monuments—How a Hastily Built City is Made Regular—A Hill by the Sea —American Push—French Business—Soundness of the Wealth of Seattle—A Privileged Situation—One of the Sovereigns of the Pacific. CHAPTER X The Northwest—Tacoma—Puget Sound 213 The Importance of the Northwest—Audacious Railroads—Prosperity of the Young State of Washington—The City of Tacoma: Origins, Development, Description—A Missionary America of tomorrow. http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbtn.27765 Library of Congress of Prehistoric Times—Alpinesque Horizons—An Interview á l' Américaine—Excursion on Puget Sound—The Bremerton Navy Yards—Naval Religion—Well-pald Crews—A Sunset. CHAPTER XI On the Pacific Ocean 233 Activity of the Port of Seattle—Delayed Departure—A Falsely Pacific Sea—Meetings on Board: Little Japs; Students of Both Sexes—“Europe, if You Wish, but America First”— Alaska, the Norway of America—Uncle Sam's Good Investment—The Excellent Captain— Story of a Fire at Sea—Cordial Simplicity of Westerners—A Word on the Jewish Question —On Moonbeams. CHAPTER XII San Francisco 257 Invitation to a Destroyed City—San Francisco After the Earthquake—Catastrophe and Resurrection—A Californian Monk—Too Many Lectures—The French Colony—Catholic Secret Society: The Knights of Columbus—At the University of California ix —Religion and Public Instruction—The Environs of San Francisco—San Rafael and Menlo Park— Municipal Corruption—Arrest of the Mayor and the Chief of Police—Labor Organization— Labor Day—Employers and the Unions—Socialism in the United States. CHAPTER XIII The Real Problem of To-morrow: The Japanese Question 299 Difficulties; the Greatest of All—Deceitful Calm—The School Question in 1906; Temporary Arrangement—Friendly Governments and Hostile Peoples: The Agreements of 1908 and the Disagreements of 1909—The Real Causes of the Conflict—The Question of Salaries and of the Standard of Life—The Democratic Ideal and the Necessity of Assimilation— The Importance of the Yellow Immigration—Ineffectual Solutions: That the Governments do not Wish for War, and that it would Solve Nothing—Of the Rapprochement that would be brought about by the Conversion of the Japanese to Christianity—The Slowness and Difficulties of Evangelization—Some Hopeful Signs—A Partial Solution: The Increase in America of tomorrow. http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbtn.27765 Library of Congress the Number of Whites on the Pacific Coast—Californian Wealth—The Real Strength of the United States: An Optimistic and Free People. Index 351 xi INTRODUCTORY NOTE A FEW years ago a letter of introduction from Archbishop Ireland made me acquainted with Abbé Félix Klein, then a Professor in the Catholic Institute at Paris, and from that day the French capital has been to me another city. The French people can understand us, and sincere Catholics there can open their hearts to sincere Protestants. The gay, gentle, delicate, and refined scholar banters us cheerfully but he really likes us. He interprets for us the inner motives of the leaders of the ancient Church, and he believes that true religion thrives best in an atmosphere of political freedom. In outer form this prophecy of To-morrow appears to be a jest, a merry notebook of a holiday recreation; in essence it is an affectionate revelation of a man's soul who believes in liberty and the triumph of truth; it is an interpretation of momentous events which are too near us to be seen in a true perspective. Here is one who is admitted to the evening councils of Paulist fathers, to the private offices of distinguished bishops, to the committee rooms of missionary priests, and American Protestants are taught what immense plans are formed and steadily developed in action. xii It is also wholesome for us to welcome a reporter who is at once shrewd and learned; who has read widely and conversed with scholars, authors, statesmen, reformers; and whose own soul has been the theatre of a modern intellectual revolution, until he has learned to be patient even with heretics like the one he has invited to write this preface. His style is so honest and transparent that you can see his soul in his works, and it is one of the purest, gentlest, noblest souls of our generation. Read his message, and you will discover America of tomorrow. http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbtn.27765 Library of Congress a reverent scholar whose style is so brilliant and charming that you may think him a man of the world; and he is,—a man of our best world. Charles Richmond Henderson. The University of Chicago. AMERICA OF TO-MORROW 1 AMERICA OF TO-MORROW CHAPTER I AMERICA ON BOARD “NEW YORK OR THE COUNTRY?”—AN AMBITIOUS TITLE—TWELVE HUNDRED IMMIGRANTS: THE GREAT NUMBER OF JEWS; THE GENERAL PROBLEM OF ASSIMILATION—GOOD AVERAGE AMERICANS—A LAWYER, A COLONEL, A CLERGYMAN, A DOCTOR—FIRST THOUGHTS ON THE JAPANESE QUESTION—A NATIONAL HOLIDAY AT SEA. A CERTAIN lady is said to have asked an American when he was presented to her, “You are from the United States: do you live in New York or the country?” This sort of kindly ignorance is becoming more and more rare, and I am inclined to believe there are not many readers who will ask me why, having already visited America and written about the country, I should have made up my mind to take a second trip there and again to write it up.

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