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CHAPTER
III Ours was a
slow steamer, and we did not stop at Montauk where the mail and the
swiftest
travelers landed, nor in Jamaica Harbor with the immigrants. As we
swept along the sunny, level spaces of the South shore, Nellie told me
how Long
Island was now the "Reception Room" of our country, instead of poor,
brutal little Ellis Island. "The
shores are still mostly summer places," she said. "One of the most
convincing of our early lines of advance was started on the South
shore; and there
are plenty of Country Clubs, Home Parks and things like that; but the
bulk of
the island toward the western end is an experiment station in applied
sociology." I was
watching the bright shore hungrily. With a glass I could see many large
buildings, not too closely set. "I
should think it would spoil the place for homes," I said. Nellie had
a way of listening to my remarks, kindly and pleasantly, but as if I
were
somehow a long way off and she was trying to grasp what I said. "In a
way it did at first;" she explained presently, "but even then it
meant just as many homes for other people, and now it means so much
more!" She
hesitated a moment and then plunged in resolutely. "You're
in for a steady course of instructive remarks from now on. Everybody
will be
explaining things and bragging about them. We haven't outgrown some of
the
smaller vices, you see. As to this 'Immigration Problem'
we woke up to this fact among others, that
the 'reintegration of peoples' as Ward called it, was a sociological
process
not possible to stop, but quite possible to assist and to guide to
great
advantage. And here in America we recognized our own special place
'the
melting pot,' you know?" Yes, I
remembered the phrase, I never liked it. Our family were pure English
stock,
and rightly proud of their descent. "I
begin to see, my dear sister, that while receiving the torrent of
instructive
remarks you foretell, the way of wisdom for me is steadfastly to
withhold my
own opinions." Nellie
laughed appreciatively. "You
always had a long head, John. Well, whether you like it or not, our
people saw
their place and power at last and rose to it. We refuse no one. We have
discovered as many ways of utilizing human waste as we used to have for
the
waste products of coal tar." "You
don't mean to say idiots and criminals?" I protested. "Idiots,
hopeless ones, we don't keep any more," she answered gently. "They
are very rare now. The grade of average humanity is steadily rising;
and we
have the proud satisfaction of knowing we have helped it rise. We
organized a
permanent 'reception committee' for the whole country, one station here
and one
in California. Anybody could come but they had to submit to our
handling when
they did come." "We
used to have physicial examination, didn't we?" "A
rudimentary one. What we have now is Compulsory Socialization." I stared
at her. "Yes,
I know! You are thinking of that geological kind of evolution people
used to
talk about, and 'you can't alter human nature.' In the first place, we
can. In
the second place, we do. In the third place, there isn't so much
alteration
needed as we used to think. Human nature is a pretty good thing. No
immigrant
is turned loose on the community till he or she is up to a certain
standard,
and the children we educate." "We
always did, didn't we?" "Always
did? Why brother, we didn't know what the word meant in your time." "I
shall be glad to follow that up," I assured her. "Education was
improving even in the old days, I remember. I shall be glad to see the
schools." "Some
of them you won't know when you do see them," said Nellie. "On Long
Island we have agricultural and industrial stations like like I
think we
had something like it in some of our Western colleges, which it was the
fashion
to look down upon. We have a graded series of dwellings where the use
of modern
conveniences is taught to all newcomers." "Suppose
they won't learn? They used to prefer to live like hogs, as I
remember." Again
Nellie looked at me as if I were speaking to her from a distance. "We
used to say so and I suppose we used to think so some of us. But we
know
better now. These people are not compelled to come to our country, but
if they
come they know what they have to do and they do it. You may have
noticed that
we have no 'steerage.'" I had
noticed it. "They
have decent surroundings from the first step. They have to be
antiseptically
clean, they and all their belongings, before entering the ship." "But
what an awful expense!" I ventured. "Suppose
you keep cattle, John, and knew how to fatten and improve them; and
suppose
your ranch was surrounded by strays mavericks anxious to come in.
Would you
call it 'an expense' to add to your herd?" "You
can't sell people." "No,
but you can profit by their labor." "That
sounds like the same old game. I should think your Socialism would have
put an
end to that." "Socialism,
did not alter the fact that wealth comes by labor," she replied. "All
these people work. We provide the opportunity for them, we train them
to higher
efficiency, especially the children. The very best and wisest of us are
proud
to serve there as women used to be proud when they were invited 'to
help
receive' some personage. We receive Humanity and introduce it to
America.
What they produce is used to cover the expense of their training, and
also to
lay up a surplus for themselves." "They
must produce more than they used to," observed I drily. "They
do," said Nellie. "You
might as well finish this thing up," I said. "Then when people talk
to me about immigration, I can look intelligent and say, 'I know about
that.'
And really, I'm interested. How do you begin with 'em?" "When
they come into Jamaica Harbor they see a great crescent of white piers,
each
with its gate. We'll go and see it some day
splendid arches with figures on them, like the ones they used to put
up for Triumphs. There's the German Gate and the Spanish Gate, the
English
Gate, the Italian Gate and so on. There is welcome in their own
language
and instruction in ours. There is physical examination the most
searching and
thorough microscopic chemical. They have to come up to a certain
standard
before they are graduated, you see." "Graduated?" "Yes.
We have a standard of citizenship now an idea of what people ought to
be and
how to make them so. Dear me! To think
that you don't know about that " "I
shouldn't think they'd stand for it all this examination and so on." "No
country on earth offers so much happiness to its people. Nowhere else
yet is there
as good opportunity to be helped up, to have real scientific care, real
loving
study and assistance! Everybody likes to be made the most of! Everybody
nearly has the feeling that they might be something better if they
had a
chance! We give them the chance." "Then
I should think you'd have all creation on your hands at once." "And
depopulate the other nations? They had something to say about that! You
see
this worked all sorts of ways. In the first place, when we got all the
worst
and lowest people, that left an average of better ones at home people
who
could learn more quickly. When we proved what good stuff human nature
was,
rightly treated, they all took heart of grace and began to improve
their own.
Then, as our superior attractions steadily drew off 'the lower
classes,' that
raised the value of those who remained. They were better paid, better
thought
of at home. As more and more people came to us, the other nations got
rather
alarmed, and began to establish counter attractions to keep their
folks at
home. Also, many other nations had some better things than we did, you
remember. And finally most people love their own country better than
any other,
no matter how good. No, the balance of population is not seriously
altered." "Still,
with such an influx of low-grade people you must have a Malthusian
torrent of
increasing population on your hands." Again that
odd listening look, her head a little on one side. "I
have to keep remembering," she said. "Have to recall what people
wrote and said and thought in the past generation. The idea was that
people had
to increase like rabbits, and would eat up the food supply, so wars and
pestilences and all manner of cruel conditions were necessary to 'keep
down the
population.' Wasn't that it?" "You
are twenty years out, my dear!" I rejoiced to assure her. "We had
largely passed that, and were beginning to worry about the decreasing
birth
rate among the more intelligent. It was only the lowest grade that
kept on
'like rabbits' as you say. But it's
that sort you seem to have been filling in with. I should think it
would have
materially lowered the average. Or have you, in this new 'forcing
system,' made
decent people out of scrubs?" "That's
exactly what we've done; we've improved the people and lowered the
birthrate at
one stroke!" "They
were beginning to talk eugenics when I left." "This
is not eugenics we have made great advances in that, of course; but
the chief
factor in this change is a common biological law 'individuation is in
inverse
proportion to reproduction,' you know. We individualize the women
develop
their personal power, their human characteristics and they don't have
so many
children." "I
don't see how that helps unless you have eliminated the brutality of
men." "My dear brother, the
brutality of men lowered the birthrate it didn't
raise it! One of those
undifferentiated peasant women would have a baby every year if she was
married
to a saint and she couldn't have more in polyandry unless it were
twins!
No, the birthrate was for women to settle and they have." "Out
of fashion to have children at all?" "No,
John, you needn't sneer. We have better children than ever were born on
earth
before, and they grade higher every year. But we are approaching a
balanced
population." I didn't
like the subject, and turned to the clear skyline of the distant city.
It
towered as of old, but seemed not so close-packed. Not one black cloud
and
very few white ones! "You've
ended the smoke nuisance, I'm glad to see. Has steam gone, too?" "We
use electricity altogether in all the cities now," she said. "It
occurred to us that to pipe a leaking death into every bedroom; to
thread the
city with poison, fire and explosion, was foolish." "Defective
wiring used to cause both death and conflagration, didn't it?" "It
did," she admitted; "but it is not 'defective' any more." "Is
the coal all gone?" "No,
but we burn it at the mines by a process which does not
waste ninety per cent of the energy and transmit the
power." "For
all New York?" "Oh,
no. New York has enough water power, you see. The tide mills are enough
for
this whole region." "They
solved the tide-mill problem, did they?" "Yes.
There are innumerable mechanical advances, of course. You'll enjoy
them." We were
near enough now to see the city clearly. "What
a splendid water front!" I cried. "Why, this is glorious." It surely
was. The wide shores swung away, glittering in the pure sunlight.
Staten Island
lay behind us, a vision of terraced loveliness; the Jersey shore shone
clear,
no foul pall of oil smoke overhanging; the Brooklyn banks were banks of
palaces, and Manhattan itself towered royally before us, all bordered
with
broad granite piers. "'Marginal
mile after mile of smooth-running granite embankment," quoted Nellie.
"'Broad steps of marble descending for the people to enter the water.
White-pillared piers" "Look
at the water!" I cried, suddenly. "It's clear!" "Of
course it's clear," she agreed laughingly. "This is a civilized
country, I tell you." I looked
and looked. It was blue and bright in the distance; it was a clear,
soft green
beneath us. I saw a fish leap "So
far I'm with you, anyhow," said I. "That certainly is a big step
and looks like a miracle. New York harbor clean!
. . . How about customs?" I asked as we drew in. "Gone
clean forgotten with a lot of other foolishness. The air ships
settled
that. We couldn't plant custom houses in the air, you see along ten
thousand
miles of coast and border." I was
watching the shore. There were plenty of people about, but strangely
gay of
aspect and bright-colored in raiment. I could see amusement piers
numbers of
them some evidently used as gymnasia, in some there was dancing.
Motor cars
of all descriptions ran swiftly and quietly about. Air ships, large and
small,
floated off, to the north and west mostly. The water was freckled with
pleasure
boats. I heard singing and music. "Some
new holiday?" I ventured. "Not
at all," said my sister. "It is afternoon." She
watched me, quizzically. "It
is afternoon," she repeated. "Let that sink in!" It sank
in, slowly. "Do
you mean that no one works in the afternoon?" "No
one except those who don't work in the morning. Some kinds of work
can't
stop, of course; but most kinds can. I told you before no one has to
work
more than two hours a day; most people work four. Why?" She saw my
unbelieving stare. "Because we like to. Also because we are
ambitious," she went on. "I told you of the gain we've made in 'the
civilized world.' Not all of it is civilized. We are still
missionarying. And
while there is need of help anywhere on earth, most of us work
overtime. Also
it lays up public capital we are planning some vast undertakings
and gives
a wider margin for vacations." I was
thinking in a hazy way of a world that was not tired, not driven, no
nose on
any grindstone; of a people who only had to work two hours and worked
four!
Yet there was every evidence of increased wealth Suddenly
Nellie gave a joyous little cry. "Why,
there's Owen!" she waved her veil. "And there's Jerrold and
Hallie!" She fairly danced with pleasure. "I
could see a big grayish man madly waving his hat down there and two
young
folks hopping up and down and flourishing handkerchiefs, among many
similarly
excited. "Oh,
how good of him!" she cried.
"I never dreamed they'd be here!" "Nellie,"
said I sternly. "You never told me you were married!" "Why
should I?" she asked innocently. "You never asked me." I had not.
I had seen that she signed her name "Ellen Robertson," and I knew she
was president of a college how could I imagine her married. Married
she
evidently was, and even her long-lost brother was forgotten for a
moment as the
big man engulfed her in his gray overcoat, and the tall son and
daughter added
their arms to the group. But it was
only a moment, and the big brotherly grasp of my new relation's hand,
the
cordial nephewly grip, and affectionate niecely kiss gave me a new and
unexpected sense of the joys of homecoming. These were
people, real people, as warm and kind and cheery as people ever were;
and they
greeted me with evident good will. It was "Uncle John" in no time,
and Millie in especial seized upon me as her own. "I
know mother's got you all broken in by this time," she said. "And
that you are prepared for all manner of amazing disclosures. But Mother
never
told us how handsome you are, Uncle John!" "In
vain is the net spread in sight of any bird," murmured young Jerrold
mischievously. "Don't
listen to him, Uncle! I am perfectly sincere," she protested, leaning
over
to hug her mother again, and turning back to me with a confiding smile.
"Why
should I doubt such evident good judgment?" said I. And she slipped her
hand in mine and squeezed it. Nellie sat there, looking as proud and
happy and
matronly and motherly as anybody could, and a great weight rolled off
my heart.
Some things were left of my old world anyway. We talked
gaily and excitedly on our way of immediate plans, rolling smoothly
along
broad, open streets. A temporary conclusion was to stop at Hallie's
apartment
for the time being; and I was conscious of a distinct sense of loss to
think of
my new-found niece being already married. "How
still it is!" I presently observed. "Is that because it is afternoon,
too?" "Oh,
no," they assured me. "We aren't as noisy as we used to be." "These
children don't know anything about what we used to have to put up
with,"
said Owen. "They never were in New York while it was screaming. You
see,
there are no horses; all surface vehicles are rubber-tired; the minor
delivery
is pneumatic, and the freight all goes underneath on those silent
monorails." The great
city spread about us, clean as a floor, quiet as a country town by
comparison
with what I remembered; yet full of the stir and murmur of moving
crowds.
Everyone we passed or met looked happy and prosperous, and even my
inexperienced eye caught a difference in costuming. "There's
no masquerade on, is there?" I asked. "Oh,
no we all wear what we please, that's all. Don't you like it?" Hallie asked. Generally
there appeared the trim short skirt I had noticed as so appropriate on
shipboard; here and there a sort of Florentine gown, long, richly
damasked;
sometimes a Greekish flow of drapery; the men mostly knickerbockered. I
couldn't deny that it was pleasant to the eye, but it worried me a
little none
the less. "There's
no hurry, John," said Nellie, always unobtrusively watching me. "Some
things you'll just have to get used to." "Before
I wholly accept this sudden new brother," I presently suggested, "I'd
like to know his name." "Montrose
Owen Montrose, at your service," he said, bowing his fine head.
"Also Jerrold Montrose and Millie Robertson!" "Dear,
dear!" I protested. "So it's come to that, has it?" "It's
come to that and we still love each other!" Nellie cheerfully agreed.
"But it isn't final. There's a strong movement on foot to drop
hereditary
names altogether." I groaned.
"In the name of common humanity, don't tell me anything worse than you
have now!" Hallie's
apartment was in a big building, far uptown, overlooking the Hudson. "I
have to live in town nine months of the year, you see, Uncle, on
account of my
work," she explained rather apologetically. "Hallie's
an official and awfully proud of it," her brother whispered very
loudly. "Jerrold's
only a musician and pretends to be proud of it!" she retorted.
'Whereat
he forcibly held and kissed her. I could
see no very strong difference between this brother and sister and
others I had
known except that they were perhaps unusually affectionate. It was a
big, handsome place. The front windows faced the great river, the rear
ones
opened on a most unexpected scene of loveliness. A big sheltered
garden, every
wall-space surrounding it a joy to the eye rich masses of climbing
vines, a
few trees, a quiet fountain, beautiful stone seats and winding walks,
flowers
in profusion, and birds singing. "We
used to have only the song of the tomcat in my time. Have you taught
the cat to
lie down with the canary or killed him?" "There
are no animals kept in cities any more except the birds and they
come and
go." "Mostly
sparrows, I suppose?" "No;
the sparrow went with the horse," Owen replied. "And the mouse, the
fly and the croton bug went with the kitchen." I turned
with a gesture of despair. "No homes left? " "I didn't
say 'home' I said 'kitchen.' Brace up, old man! We still eat and
better
food than you ever dreamed of in your hungriest youth." "That's
a long story," Nellie here suggested. "We mustn't crowd him. Let's
get washed and rested a bit, and have some of that food you're boasting
of." They gave
me a room with a river window, and I looked out at the broad current,
changed
only in its lovely clearness, and at the changeless Palisades. Changeless?
I started, and seized the traveling glass still on the strap. The high
cliffs reached away to the northward, still wooded, though sprinkled
with
buildings; but the more broken section opposite the city was a picture
of
startling beauty. The water
front was green-parked, white-piered,
rimmed with palaces, and the broken slopes terraced and garlanded in
rich
foliage. White cottages and larger buildings climbed and nestled along
the
sunny slopes as on the cliffs at Capri. It was a place one would go far
to see. I dropped
my eyes to the nearer shore. Again the
park, the boulevard, the gracious outlines of fine architecture. It was
beautiful undeniably beautiful but a strange world to me. I felt
like one
at a play. A plain, ordinary American landscape ought not to look like
a
theatre curtain! |