TIIE OMAHA ILLUSTRATED BEE.
ApHi is. iooa
Cosmopolitan Omaha A Aodern City
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THEIR ANCESTORS SERVED UNDER CAESAR.
HO Is the Omahan who are these
people you see on the streets
every day, trudging to work In
the morning and home again at
night, the thousands struggling
w
side by side in the battle for a livelihood?
Where did they all come from for but a
small percentage of the population waa
born In the cltyT
The reply to the questions develop a great
many Interesting facts. So far as the
study of languages and peoples Is con
cerned, it Is almost as good as a trip
around the world. Kor, place your Anger
on almost any portion of the Inhabited
globe, and- you can find some person now
a resident of Omaha and numbered among
Its growing thousands, who was born on
that spot or not far from It. He will be
able, If you question him, to tell you every
detail about that spot, what Its people do,
how ttiey dress, or anything you would like
to know. And he could tell It in the
language spoken there better, perhaps, than
In English, and while he Is telling It, there
la apt to be a look of fond recollection,
mingled with a deal of sadness. In his eye.
His skin may be . swarthy or It may be
fair, his eyes black as night or blue as the
sky In 'day that depends upon where you
place your finger but he Is here In Omaha.
If your finger Is on the other side of the
world from our land, he had a long way
to come, and when he came It la likely he
had much trouble m making those he found
here understand the-Jumble of sounds he
uttered as speech. He came at the same
time as another and as ' many others on
opposite sides of the earth, wholly without
his knowledge, were starting out for the
same destination. He and they broke
away from the thousands of years of com
panionship, habits and similarity of tongue,
and, guided by the directions on their
tickets, struck out for the new world to
eventually Join each other here as though
by prearrangement. and, hand In hand,
amid new surroundings and new modes of
life, take part In the maintenance of a new
government partly of their own making.
Hntlonal Peculiarities Hot Lost.
But they brought with them the pecu
liarities that characterised them from, each
other before they met. They still retain
In a large measure the habits, thoughts,
religion and tongue of their fathers, their
fathers' fathers and all before them. -
Over the water these foreigners have
come for years, and many . thousands of
.them have onm to Omaha. Borne arrived
with large families of wondering children,
while others, mere boys, came alone, leav
ing a sweetheart behind to be sent for
when fortune should begin to smile. They
found a few of their own people ahead of
them, but jnany whom they had never seen
N THE late fail of 1906 a small
group' of young men, under va.
rled difficulties, succeeded In or
ganizing what has since become
popularly known as the High
belioo) Octet. The present organization is
the outgrowth Of last year's octet and of
the High Bchool Glee club. Walter Huff
man' haswbeen the , moving factor In cre
ating this typically high school organisa
tion. Jo Barton has rendered all assist
ance possible to this group of young men
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or known of except In books. From the
far north, where Ice and snow always exist,
they have come to greet the man from
sunny climes, where snow and Ice is never
seen, to call him fellow citizen and brother.
Their children meet In the same school
room and talk to each other In the new
tongue they are learning, never thinking
to wonder at the strange chance that has
brought them thus together when they
might be so far apart, learning to read and
write other languages.
Many Settle In Colonies.
These are a large share of Omaha's pop
ulation and give the city that part which
Is called polyglot. Attracted by promise
of employment' at wages unattainable at
home, they have braved the many hard
ships and disadvantages and are now ob
jects of much Interest. Those who came
at the Instance of friends or relatives gone
before have set up homes near their kind,
while those who came unguided have not
been long In locating their own people and
becoming neighbors to them. The result
has been the formation of colonies little
settlements taking on many of the features
and oddities of old country villages, where
the mother tongue Is, heard as prominently
as Is English In other parts of the city.
A visit to one of these settlements Is llks
striking picture of foreign land scenes,
with the language and atmosphere thrown
In. They have not all huddled together,
each nation by Itself, for In 'some parts of
the city one may be able to hear a Jumble
of languages even In the same house, where
families of widely differing extraction, live
neighbors or occupy the same building.
Street of All Nations.
The street giving the greatest diversity
of nationalities among Its inhabitants Is
South Thirteenth street. Here Poles, Ger
mans, Jews, Scandinavians, Syrians, Ital
lons and a few from almost every other
land on the map, live side by side, chil
dren mingling promiscuously and perplex
Ingly, all striving to get along as well us
possible under the circumstances. Clashes
are, of course, not Infrequent, but because
of the mutual Interest, little Jealousies and
"International complications" are reduced
so as not to Interfere greatly with the
general welfare. The "mutual Interests"
are the making of homes under adverse
conditions, the educating of children so
they may grow up with the advantages of
the Americans, not obliged to work and
slave as the parents have to do, and light
ing the handicap of strange surroundings
and unwlcldly language.
Down In "Little Italy." -But
In other sections certain nations ft
Europe are represented by solid settle-
One of the Popular Musical Societies of the Omaha High School
In his professional capacity, and under his
excellent direction the octet has made rapid
strides In the direction of unquestioned
success. At numerous and varied func
tions of high school life and otherwise the
octet has continually been In demand and
has more than frequently met tho exacting
requirements of their critical audience In
a most creditable manner. On April 30
a musical will be given by this organiza
tion at which, aside from the octet, dis
tinguished musicians of the city will take
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OMAHA HIGH SCHOOL OCTET.
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TOUNO AMERICA
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A MADONNA OF LITTLE
ments, and villages of the old world aro
reproduced even so far as architecture
sometimes. Huddled along the railroad
tracks toward South Omaha and along
South Twent'.c'h street In the vicinity of
Pierce street, can be seen the transplanted
Italians, Syrians and Sicilians with their
black, piercing eyes and dark hair. The
houses In which they live are unpreten
tious, being for the most part little moro
than shacks, but the foreign atmosphere
Is there the minute you set foot in the
district. The women are a hard-working
class, doing much of the out loor work
while the men folks usually fruit peddlers
and petty merchants, railroad and street
laborers, earn what they can to support
their usually large families. These people
are perhaps the most Interesting of all
foreigners to the average American. In
the old country It means dig and scratch
for every member of the family to get food
and clothing and the old folks here cannot
let go this necessary habit of generations.
It Is by no means an unusual thing to see
a short, old-looking and wrinkled woman
"toting" a huge load of something on ner
head, at times steadying It with one hand,
but more often, so expert is she at this
part. A most elaborate program has been
arranged, widely diversified and fully cal
culated to meet the demands of everyone.
The Crelghton University auditorium has
been secured for the evening. Admission
will be by tickets at 25 cents each.
The members of the octet from right to
left are Messrs. W. L. Hoffman. G. Barnes,
H. Roe, F. Hoffman, R. Anderson, B. Mc
Cullough, W. Wlekman and J. Dorward.
H. Thorn, accompanist, is seated In the
enter.
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GATHERED FROM UNDER EVERT CLIME OF EARTH.
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ITALY.
manner of carrying heavy loads, balancing
It perfectly as she walks along, head rigid
and shoulders moving, Indian fashion. The
load on her head may be clothes to wash,
or sticks of wood which she has picked
up . somewhere and tied together into a
large bundle almost too heavy for an ordi-
nary man to carry In the usual manner.
This Is one way In which the women help
save a few cents each day to make a total
of dollars in a year. While they appear
to be old they may not be much over
10 years, for they are of the people whose
women age lapidly. But very frequently
they are really old. for the grandmothers,
expert through years of experience, are
able to bring home enough cast-away ar-
tides In this manner to more than
pay for their "keep" and their age al-
most unfits them for other work. As they
pass with their burdens, their dark faces
showing from beneath, they are always ob-
Jects of curiosity. Every movement of their
bodies, every flash from their Jet-black
eyes, breathe of foreign lands and strange
customs.
Not all of them, however, are of the
dark-complexioned type. There Is a blond
class of Italians, and some of these have
also come to Omaha. In some ways they
have different customs, but on the whole
they can be distinguished by their manners
of living and by the similarity of talk.
Others Cluster Along Tracks.
The section along the railroad tracks Is
also shared with other Europeans. The
Bohemian and Polish emigrants have,
many of them, taken possession of this
district In order to be nearer their work.
And Poles also abound In Sheeley.
Mingled with these two nationalities are a
great many Germans, and the three get
along very well together. Day laborers
they are, few having ever learned trades
before coming across the water. They
adopt American ways easily und after a
single generation the outward signs of ex
traction are almost lost.
fouie ShowliiB of the Conntrle.
k With the Swedes of the northwestern and
northeastern parts of the city and of Wal
nut 11111. and the Danes of the Cuming street
district, the Germans, Bohemians, Russians,
Jews. Poles. Italians and Syrians form
the largest portion of Omaha's foreign pop
ulation, but by no means the most interest
ing. Here and there throughout the city Is
found a resident who hailed from some
land less prominent and who is more of a
curiosity than the ordinary v Immigrant.
Some almost unheard-of countries have but
single representatives here lonesome wan
derers far from what they can really call
home and each with a story of heart
Interest within his breast, which would
explain why he broke the ties and came
here, and what It cost him to mnke the
chunge. We have In Omaha more than
one man who was born in Iceland; we have
Montenegrins, turban-topped Arabians,
Chinamen, Japanese, Laplanders. South
Africans, Finlanders, Elavs, Greeks, Aus
trlans, Roumanians, and many more from
remote corners of the earth. How they
happened to come to Omaha some of them
cannot tell themselves, but most of them
were attracted by the opportunities for im
mediate employment held out by this city's
great Industries. ,
So Official Heeord Kent.
A strange and wonderful ' mixture they
make, ft would be of Interest to know
. Just how many there are of each race, but,
strange as it may seem, no provision ap
pears to have been made for tabulating
sur Inhabitants according to nationalities
from Um regular ccusua, as la done in most
of Aany Aingled Nationalities
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FROM FAR OFF SYRIA.
states. No exact estimate, therefore, is
obtainable, but In the order of represttnta-
tlon, the several nations come as follows:
Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Bohemia,
Great Britain, Russia, Ireland, Canada,
Norway. The figures then become too clo!
to continue the order of precedence. While
official figures are wuntlng, there are about
two dozen varieties of races in Omaha's
population. There are, in a single room in
one of the schools of the city, as many as
a dozen different nationalities of children,
all of whom entered the school unable to
talk any language other than their native
tongue. What a Babe that room must
have produced. Somo of these youngs'ers
were old enough at the time of emigration
to remember distinctly the old country,
and after the common language has been
mastered It Is not unusual to see them
"comparing notes" with one another, and
not one Is too busy but he or she will gladly
tell "teacher" of the foreign shores.
Making of a Great Omaha.
Thus is Omaha made. A little of this,
a little of that, all of the Ingredients be
ing concentrated extracts of ambition, self-
Omaha Women Who Have Given Their Time to Y.
VST how much the young woman-
hood of Omaha Is Indebted to
the faithful band of women who
have spent the last four weeks
soliciting subscriptions to the
Women's Christian association
Young
building fund will never be known outside
of the few who have directed the cam
paign. The building and finance committee,
which Is composed of members of the board
of directors of the association, and a few
others have given theif entire time to the
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DESCENDANTS OF GRECIAN HEROES
help and daring. It Is a good mixture, but
It will not show In' the general population
for several generations yit. Some races
associate with others quite freely, while
others keep shyly to themselves, even re
renting undue familiarity on the part of
others, and so long as the distinct settle
ments are kept up thrie races will be pre
served In the original blood, the outlandlnh
cuHtoms and habits outlasting the oldest
Immigrant. But these exclusive territories
How a Young Milwaukee Alderman Won the Mayorship
IHERBVRN M. BIOCKER. the boy
alderman or. M'.iwauKee, wno De
feated David S. Rose, democrat.
rti"trj made a "tenuous and in many
respects U unique l-illIIaiKU. a at, it
of a rich man and a politician for the fun of
It, ho has devoted a good share of his time
to denouncing graft. He believed, and the
results Indicate that he Is correct, that
that Is a popular laue Just now. At tho
outset of the campaign he supplemented his
party's platform by publicly stating:
"Put me down as a supporter of any
movement against graft. That's where I
have always stood."
Mayor Rose made the fight of his life for
re-election, but underestimated the repub
lican candidate's strength. Some days ago
he declared Becker was out of it. But
while Rose was fighting the socialists In
front, Becker was flanking him In the Pol
ish wards. The primaries showed that Rose
had lost strength In the Polish districts.
Becker went campaigning there day and
night. He saw the boys at their enturday
night dancne, waltzed with the girls until
they shouted for him, and "Jollied" the
old-timers until they were convinced that
young blood was needed In the mayor's
chair.
"You need more parks and breathing
spots down here." he said. "Elect me and
you shall have thorn."
"What you ought to have Is more public
bathing places." he told another meeting.
"Tou'll have them If I get there."
"You are shy on school houses In this
part of the city. Your children should
have the same opportunity that ours have
up on Prospect avenue," he said the next
night. "Walt until I am mayor; I'll see
that you gt what you need "
But he still had a trump card up his
sleeve, .".
"I am not one of those politicians who
want the office because I need the money,"
he said one night in the Polish wards. "I
am lucky snd happen to have a supply on
hand. Tell you what I'll do. If I get
elected I will give the salary that goes
with the office to charity."
canvass at the expense of much personal
fatigue and Inconvenience. It has been
this unselfish, voluntary service of the
women, especially of these mothers. In
every department of the association, ever
since its founding, that has mado the
Omaha organization, although seventh in
point of size, the most nearly self-supporting
Young Women's Christian associa
tion In this country.
Bui the local women have had material
assistance from
half dozen national and
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WORKERS IN Y. W. C. A, BUILDING FUND CAMPAIGN.
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WHO ARE BOOTBLACKS IN OMAHA.
are continually being encroached upon,
clans are disrupted, the corroding Influ
ences of assimilation always working
toward the creation of a new race made up
of all others combined.
But meanwhile, and until Immigration
has long ceased, Omaha will be a city of
many languages; and while a people of
but one tongue may be preferable. It will
lose one of Its most Interesting features
when It loses its cosmopolitan population.
But Becker stood for bigger things than
parks and bath houses. He Issued a plat
form. In which he demanded a big line
of Improvements to accomplish what the
people want a Greater Milwaukee. His
platform, like everything else he says, was
unique for its brevity. It was printed for
distribution on a slip of paper six by
three inches under the lino "Becker's Plat
form," and is addressed "to the voters of
Milwaukee."
When Becker entered the field he was
laughed at and called the boy who wanted
the moon.
Becker's first step was to announce
that a dally newspaper, Becker's Bulle
tin, would be published In his advocacy.
Before the newspaper's first number was
published he and his auto hod covered
the city thoroughly. Speaking at noon
gatherings of worklngmen, Becker went
back to his headquarters dlnnnrless, but
happy In promises of general support.
From the factories he went to the "Bad
Lands," where the negro vote Is cen
tralized. Encouraged by promises there,
he would take a run to Little Italy, then
greet friends at headquarters, and dash
home to dress for dinner and appear at
some social function In the evening, to
lead a cotillon In public and to talk poli
tics on the Bide.
During his career Becker has been globe
trotter, gold miner, cowboy, lecturer to
school children on his various experiences,
county supervisor and has recently em
barked In a war with the Tobacco trust, as
the head of a local company which Is.
putting out an anti-trust smoking tobacco.
As supervisor he saved the county $36,000
a year by exposing graft in printing con
tracts. As alderman hfe took such an Interest
In the fire department that he rigged up
a quick-hitch apparatus In his stable, a
wash boiler arrangement on the back of
an ex-horse show prize winning cart, and
provides hot cofi'ee for fire'men when big
fires are In progress. Milwaukee papers.
W. 0. A. Campaign
state secretaries of the association that
have spent all or part of the time In the
city, lending their experience gained In
other campaigns to the local effort.
And besides these there have been the
young women who have carried the clerical
work and kept up the routine of the head
quarters, giving their professional services,
which, If paid for, would have offset some
of the most generous subscriptions.
The campaign is being most vigorously
pushed. '
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