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 PREFATORY NOTE 
 
 
 These pages are cordially inscribed to my co-workers in the Bureau 
 of War Risk Insurance. Criticism as to a few true and many alleged del- 
 ficiencies of the Bureau have been widely circulated in the American 
 Press. An institution which in the shortest possible time was compelled 
 to recruit a body of 14,000 workers, and to enter into correspondence 
 with every country, and persons in every walk of life, throughout the 
 civilized world, could not escape being at times unsuccessful in its initial 
 methods. 
 
 Criticism, however, does not disprove the statement that the Bureau 
 of War Risk Insurance is one of the best creations of the American or- 
 ganizing genius. It has done admirable work. It has not only alleviated 
 the untold sufferings of countless victims of the world Vt-ar, but has made 
 the United States the seat of an international and beneficent brother- 
 hood. 
 
 Its members have been equal to the loftiness of their task. When 
 its history Mill be written, every good American will better appreciate 
 the efforts of thousands of modest workers who have given themselves 
 to the utmost to the upraising of an institution, which the other nations 
 may envy but which none has attempted to build on such majestic lines. 
 
 The author wishes to express his thanks to Miss H. M. Sweet, Room 
 135, Treasury, for having kindly typewritten the manuscript for the 
 printer. 
 
 A. PALMIERI 
 
BENEFICENT AMERICA 
 
 In a classical work on the immigraticii problem, my at- 
 tention was called to the following passage : "The immigration 
 of fci-eigners into the United States hais been long recognized 
 as one o our imp'Oitant social and political iproblems. Perhaps 
 no other question has aroused more bitter feelings at times, or 
 has calileicj out more lofty sentiments of altruistic purpcise. On 
 the one hand, our government has been besought to protect 
 our people from the degrading influence of the immigrant. On 
 the other, it has been declared that our doors shculd never be 
 closed against those 'suffering from religiouis or political per- 
 secution. Generally speaking, there has been little difference 
 of opinion regarding the latter sentiment. There has been 
 great difference of opinion, however, relative to the effects, 
 — economic, social and moral, of immigration upon American 
 standards of living." (1) 
 
 The immigration problem has a moral aspect. *'I>o the 
 foreign immitrrants im^bibe the spirit, the sentiments, the 
 ideals of America? These strangers cf all races and nations 
 who come and <^ro ; will they help to make our history a;nd shape 
 O'n' desti-'iies ?" The question was unansw^ered before the war. 
 Now. that tho storm is over, we reply in the affirmative. The 
 con«:tant unity of ])urpof.e if pM the sons of America, bcth by 
 birth and by ado^itJon. has shown the groundlesbness of the 
 opponents of immigration. 
 
 The war has truly marked the greatest victory of Ameri- 
 
 (1) J. V/. Jenks and W. J. Lauck. The Immigration Problem, New 
 York, 1917, p. 2. 
 
can idealism. It has broug*ht into full Jigfht the magic power of 
 what may be called the f ascina^tion of Ameiuoa. As soon as the 
 trumpet was sounded, all the racial hatreds, the religious anti- 
 nomies, the struggles of classes of alien immigrants, were su- 
 perseded. The vision of America drawing the sword to fight 
 for the dearest liberties of mankind, and the onward sweep cf 
 democratic institutions filled all hearts and minds. The na^ 
 tional conasdousness of all Americans, both native and foreign 
 born,shone forth in broad daylight. The alien immigrants in- 
 stinctively felt that it was an honor to rise in arms under the 
 American flag, for the war waged by Aimerica marked a new 
 era in the history of the ceaseless effort of the -human race 
 towards a wider brotherhood of peoples and nations. 
 
 The world war has put into full light this fact that when 
 the hour of danger strikes, America can trust all the members 
 of her great family. Those whom the migratory movement 
 brought from old Europe into the healthy organic life of Ame- 
 rican democracy have been Americans of spiritual lineage on 
 the bloody battlefields of France, Belgium, Italy and Russia. 
 Amerilca is indeed the only nat'on to ipossess the spiritual 
 energy in the assimilation of foreign elements, to such a high 
 degree las to transform them into flesh of her flesh and bone 
 of her bone. 
 
 It is in translating the foreign corresr>ondence of the Bu- 
 reau of War Risk Insurance that the writer cf these pages 
 realized the success of the Americanization of alien immi- 
 <rrants to this country. By the tenn Americanization, I mean 
 the 'Sipiritual evolution vrhich relieves the immigrants from 
 the burden of racial prejudices, manners and customs brought 
 froiri the old world, and imbues them with the American ^'deal 
 of freedom and the political institutions which embody it. In 
 the letters of the foreiorn born who have been serving under 
 the American flag the spiritual Americanizafion alluded to pre- 
 sents itself as an accomplished fact. They breathe the 'nurest 
 love for American ddpals. Moreover, through the Bureau of 
 War R^'isk Insurance, the relatives of those soldiers have felt 
 the generous hand of America, and thus the spirit of Ameri- 
 cani'^oii has expanded beyond its political frontiers. In the 
 hearts of many who have never come to this country, America 
 is looked upon as the nation predestined to weave the golden 
 bonds of international Icve. 
 
 The foreign correspondence of the Bureau of War Risk In- 
 surance is handled by few translators, who, after a short ne- 
 riod of inevitable groping, found their own way and fulfilled 
 their task to the best cf their capacity. The earliest docunipnts 
 translated by them were written in French, Spanish, Italian. 
 
Soon, however, the phiioiogical task of the Bureau increased 
 notably. Letters came from Greece. Slav soldiers or their re- 
 latives used their own lang-uages in communicating with the 
 Bureau. Their example was followed by the immigi'ants from 
 the Scandinavian or Eastern countries. It socn became necess- 
 ary, therefore, to increase the staff. 
 
 The foreign cori-esipondence of the Bureau of War Risik 
 Insurance embraces letters written in thirty different langua- 
 ges. We may group them under several headings, as follows: 
 
 1 — Latin correspondence. Letters written in the romance 
 languages foi-m the bulk of all the foreign correspondence; 
 chiefly Italian, French and Spanish. We have received letters 
 in Portuguese and Roumanian, and translated numerous offi" 
 cial documents from ecclesiasticail Latin. 
 
 2 — The Slavic correspondence. All the Slavic languages 
 are represented. The writer has handled letters and documents 
 written in Russian, Polish, Bohemian, Slovak, Ruthenian, Slo- 
 vene, Serbian, Bulgarian, and Paleoslav (Liturgical Slavcnic). 
 To these languages, because of its geographical positioin, Li- 
 thuanian may be added, although it is not a Slavic tongue. 
 
 3 — The Scandinavian correspondence. Letters and docu- 
 ments in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish are grouped under 
 this heading. 
 
 4 — TheUi*al — Altaic languages, embracing letters 
 written in Finnish, Esthonian and Hungarian. 
 
 5 — The Greek correspondence. This is one cif the most 
 important of the Bureau, and comes next in volume after the 
 Italian correspondence. 
 
 6 — The Germanic correspondence. Letters and docu- 
 ments written in German, Dutch and Flemish. 
 
 7 — The Semitic and Armenian correspondence. It em- 
 braces letters and documents written in rabbinical Hebrew and 
 Yiddish, and in Armenian and Arabic. 
 
 8 — The Far-Eastern correspondence. It embraces letters 
 and documents written in Japanese, Chinese and Hindustani. 
 These languages are dealt with outside of the translation staff 
 of the Bureau. 
 
 9 — Malayan languages and Hawaiian. Hawaiian letters 
 and ethers in fagalo, Vizayan, Becol, Tlocano and other Phi- 
 lippine diialects, have been received. 
 
 A isimple enumeration of these languages shows that the 
 Bureau of War Risk Insurance i's in touch with the most re- 
 mote countries of the world. Within its narrow limits, the Bu' 
 reau feels the thrdbbdng pulse of all the peoples who have al- 
 igned themselves with America in the giant struggle against 
 militaristic autocracies. Its staff hears, in the most varied 
 
lang^uages, the same voice of the "champion of free mankind". 
 
 It is not an easy task to translate the documents the Bu- 
 reau receives from its foreign correspondents, many of whom 
 are ilhterate. The Italiamsi, who are exceedingly numerous, 
 write in almost all the dialects of their .pix>vinces. Ajocording 
 to their geographic position, the Greeks intei^erse their com- 
 mon tongue with Turkish wonds, or they cull from their clas- 
 sical writers the gaudiest ibloissoms of style. The Slavic writ- 
 ers, especdally the Poles, seem to have forgotten entirely the 
 rules C(f the national othography. The letters in the Slavic 
 languages put to test, not only the grammatical and lexicogra- 
 phical learning of their translators, but also their patience. 
 
 I hajDpened once to pore over a letter whose strange 
 words were variegated with frequent "van". "The writer is 
 Dutch", I said to myself. But, to my great surprise, I found 
 myself unable to draw out the hidden meanii:Lg of that unusual 
 language. The words looked like Finnish, but the Finnish 
 dictionary threw no light on the mystery of the apocalyptic 
 sheet. It was unveiled, however, as soon as I read the first li- 
 nes of the letter 'aloud. The writer had written in plain English 
 while taking the liberty of transcribing the English words ac- 
 cording to the Dutch pronunciation. 
 
 In their rude and uncouth style, these foreign letters have 
 a great human value. They show, as it were, that even the 
 most illiterate among the soldiers have perceived the basis of a 
 most profound philosophy of the war. Far from being the 
 "dumb bayonets" of whom a Russian General once boasted, 
 the S'Oijdiers enlisted in the American armies, from whatsoever 
 corner of the world they (Came, are men who know for what 
 they are fig'hting and why they are morally bound to fight. 
 They are willing to sacrifice their lives for the freedom of all 
 peoples and for a better social organization. Their letters 
 breathe an aiv of serenity, of confidence, even when death lay 
 in wait of their writers in the mud of the trenches. "We are 
 fighting for America", say proudly these sons of the last hour, 
 and they are happy because their adopted land has prctvided 
 for their mothers, wives or children in the old country. The 
 first impression, therefore, we receive, when reading these 
 foreioTi letters, is that of the moral conquest by American 
 ideaMsm of the alien elements, whom economic reasons, rather 
 than religious or social ones, compelled to seek refuge on the 
 hospitable soil of America. 
 
 "Dear Sister," writes a Scandinavian, "I am now a sol- 
 dier for Uncle Sam. I suppose you do not understand why I 
 am going to the front when I do not have to, but this is a good 
 and a free country, and worth fighting for. What would I have 
 
been if I had been in Denmark now? 1 will ^ive all I have to 
 this country or for this country, and the only thing I have 
 wcirth talking about lis my life, which is no better than that of 
 anyione else. There are many married men that are going. I did 
 not have to go but I wanted to go and I went. Remember 
 America did not enter the war for gain! No! It is to make 
 the world a good and safe place to live in ; it is to protect the 
 small countries in Eurcfpe and for the future generation ; it is 
 for my own sister that I and all the Amerioan soldiers fight, 
 and I do not think we will .stQp before we reach Berlin and 
 capture the Kaiser and the men he has around him. My dear 
 sister, I have taken out, or rather Uncle Sam has given me an 
 insurance policy whix^h you, my own darling girl shall have in 
 
 case I shall be killed After the war, I will come home to see 
 
 you and if ycu want to go, I will take you back with me to 
 the far West, to the beautiful and free country, the only free 
 country in the world, whidh has been much better to me than 
 Denmark ever was or ever will be!" Greek soldiers express 
 the same feelings. The war that demands of some of them the 
 supreme sacrifice is a war of redemption. "I am sure", writes 
 a Greek soldier to his father, "if anything should hai>pen to 
 me that ycu will receive the news with heroism of a true 
 Greek and that you will not be soiTy if you lose your son, who 
 is fighting fort he safety of humanity, for Greece, and Amei- 
 ica, and France." 
 
 Here another quotation from a Greek letter, "I wish to 
 inform ycii that I am a soldier in the American aniiy. I know 
 that you will ,be sorry, as you are my parents, but think how 
 the world is suffering today from the German menace. Every- 
 body must do his bit. We must keep the Germans from at- 
 tempting to dominate the world ; they have to understand that 
 they are going to be defeated. We must let them knew that 
 small nations have equal rights to live with the big na- 
 tions, and we must no longer have the Gennan sword hanging 
 over our heads." 
 
 Liberty is a gift from God to humanity and nobody has 
 the rig'ht to deprive them of it. The quc«tation that follows 
 hamioniously blends the ancient ideals of classic Greece with 
 the modern aspirations of the genuine American spirit. "The 
 American government, with great energy, is preparing a big 
 army, and every soldier expects to be sent over soon to fight 
 the Hun. In their patriotic speeches, the officers mention our 
 country, Greece, as being the first democracy in the world, 
 from which the American democraicy is derived. Such kind 
 words make me proud of my native country and I am ready to 
 give everything for my adopted cne." 
 
From another Greek letter: *'I want to tell you that 1 am 
 a soldier in the American Army, and I am very much i&atisfied. 
 In a short time I will be isent to France to fig'ht for justice, 
 and if my destiny has I'eserved the honor of my death there, 
 you will remember that at least I have done something in this 
 world, that I fciught for the liberty and rights of mankind." 
 
 Let us have some quiotations from the letters of American 
 soildiers of Italian descent. In cheerf uil fashion one of them des- 
 cribes the hardshiips of the military life: "We are obliged to 
 cook our meals without fire and ciur ,shoeis are in bad shape, 
 with the soles broken, Imt, after all, we are hapipy to fulfill our 
 duty towards our American flag." Others, and they are legion, 
 lay stress upon their glory of being called to fight for the de- 
 fence of civilization, vl freedom, and above all of America, the 
 country where they have found what the pM Europe could not 
 grant to them, democratic liberty. 
 
 There is much in common in these letters. The words are 
 different, but they express the same feelings. An exalted pa- 
 triotism is not the monopoly, sc» to speak, of native Americans. 
 It is vigorous in the souls of those who by the constant addi- 
 tions of immigration are toiling and moiling to achieve in its 
 minutest details the magnificent building cf American demo- 
 cracy. One vecalls the iphrase of a keen oibserver w^ho wrote 
 that ''A mian may be a good and patriotic citizen of the United 
 States even though he knows no EngMsh. Like Francis Lieber, 
 his heart may long have learned to throb American pulsations, 
 though his lips may still be refractory in nationalizing them- 
 selves." The truth cf this remark is brought out in any read- 
 ing of the letters of the soldievs of foreign descent, or any 
 study of their simple language. I think that there is no 
 ground to fear a lessening of American ideals because of the 
 streams of alien immigration. A subtle spiritual force works 
 out the miracle cif transforming the illiterate, raw material 
 coming to us into a virile manhood. New elements of life are 
 added to the store of American vital power. That those ele- 
 ments are mostly sound and morally strong, we may infer 
 from this foreign icor-^-espondence. Like native Americans, they 
 have fought for the same American ideals, with the same en- 
 thusia'^m and the same gallantry. The moral fascination of 
 American idealiism has been more powerful than racial anti- 
 pathy, religious animosity, and social inequality. 
 
 The second impression I have felt in translating the let- 
 ters of the foreign allottees is that of a supreme exaltaticn of 
 rnotherhood. All of us have spoken of the great ser- 
 vices rendered by the women of the allied countries in the final 
 crushing of German militarism. We are better acquainted, 
 
however, wilii how much the women have dc<ne than with how 
 much they ave suffered. The inward tragedies of the mother's 
 hearts have perhaps not been brought into relief. They are the 
 heroines of the world war. They have refrained from tears and 
 have smiled to fill their sons with the love of sacrifice; 
 Whether Greek or French or Italian or Slav, the mothers of 
 the American soldiers of foreign descent have found in their 
 simple style words that have 'stirred up the most generous 
 feelings in their sons' hearts. Their language at times reminds 
 us of the liblest expression of the Spartan mothers. They are 
 short poemis with a really tragic sublimity. In a 
 few words they tell the story of endless martyrdom. *1 
 have received the news of the death of my son", writes an Ita- 
 lian mother. *'My heart bleeds to death, but I feel in every 
 fibre that I have fulfilled my duty in allowing my son to be 
 immolated for a loftiest and holiest cause." A Greek mother 
 of Sparta shows in the following extract the genuineness cf 
 her lineage: "As the ancient Spartan mothers used to send 
 their sons to war with joyful songs, so do I, my son, from the 
 sweet country of liberty, Greece, I send you my blessings and 
 motherly kisses, and I pray to God and our Virgin to strength- 
 en you in your fight against German brutality. Do not come 
 back without the laurels of victory." A mother of the island 
 of Crete, the nursery of the pioneers of Greek independence, 
 bravely calls her son to face death : 'T know, my boy, that you 
 are not strong enough, but the gallant soldiers when in the 
 thick of the battle don't think of anything. They draw 
 strength from the sacred conviction that they are facing death 
 for the safety of mankind, and then they are strong as lions, 
 and endure their sufferings withciut murmur. As a mother, of 
 course, I shed tears, my son, but on the other hand I am proud 
 to offer the life of my life upon the altar of liberty." 
 
 I remember a letter of a Polish mother who, in a moment 
 of despair, had claimed the im-mediate release of her scm from 
 the army. She was dying of sorrow, of anger, of abandon. Two 
 days after the sending of her previous letter, she wrote again 
 to the Bureau: "I wish to call back what I said to you 
 yesterday. When I think of so* many victims which the war 
 has taken, and how terrible are its rava?:es, I am ashamed of 
 myself. For the moment I was demented by a feeling of egot- 
 ism, and I wished to have my son back. Let my son fulfill his 
 duties as it behooves a faithful son of my country. I will never 
 be against anything which the war makes necessary, and es- 
 pecially w'hat is required by such a great President as Wilson. 
 I am readv to endure the mo^t cruel tcrm^ents, and I ask your 
 
forgiveness concerning my previous mistake, which I commit- 
 ted in a moment of despair." 
 
 The counsel that mothers give their isons is full of lofty 
 ideas, and noble concepts. Note the language of an Italian 
 mother: "We learn that yctu have been serving in the army 
 for the rights of justice and freedom, for our love and dignity, 
 for the greatness of America. I know this, beioause in spite of 
 the fact that we are so far beyond the Ocean, we wisih you to 
 give help with your youthful courage, and crush and trample 
 dow^n forever our agelong enemies. No fears, no sighs escape 
 from our bosoms, but though boundless space divides us from 
 you, our encouragement and perennial blessings will be always 
 with you." 
 
 The third feeling awakened in me by the reading of the 
 foreign coriespondence of the Bureau of War Risk Insurance 
 is that of thankfulness tct America. AH the letters coming 
 from foreign countries exalt the generosity of ''the nourisher 
 of starving peoples", to quote the expression of a Greek writ- 
 er. Thousands of families, hundreds of thousands of wctmen 
 and ehildi-en, have been saved from starvation by the pay- 
 ments from the Bureau of War Risk Insurance. 
 
 Here is a quotation from the letter of an Italian mother: 
 "My entire family united with myself, pray God that v/ar may 
 end with victory for America, beoause Am.erica has practised 
 the seven Vv^orks of me.vcy. She has given food to the starv 
 ino-, and d^jstributed bread. Surely. God will protect all Am.e- 
 ricans, and they Vv'ill be honored throughout the world. My 
 prayer will be heard before God, and victory will be for Ame- 
 
 rica." 
 
 There is the characteristic feature of the Sicilian vivascity 
 and Italian deference in a letter to President Wilson from an 
 Austrian-bater of Palermo: "You cannot imagine the happi- 
 ness that the little, old Italian father of a soldier feels after 
 reading' your m:ag'nanimous words, and of the good that you 
 are doiiig for all the people of the w^hole v/orld, and cf the 
 peace that will be berlowed by God through so worthy a per- 
 son. I read these words on a picture of your handsome and 
 gracious perscQ — Wo will win the war for world peace. — 
 I do not care for the fact that my son was a.ble to send m.e 
 twenty-five or thirty dollars a month before his enlistment, 
 provided v/e sliall be ab^.e to destroy the tyrant, and cry aloud : 
 JL:ong livi^ President Wilson! Long live the Anny! Long live 
 i^ m.erica !" 
 
 Same of the Ita-iian letters are impregnated with the 
 riost delicate feelings of maternal love and religious gratitude. 
 "I have received your m.oney, dear, dearest son. I have kissed 
 
h. J went to Church to lig-ht candles before the image of the 
 Blessed Virgin. I have thought of the days when I have denied 
 to myself a morsel of bread to nourish you. My blessings upon 
 you, dearest son! May they be as numeroujs as the drops of 
 milk I gave you. I shall net squander the money which gener* 
 ous America grants you. 1 am satisfied with a piece of bresad. 
 I will wait for you, and keeip your money, and when you will 
 come back, crowned with the laurels of victory, I shall accom- 
 pany you to the Church; we shall pray together, and adorn 
 the altar of the Blessed Virgin with flowers and candles." 
 
 We are at the end of our quotations. They tell of the Bu- 
 reau of War Risk Insurance more and better than the most 
 eloquent self-eulogies. In a recent .address to the employes of 
 the Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Colonel Henry D. Lindsley 
 wrote : ''The work in Which we are engaged is one of the most 
 remarkable undertakings in all history, both in magnitude and 
 puiipose. The War Risk Insurance Aict is a monument to civi- 
 lization, and those who are privileged to help in its administra- 
 tion are rendering a social service that is the highest exipres" 
 sion of the humanity which our soldiers and sailjors fought to 
 
 save." 
 
 And that is the Bureau of War Risk Insurance not only 
 according to the verdict of native Americans, but also aocoi^d- 
 ing to that of a plebiscite of all the nations. And no doubt, 
 when fulfilling their task, when weary of their labors, when 
 moetint?- with obstacles in their mission, the tireless w^orkers 
 connected with it think of the many tears that have been 
 dried by their toil, they deeply feel the nobility of their call, 
 and the honor f writing the brightest page of the history of 
 beneficent America. 
 
}J^f^fiR 
 
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