In large sections of our native land, even in circles which should know better, there is apparently no realization of the position which the German-American,i.e., the American citizen of German origin--and of him only do we speak here--assumes in German cultural life. The German-American has never forgotten his old country in all these years. He knows how much he is indebted to Germany, even though he could not earn a living there. He is attached to the customs and habits, the language, lieder, and literature of his native country. He considers himself part and parcel of the German culture, even if he has eliminated a good many of his outward German characteristics as a result of his association with his new [American] compatriots, and has grown a new American epidermis.

But despite these fond memories, which he would not relinquish for anything 2in the world, his whole existence, his hopes and dreams, as well as his discouragements and worries are rooted deep in the soil of his adopted country. How could it be otherwise? His and his children's future depend on the welfare and prosperity of his new country. At the time when he immigrated, he probably did not realize this, nor did he anticipate that it would happen. He probably set out into the world, intending to remain a few years abroad, and then return home a man of property. The fact that he did not expect it to happen, did not prevent it from happening. From the moment he set his foot on American soil, he had no further choice of his own. His fate was sealed. In order to make a living, he had to become a part of his new homeland, and soon it became apparent that only in rare cases could he ever break away again.

The immigrant comes to the United States either with the intention of trusting his future to the powerful nation that has extended him hospitality, or otherwise must arrive at the conclusion, during the course of years, that there is no room in the United States for colonies of alien nationalities. If he is 3still able to make the break, he may return home again, but statistics show that only a few seek this latter alternative. Most immigrants become so firmly established here that they cannot break loose, and in the end they have to fall in line with all the others. Immigrants to the United States, whether of German or any other nationality, not only lose their national identity as time goes by, but subsequent generations frequently are not conscious of their national origin at all. And this is only natural where a strong nation harbors so many foreign elements, who do not live crowded together but mingle freely [with the rest of the citizenry]. The state has the obligation to instil in its [foreign-born] citizens a new sense of nationality and civic consciousness. Every state has this aim and must pursue it in order to preserve its integrity as a nation.

In the United States there are no colonies of alien nationalities in the sense that one speaks of German colonials. It is true that there are Germans living here who are citizens of the Reich; they are guests of the government, and if they wish, they may form their own societies and join associations with 4headquarters outside of the United States. But societies which are composed entirely or partly of American citizens, would do well--for reasons we need not give here--to associate themselves with other American organizations, instead of joining foreign ones, which naturally do not and cannot put America's interests first. To establish and maintain closest cultural relations between German-Americans and their compatriots in the old country, we do not need any consolidation of [German-] American societies under the auspices of organizations which have headquarters in Germany, with statutes and bylaws controlled by a foreign government. We must make this clear because the Bund der Auslandsdeutschen (Association of Germans Abroad), which is composed of Germans who are citizens of the Reich, and German colonials, with headquarters in Berlin, has made the announcement that it would not rest until all German-American societies had joined it. The Sonntagpost is of the opinion that the German-American societies are not a suitable object for the activities of the Berlin organization.