I love to find articles from the past
in the local paper archive. I do not pay for a retrieval service; however, many
old editions are available free online as a tempting “come on”
for subscribing. The stories run the gamut from funny to regretful.
They make history so personal with their dated factual
representations of news, opinion, and advertisements. And, the print
adds much insight into current affairs.
Allow me to share a few of the entries
from the Portsmouth Times I found interesting and worthy of
note. I hope you enjoy reading them.
Immigration
With all the recent flap about the
Southern border and illegal immigration, one might assume the
controversy is relatively new. It is not. Even during the European
migration to America, public sentiments against immigration were
raging. Discriminatory immigration policies aimed at southern and
eastern Europeans figured into the quota-based policies of the 1920s.
From 1880 to 1924, more than 2 million
Eastern Europeans, mainly Catholics, immigrated to the U.S. Of those,
immigrants of Polish ancestry were the largest group. During the same
period, roughly two million Jews came to the U.S., seeking
opportunity and fleeing the political massacre taking place in
Eastern Europe. Italian immigration to the U.S. reached its peak of
over 2 million between 1910 and 1920. Immigration quotas passed in
the 1920s tended to favor earlier generations of immigrants by giving
preference to Northern Europeans.
With the passage of the Immigration Act
of 1924, also known as the National Origins Act or Johnson-Reed Act,
the U.S. used restrictive immigration policies in the 1920s based on
the 1890 proportions of foreign-born European nationalities.
Such arguments such as those outlined
in Madison Grant's 1916 book The Passing of a Great Race, held
that older immigrants were skilled, thrifty, hardworking like native
born Americans and recent immigrants from southern and eastern Europe
were unskilled, ignorant, predominantly Catholic or Jewish and not
easily assimilated into American culture.
Madison Grant and Charles Davenport,
among other eugenicists, were called in as expert advisers on the
threat of "inferior stock" from eastern and southern
Europe, playing a critical role as Congress debated the Immigration
Act of 1924. The act attempted to control the number of "unfit"
individuals entering the country by lowering the number of immigrants
allowed in to fifteen percent of what it had been previously.
Existing laws prohibiting race mixing were strengthened as well. The
adoption of incest laws and many anti-miscegenation laws were also
influenced by the premises of eugenics.
From the Portsmouth Times,
January 4, 1920...
“Immigrants Pouring In”
NEW YORK, Jan. 3 (dateline)
“With hundreds of aliens being
shipped from all ports of the country to Ellis Island for deportation
as dangerous radicals, it was reported today that 100,000 immigrants
are expected on incoming vessels this month. Nearly 50,000 arrived
last month and nearly 500 have been landed in the last 18 hours.
Automobiles
In 1900 wealthy people bought cars for
pleasure, comfort, and status. Many doctors bought small, affordable
cars because they were more dependable than horses and easier to keep
ready. Rural Americans also liked cars because they could cover long
distances without depending on trains.
People began to employ their cars to
take produce to market, go to stores and movies in town, and even to
plow fields. Families in towns and cities liked cars because they
were handy for errands, going to the train station, visiting
relatives, going to church, and going on drives in the country. A
family’s house with a car in the driveway has been a common sight
since about 1910. Who were among the first to drive their automobiles
in Scioto County?
Wonder no more. There is an article in
the Portsmouth Times on March 1, 1910 that sheds light upon
just that question. I “cherry picked” some names from this book
of registration. Many more names are available in the actual article.
From
the Portsmouth Times, March 1, 1910 ...
“The state automobile book containing
the registrations of every automobile in Ohio from January1 to
February 1 came into the county clerk's office Tuesday morning. The
registrations ran from 1 to 8150 inclusive. (Note: the entries
include name, town, and make of auto.)
John W. Miles, Lucasville, Sears
M.O. Yeager, Rushtown, Olds
Frank Appel, Portsmouth, Maxwell
P.H. Harsha, Poetsmouth, Buick
Joseph B. Peebles, Portsmouth, Olds
Dr. Micklehwait, Portsmouth, Ford
Dr. L.D. Allard, Portsmouth, Regal
George D. Selby, Portsmouth, White
Live and Enjoy Life
Life expectancy and lifestyle of the
1920s? How about age 70 as very old? One posting I found informative was this
little nugget of advice posted in the Portsmouth Times,
January 11, 1923 ...
“Don't Worry How to live to age of
three score and ten – Be moderate."
Teaching
The last entry I found was about an
incident in a local classroom during 1910. I was able to take a photo
of the actual article so you could read it for yourself. I think you
will find it very descriptive and even a little amusing. It surprised
me to see such a report would make the paper. And, the detailed
account of incident reveals just how much times have changed.
I was unable to access the original
article in “Saturday's Times”
that elicited the reply from Rena M. Holmes, teacher at Hope School in
South Webster. I do not mean to demean Oliver Stephens or Ms. Holmes
in any way. Being a former teacher, I just found this view into a classroom of the past so interesting.
From the Portsmouth Times, January
4, 1910 ...
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