152The American consul7 in Naples is A. Homer Byington, a name famous among journalists from Maine to California; and, going to the consulate, I made a clean breast of the whole affair to Mr. Homer M. Byington, his vice-consul.
“It is a shame to let a good story fall down,” said he. “Wait till I can get Mr. St. Ledger8, our vice-consul, on the docks, and we will see what can be done.”
In half an hour I had the assurance that Com. Aillo, chief officer at the Capitaneria, would allow me to pass without a passport, Mr. St. Ledger being my sponsor.
I had yet to buy our tickets, and, going to the offices of Vincenzo di Luca fu Giacomo, the North German Lloyd broker9, the man who handles all the third-class passengers, I applied10 for a ticket, and was refused because I had no passport, as the law under which the government selects the brokers11 of emigrants12’ tickets strictly14 forbids a ticket being sold to an emigrant13 unless he has a passport.
The Barcelona sub-agent of the La Veloce broker at Messina was caught sending over-aged emigrants overland from Italy to Bremen and Hamburg, whence they embarked15 for the United States, and was arrested and given a term of imprisonment16. He had been smuggling17 across the northern border persons refused passports because of age and the likelihood of their being returned to Italy from Ellis Island. One party lost a trunk and wrote back from Hamburg about it, and, the whole plot thus revealed, the arrests followed.
The court of last resort was Mr. Nicolo Padolfino, in charge of the Neapolitan broker’s department of declarations, and by assiduous efforts I got his ear and 153took him into my confidence. I began to feel that if I kept on at this rate there would be few officials in the region but would know all about my doings, and my opportunities would be correspondingly limited. Many things transpired18 but—I emerged from the fray19 with the third-class tickets that would land my wife and myself in Ellis Island—all of which goes to show how difficult it is for an emigrant to leave Italy without all of his papers being straight from his native village or town, on up to the last gate at Naples. During a previous stay in Naples I had heard of a school in the Via St. Sebastian which coached illiterate20 and ignorant emigrants sufficiently21 to ensure their being passed at Ellis Island. Now I heard of yet another, and, looking them up, found that they had the moral support if not the financial assistance of the Italian Bureau of Emigration and the Emigrant Congress, which had just finished meeting at Udine. All this sounded very interesting and seemed to have its startling features, but a little further investigation showed me that while their intents are bad enough for the interests of the United States, their achievements are not at all dangerous. While these places are anxious to coach up undesirable22 emigrants and get them out of the country, the foolish, unappreciative emigrant refuses to come to the schools to be coached. If ever these schools should be again “discovered,” I hope that the seeker for truth will learn the whole truth and have a good laugh over it.
At this point a word should be said about the Emigrant Congress. It is one of those highly public-spirited societies, that delights in its annual session and the attendant junketing, the speeches that “view with alarm” conditions which statistics show to exist, and, 154having appointed a committee to attend to the readjustment of this and that particular phase of national life, passes resolutions, adjourns23 only to meet again another year, and hear to what extent the committee has annoyed truly businesslike statesmen. The Udine session was just such a one. Some of the speeches made showed a ridiculous lack of knowledge of American conditions. The proceedings24 lie before me as I write, and they certainly are most futile25. I am glad they are. Here, with occasional bracketed insertions to lighten passages which are obscure even in a very liberal translation, are the resolutions adopted:
On the topic of organization of the emigrants the insertion in “the order of the day,” moved by “Congressman” Cabrini and carried, was:
“This assembly considers that a professional [formed by salaried organizers] organization open to all laboring26 men, without political or religious prejudice, is one of the very soundest methods of ameliorating the economic conditions, both moral and intellectual, of the laboring classes: holding that it is indispensable to the formation of a feeling of fraternal cordiality in the country, the control of the temporary emigration, the organization of the poor artisans; furthermore contending that for the assistance of the emigrants it is necessary that an organization of all Italian operatives consider the importance of all this and pray the Honorable Secretary of Emigration to instruct at all times, more than in the past, their leader’s actions.”
On the topic of educating the emigrant so that he may avoid being barred because of illiteracy28, and may not be victimized by the patrone system, Professor Frescura introduced the following:
155“All are in accord as to the necessity for instructing the emigrant. But be it held that the programme presented by Professor Galeno [a noted29 philanthropist who recommended that special schools with government-paid teachers be established], though splendid, is too vast. It is far better that there should come about a modification30 of those schools which we already have.”
When a lawyer named Cossattini had amended31 to increase the pay of the teachers in the districts where help was most needed, and “Congressman” Giradini had amended that instruction vary according to the exigencies32 of emigration, the Frescura resolution was passed.
In the matter of temporary emigration the Congress merely followed the lead of Professor Levi-Morenos, who was a member also of the International Agricultural Congress at Rome in May, 1903, in which it was bewailed that German and other ships were sharing so much Italian traffic back and forth33 between Italy and North and South America, and that so many emigrants were returning broken in health and injured. There was a lively row over contract labor27 of temporary emigrants. We are accustomed to think that our very stringent34 contract-labor laws are successfully excluding aliens under contract, but debate in the Congress would lead one to think the laws had merely made the patrones more powerful by making “smuggled” alien labor more valuable to American corporations.
In the matter of the “mediazione” of labor, or “bureauizing” it, as it were, to avoid the necessity or opportunity for patrones, or, as they are referred to by real sociologists of the first water on the other side, sfruttratori, a lively debate brought out some sharp 156attacks on government methods, Senator Bodio making a great speech and pushing to acceptance the following:
“This Congress considers it is necessary to exercise in behalf of our emigrant labor a convenient mediazione for avoiding that going forth blindly and that exposure to perfidious35 ‘grafters’ and innumerable perils36, so coming to a condition of things that produces an obnoxious37 and foolish reduction of their pay, raises the animosity of their fellow-craftsmen [of America], causes prohibitive laws by the governments [American, etc.], acknowledging the purely38 negative character of our insufficient39 information and the hurtful and too widely public quality of the positive sort.
“It is our wish that a more useful and rational method of private mediazione of our labor, as already presaged40 in the acts of the Secretary of Emigration of Udine, come to be followed by the secretaries in similar offices in the chief places in the provinces, which action should be co-ordinated by means of a National Federation41 centralized, with branch sessions in each important centre of emigration in each particular province.”
It was decided to hold another Congress in Rome in two years.
Barring Italian emigrants because they are illiterate will result merely in their being given a superficial education in reading and writing to enable them to pass our port examinations, and will not raise the standard of their intelligence in the least; furthermore, what advantage will the United States derive42 from their being taught to read and write in Italian when the ability to read Italian newspapers in this country will but serve to delay their thorough Americanization. It must not be forgotten that the many Italian newspapers in this country are not American any more in 157sympathy than in print. A thoroughly43 American newspaper printed in Italian would be a blessing44 in both New York and Boston.
The evening before the day we were to go aboard, we went for a trip outside the city to get a little rest and recreation before encountering the ordeal45 of going through the Capitaneria and embarking46. I saw by the roadside a party of emigrants from one of the villages back of Naples, who were driving in with huge carts, and had stopped, possibly for the night. They were the poorest that I had yet seen, and two old women, whom I observed, I felt sure would be refused by the doctors on their general physical condition.
On our way home we changed cars in the San Fernandino, and as we stood waiting I noticed an evil-looking “bravo-like” sort of a chap eyeing me closely, and I moved away from the remainder of the party in order to see if he would approach me. I found I was right in my estimate of him. He evidently took me for a returned emigrant with good American dollars in my pocket, for he came over, walked along slowly behind me, slapped me on the shoulder, and said in English,—
“Hello, John!”
“Che?” I answered, feigning47 stupidity and half-recognition as I turned toward him.
Then he came out with the old, old, very old confidence game. He asked me where he had seen me last. I surmised48 it was in Pittsburg; and he was at once sure it was, and we chatted on in Italian, or rather I answered merely enough to keep my lingual49 discrepancies50 from being observed. Just then another of his sort came along and inquired the way to a near-by street, showing a fifty-lire note, and saying he had 158been sent by a man to deliver it, and was so unfamiliar51 with Naples he had lost his way. Thief Number One winked52 at me and said in English:
“Come on, John, we get dat moneys.”
“How?” said I.
Thief Number Two was staring around at the buildings to give Thief Number One full chance with me. This worthy53 made a quick sign of playing cards. I saw the car approaching which I wanted our people to take, and so, to end matters, I turned him “the sign of the thumb,”[1] a signal of the freemasonry of thieves which I had picked up long before in the Italian quarter in New York, and at it the words died on his lips. The other man caught it too, and his eyes got very wide with surprise, then suddenly narrowed and darkened. Both responded with lightning-like signals that were so near to natural movements of the right hand that if both had not done it I would not have known it was a signal, and when I could not respond in kind they darted54 away as if from sudden death.
1. The sign of the thumb is a quick motion of the hand by turning the whole hand palm up, fingers half closed and thumb out. It is a very general sign of suspicion of a third party or of confidence between two.
If I had gone with Number One in the first place to try to fleece Number Two, there would have been another case for the Naples police of the “mysterious disappearance” of a returned emigrant. I could not long have concealed55 my nationality, and that might perhaps have saved me.
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1
contriving
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| （不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的现在分词 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到 | |
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guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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credentials
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| n.证明，资格，证明书，证件 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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consulate
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| n.领事馆 | |
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consul
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| n.领事；执政官 | |
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ledger
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| n.总帐，分类帐；帐簿 | |
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broker
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| n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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brokers
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| n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排… | |
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12
emigrants
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| n.（从本国移往他国的）移民( emigrant的名词复数 ) | |
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emigrant
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| adj.移居的，移民的；n.移居外国的人，移民 | |
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14
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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16
imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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17
smuggling
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| n.走私 | |
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18
transpired
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| （事实，秘密等）被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 )； 泄露； 显露； 发生 | |
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fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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20
illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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undesirable
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| adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子 | |
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23
adjourns
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的第三人称单数 ) | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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laboring
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| n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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27
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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28
illiteracy
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| n.文盲 | |
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29
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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30
modification
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| n.修改，改进，缓和，减轻 | |
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Amended
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| adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词 | |
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exigencies
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| n.急切需要 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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34
stringent
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| adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的 | |
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35
perfidious
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| adj.不忠的，背信弃义的 | |
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36
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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obnoxious
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| adj.极恼人的，讨人厌的，可憎的 | |
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38
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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39
insufficient
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| adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的 | |
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40
presaged
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| v.预示，预兆( presage的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
federation
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| n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会 | |
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42
derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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43
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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44
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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45
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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46
embarking
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| 乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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47
feigning
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| 假装，伪装( feign的现在分词 )； 捏造（借口、理由等） | |
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48
surmised
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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49
lingual
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| adj.语言的；舌的 | |
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50
discrepancies
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| n.差异，不符合（之处），不一致（之处）( discrepancy的名词复数 ) | |
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51
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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52
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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53
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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54
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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55
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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