The hills of aream behind us lie,
Above us in a placid sky
The stars, unchanged, look down on us
As when with pulses tremulous

We breathed to them our hopes and fears

In the dear, dead, tremendous years
When life was all a rainbow mist,
A dawn that showed enchanted skies
Of amber and of amethyst,
When giants walked the world, and
when

Daughters of gods might smile on men,
Revealing sudden Paradise.

No rainbow now across our path
Shines promise-laden; cold and gray
Sank in the West the sullen day;
The pale moon quits her couch of
cloud-

Amber nor amethyst she hath

Cold, white and dead, condemned to glide

For ever through the fields of night,
For ever flaunt her silver shroud
Through the waste places of delight
Where, in the ages ere she died,
She bore her beauty and her pride.
Too soon the giants of the dawn
Shrank as our shadows shrink at noon;
Fair daughters of the gods, too soon
Back to your native skies withdrawn,
With you the unheard melodies,
The unseen that almost could be seen,
Sweet voices, half articulate,
Strange sails upon enchanted seas,

HOME FROM BATTLE.

Here at the good king's tent stand I-
All the night is in the sky.
To-morrow, I trow, in battle I die.
There as I wait, stark, cold, and dumb.
Shall Brian and Denis and Roland

come;

And find me, and lift me, and carry me home.

Three days will the journey be
These dear comrades must carry me-
I shall be home at the end of the three.
At sundown, marching the first long
day,

Shall they desire to make their stay
In a strong house beside the way;
But the lord of that house shall ask and

To police the world for the purpose of putting a wholesome restraint upon emigration is within the power, even now within the line of duty, of the greater nations. This can only be accomplished by an international and binding agreement making the power conferred impressive, absolute and compelling. The benefits of such an agreement would be mutual and its results conducive to the safety, happiness and prosperity not only of the strong but of the weak, not only of the free but of the oppressed.

The purposes of such an agreement as is here suggested may be briefly outlined as follows:-To encourage a high moral, physical, political and educational standard of admission for immigrants; and to these might well be added a financial or self-supporting qualification of sufficient scope to prevent the possibility of immediate dependence upon charity. To guard against the spread of disease from one country to another. To check undue activity on the part of transportation agents. To maintain a world-wide system of police identification and

re

straint of criminals. To persuade each nation to live up to its full responsibilities in the care of its own deficients. To induce the amelioration of political or economic wrongs in given areas, where such influences are driving people from one country to another to the discomfort of the latter.

To avert war, to assist each other in times of great disaster, or to work together for any purpose tending towards the mutual welfare of two or more peoples, has always been accepted as a legitimate function of governments and a satisfactory object of international conference or agreement.

Emigration has now become an international as well as a national question. All peoples welcome the selfsupporting, intelligent and healthy foreigner, but unfortunately for the peace and safety of prosperous and well-governed communities the world over, a very large proportion of those now on the move cannot even by courtesy or sympathy be placed under this classification.

Between a million and a half and two

million people annually are now moving from one country to another seeking a change in their place of permanent residence. Seven-eighths of those taking part in this exodus are from countries where the inhabitants are but partially civilized from the Anglo-Saxon point of view, or they are being forced out of their native environment by political or economic wrongs. No nation can effectually control this movement single-handed, even in the matter of admissions to its own territory. There is a more or less well organized conspiracy to break down or evade barriers which may be erected, and it succeeds to a remarkable degree, for the influences at work are international, hence cannot be neutralized from a single, or national, point of operation. This conspiracy is none the less effective because it is peaceful, intangible, and does not come within the jurisdiction of law. It originates in the disinclination of Governments to assume their full responsibility, in the pernicious activity of those who profit from the moving of thousands of people, and in the inclination of the oppressed to follow the line of least resistance towards final relief.

The concern of all nations is with emigration as well as immigration. It is not to the best interests of any country that a desirable element of its population shall depart for foreign lands, taking with them perhaps not so much in worldly goods, but reducing the productive power, decreasing the military strength, and weakening the social fabric at a most vital point. In times of great industrial development it is necessary there should be an influx of labor from abroad, but except in remote sections, or where local conditions are not favorable to the wage-earner, this need is generally promptly and naturally supplied. There is also always a floating population the world over, usually well able to take care of itself,

floating because of innate restlessness,

or moved from one country to another because of various but ordinary rea

sons, personal to each individual. It is not with the usual and natural migra tion of more or less responsible human beings that nations are especially concerned at this or, in fact, at any other time.

The present emigration movement is neither usual nor natural. The countries which these emigrants are leaving are sustaining by their departure a distinct and appreciable loss in productive power, military strength is sapped, and the general tone of the districts thus depopulated drops below the normal point for the reason that those who go are mostly males in the prime of life and at the height of their value to the community. The consequences of such an outward movement are most farreaching. Labor becomes scarce and wages low. This may sound contradictory, but it is true, as is shown in southern Italy.

Economic conditions in central and southern Europe are such that the cost of production must be small or industry is impossible. Hence, when labor be comes scarce, and the natural tendency would be towards higher wages, indus try and development are almost altogether checked, and the condition of the people left behind is soon even worse than when a larger number occupied the competitive field. Many other evils besides that of small earning power follow in consequence. Tax collections grow less, hence school conveniences and other community needs are supplied in less satisfactory manner. All business grows slack and unprofitable. and the country rapidly loses its vitality. The spirit of unrest and discontent is rife among those left behind by very reason of their inability to follow. Patriotism, loyalty and other civic virtues necessary to the welfare of a State sink to a low ebb.

On the other hand, it is extremely undesirable that thousands of foreigners of questionable value from a mental, moral or physical point of view should be allowed to freely invade wellgoverned and prosperous communities. They underbid the labor market, raise important and vexatious municipal questions, strain charitable resources to the utmost, increase the cost of government, expose a healthy people to contagious diseases common to the poorer classes of Europe, corrupt the body politic, and in every way complicate a situation none too simple at its best.

The countries to which these people go are, as a rule, already well supplied with labor of a general character, and nearly all occupations are fully represented when the average earning power of the individual is taken into consideration. Even countries with large areas of land open to occupation now take no comfort from an influx of the oppressed from foreign lands, for those who go forth to pioneer must have initiative energy, resourcefulness and individuality to play the part, and these qualities are sadly lacking in the average emigrant of to-day. They are gregarious, even clannish. Landing in the large cities, they seldom move on to the greater air-spaces of the country. They find employment, such as it is, with people of their own nationality, who shrewdly take advantage of their needs and fears, to the detriment of local industrial and social conditions. Leaving out of consideration the movement of all unquestionably undesirable people, such as criminals, paupers, deficients, &c., four distinct causes may be assigned for the present large emigration now affecting, as stated, nearly two million people annually. These causes are natural, economic, political and artificial. The natural emigration from any country arises from the restlessness and ambi

tion of youth and middle age apparent in all peoples, and only to be satisfied by new adventure. As a rule, the class of people dislodged from their native environment by this cause are acceptable additions to any foreign community. Economic wrongs are causing an exodus from Italy, and in a less degree from Austria-Hungary, and the story of evil consequences to the motherland is plainly written in the depression in agriculture and industry throughout the section affected. Sicily is practically depopulated, and from some of the Italian villages over eighty per cent. of the people have gone to the United States to escape what really amounts to slavery and results in mental and bodily starvation.

The political cause for emigration is best illustrated in the case of the Hebrews of Russia. The laws of that country for twenty-two years have been of such character as to drive the Jews from the land of their birth. Forced to live in the towns, deprived of nearly all opportunity for making a living, they are fleeing to other lands, seeking employment, education for their children, and freedom from persecution. Under a wise and liberal administration the Jewish Pale and Poland would support and give employment in the development of their resources to all the people now living within their boundaries. Emigration arises from political causes, and, should the political powers of that country see fit, a condition could be brought about under which there would be no more than the natural movement abroad.

The artificial cause behind the present unprecedented exodus from Europe is the abnormal activity of the transportation companies in their effort to secure new and profitable cargo for their ships. The present emigration movement represents a gross annual income of at least ten million pounds

sterling, and it is encouraged and stimulated in every way known to the skilful and experienced men who have built up this business for themselves or their employers. The managements of these companies deny any knowledge of unnatural means being used to secure business, and disclaim responsibility for the thousands of sub-agents who are engaged in the sale of steamship tickets on the Continent. It is probably true that these men are not directly in their employ, but the business is done on a commission basis through general agents, hence a subdivision of profit is possible without direct responsibility. The transportation companies get the business, however, and so successful are their methods that many emigrant authorities hold them responsible for instigating possibly fifty per cent. of the departures for foreign lands. Foreign countries, such as Italy and Austria-Hungary, have laws against soliciting for this business. Arrests have been made and sentences imposed, but the work still goes on, assisted in some places by a complacent and not entirely disinterested bureaucracy.

In the past fifty years about nine million natives of the United Kingdom have emigrated to foreign lands, over two-thirds of these having gone to places other than British Colonies. Add to these the three million foreigners who have tarried in the United Kingdom for more or less time and then departed, and we have a total emigration from the British Isles alone of about twelve million people. During the past year 179,000 English, 37,000 Scotch and about 46,000 Irish left for abroad, a total of 232,000 British who found it advantageous to leave their native land. In addition to these, about 190,000 foreigners sailed from English ports as the most convenient points of embarkation. If all of these native-born English, Scotch and Irish

had gone to British Colonies the move ment might be viewed with more equanimity, but three-fifths of them went to foreign countries and were there welcomed as the best class of immigrants received from any source. If it might be considered that owing to overcrowded conditions it was necessary or desirable that the population of the British Isles be lessened by this number, little consolation can be de rived from the facts in the case, for it can almost be said that as soon as a native-born left the country an alien landed to fill his place.

It is not the purpose here to enter into a discussion of the evils which have arisen from the alien invasion of London. They are now matters of general comment and knowledge. The mere fact that an Alien Bill proposing to restrict this movement and control the element of foreign population after its arrival has been introduced in Par liament and received generous support, is sufficient evidence to the effect that the British people are fully alive to the dangers presented and to the responsi bilities of Government.

The United Kingdom is also largely concerned in emigration matters from a Colonial point of view. Last year about 50,000 emigrants went to South Africa, about the same number went to Australia, and 75,000 were added to the population of Canada. While each of the Colonies enforces more or less restrictive laws governing those who seek to enter, it is only necessary to note the experience of the United States to reach the conclusion that should the popular tide of emigration turn towards these British Colonies. attracted by prosperous conditions or deftly directed that way by transpor tation interests, it would be equally impossible, under present conditious, for South Africa, Australia or Canada to wholly exclude the undesirables. The United States added nearly a million to