A Note from Mecklenburg.

23 November 1882

The emigration of able-bodied working families from Mecklenburg to North America grew appreciably at the end of October when those in the countryside try to change their employment or living quarters. Most of them take up an invitation from relatives or acquaintances who previously left and who, in a few years, have acquired a small independent piece of property in the western states of North America. Several hundreds of pre-paid overseas tickets and train tickets from New York to the western states were sent to Mecklenburg. The Mecklenburg worker is indeed somewhat slow and finds it difficult to adjust to something new. At the same time he requires good daily food, which can't lack meat, and then he works with great perseverance, physical strength and lots of practical skill. He is especially suited for life in the countryside in the North American western states; the farms settled by Mecklenburgers should almost constantly blossom. To replace the locals who have emigrated, many property owners are bringing in Swedish hired-hands and maids, who admittedly drink a lot of brandy and aren't as dependable, but who are satisfied with lower wages and more meager food. One hears a lot of Swedish and Polish spoken on the landed estates while the old Mecklenburg Low German is increasingly disappearing.

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