Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1905 — Tried Him on All Languages. [ARTICLE]

Tried Him on All Languages.

One day a ship from Holland was being examined at Eilis island. The immigrants bad passed along the line befere the inspection officer and were being interrogated in ihcir native tongnes. A short, thick set man abcut forty-five years old appeared in turn The inter preterit ked l im his name in Dutch without any rcspins ; be asked him in German, Slavish, Polish, with the same resn’t He oalled to another interpreter who stood by to come and try him in the Latin tongnes, and hi was a-ked the same question in Frei-ch, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese Still th-re was no response. Another interpreter was called and he was tried in all the Arabic longues Syrian and Turkish. The accumulated interpreters by this time four or five in number, stood arou d lookirg at this immigrant and wondering what it all when a funny einile br.ke out cv-r his face, aud he said in broad sou h of Ireland brogue: • Fur the love of hiven, can’t none of yez talk English?”