The German-American Press

necessary and allowable baggage, the ports, and opportunities for
immigrants.
The "Well-intentioned Advice" from New York especially
warned poor families, the elderly, the feeble, and the idle against
emigration. It was addressed to farmers of means, craftsmen with
capital, and sturdy single young men and women. Here the craftsmen
learn that there were no guilds in America and that competition was
therefore fierce. Without going into details of the extremely complex
German guild structure, the "Well-intentioned Advice" explains to
potential emigrants that the American buyers expect simple products
and that trained craftsmen should change their production methods
and depart from their quality standards. The same applied to social
conduct, as the guild had provided not only economic protection
but also prestige. Farmers could also expect to make adjustments.
They were advised to work for an American farmer in order to
become familiar with the different methods of farming. Both groups
should move immediately into the interior. It was suggested that
Germans settle in Pennsylvania or Ohio for the purpose of language
integration. The large number of German settlers there would be
of great assistance in mastering initial difficulties. Those without
means, young men and women, might find work in the port cities.
German servant girls were welcome. Young men were easily hired
as farm hands or road workers.28
The "Well-intentioned Advice" from Maryland was clearly
influenced in its structure by its predecessor. It recommended against
poorly conceived emigration and offered some new information. It
told of the unreliability of publications in Germany about America,
the ill-fortune of organizations formed for the purpose of common
settlement, and the advantage of the English-speaking Irish over
German competitors for jobs, especially among the educated. It also
mentioned the painful experiences for the German upper classes who
discovered that social structure was based on money and not class
standing, and the almost hopeless difficulties for older persons (over
45) attempting to adjust to the new conditions.
This "Well-intentioned Advice" declined to examine the outlook
for craftsmen because commercial possibilities varied so greatly
based on local conditions. It addressed farmers but not foresters
since there was no organized forestry in the USA and no need for
forestry specialists. It recommended settling in areas where oats

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