--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Sheldon, Lurana collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 20 number: 7 published: 1917-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Lurana Sheldon, "The Naturalized Alien," *Improvement Era* 20, no. 7 (May 1917): 617.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2007unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2007unse start_page: 617 end_page: 617 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1917-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2007unse publication_year: 1917 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1917, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Naturalized Alien Naturalized Alien (Selected) The land I claim claims me! It holds me sacredly its own, and I For its best welfare will both fight and die If such a sacrifice shall be Part of the great necessity. The land I claim has made My chance for victory, for strong success. In other climes my triumph would be less, For here has freedom truly laid Each open path of honest trade. The land I claim has left My hands unbound, my will at peace. Rich are the blessings, precious the release, From chains whose links were cleft Ere hope my soul bereft* Lurana Sheldon, in New York Times.