The evening times., 1900-01-23
our Alien Citizeury.


Those who are imbued with the true
American spirit are not likely TO be
pleased with the proposition made TO the
Ohio Legislature by the Italian residents
of Cleveland. These soj0urners-they
are probably not citizens-haye petitioned
for the enactment Of a law providing for
the teaching Of the Italian language in
the public schools. Although there is a
small prospect of their request being
granted, protest against such an effort
Is certain TO be made not only in the
State mentioned, but throughout the coun-
try.
The Italian is not. as a rule, easily as
simulated into the American population.
Usually he seems to prefer his alienism
and TO stand aloof from espousing demo-
cratic ideas He makes little effort to
advance his personal intelligence. The
slum quarter of any large city or town
always presents its Italian quarter. the
immigrant of that nationality being clan
nish, unresponsive to the spirit OF the
country and inclined TO preserve as far
as possible all of the characteristics he
had when he arrived. Many if not the
majority. Of the individuals coming hither
from Italy cherish the single ambition of
securing sufficient money to enable them
10 return at some future day and live in
comparative ease in their native land.
They seek America as the gOld-hunter
does the Klondike and with no intention
of becoming permanent residents or citi-
yens. While many Of them do remain, for
pne reason or another, they, in all proba-
bility. transmit to their offspring the am
bition for a return to the country from
which they came, when industry and econ
omy shall have resulted in the accumula-
tion of what they consider a fortune.
1t is likely that the desire of the Ohio
italians for the teaching of their language
On the public schools is TO be thus explain
ed. They look with more or less distress
upon the probability that their offspring
will become infatuated with the american
idea and prefer to cast their fortunes with
the future of the great Republic. Were
they able to secure instruction in the
italian tongue. they believe, perhaps. that
this might neutralize a threatened es-
arrangement from the parental partiality for
the land of sunny skies and preserve in
their posterity the animating purpose
which brought them to the land Of equality
and opportunity.
BY their strenuous appeal for the use of
their language in the public schools the
Cleveland Italians indicate at least their
passive alienism, for they are seemingly
unwilling to see the American influence
predominant. 1t is ungracious on their
part to indirectly acknowledge an opposi-
tion which is bound TO regenerate their
children and emancipate them from the
thraldom of hereditary and long standing
ignorance. but the lower classes OF Italians
are utterly without any refined instinct and
apparently ignorant Of ethics in even its
primary, almost intuitive form.
This Italian movement is only one of the
many evidences OF ingratitude exhibited
curing recent years by those who have es-
capped from poverty. mental and physical,
TO a land Of advantages II may be chafit-
ably attributed to Ignorance, but any such
effort to keep alive customs practices. and