New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-13

Leaving others to continue the verbal war over
the advantages or disadvantages of permitting
Europes hOrdes to descend on these shores, a
little band Of earnest patriots has established
the first of a number of schools soon to be
opened where immigrants may learn to become
good Americans through series of blackboard
lessons. There would seem to be no more ear
nest seeker after this kind of knowledge than
the immigrant for the school opened at No 21S
South Fourth-st., Philadelphia in three rooms
of fair size, has already scores more pupils than
can be accommodated.
The immigrants. chiefly Russians. with tier
sons and daughters. have come to school hunger
ing for knowledge. Hundreds have been en-
rolled and the rooms are nightly crowded to the
extreme limit of their capacity. The teachers.
volunteers from the city's educational staff as
sisted by few earnest workers who wish TO see
the ignorant immigrant lifted to a higher plane.
give their services free.
All are accomplished lingufsts, for II was
found impossible to permit any to undertake
the work of teaching who could not sneak s4v-
eriH languages, for the reason that a perfe.t
babel of tongues is spoken by the men. vor,a,,
boys and girls who attend the school. few of
them having been in the country longer than
six months, and scarcely any knowing more than
enough English to make themselves understood
III that language. As for reading or writing Tho
language of their new country that was not +,
d moment to be expected. 1t was therefore
necessary to begin the work of teaching these
Aliens the Constitution Of their new country nv
making them familiar with the aIphabet. then
advancing to simple words of one syllable and
so on to the higher heights of learning whore
1t would be made possible for them to under
stand the meaning of the written law of the
land.
The school has been divided into three classes
IN one room about hundred grown-up men and
women with a sprinkling of boys and girls. can
be found each night wrestling with the novs-
teries Of orthography. It is strange to see these
elderly scholars knitting their brows over sncb
problems as the spelling of the word "girI >, tho
correct pronunciation Of dog. or the nroDar
sound to give to the first letter Of the person II
pronoun we" In the second room the puufIs
who can spell correctly simple words of one s>I-
liable are gathered for easy reading lessons
GROWN men, with the untidy beard of the tvnical
immigrant, sit side by side with bright eyed
boys and girls, all equal in the denseness Of
their ignorance Of what any American Child
could teach them. but all in deadly earnaet and
determined to learn.
In the third room are the advanced pupils 70
whom it is found possible to teach the Corstit,,
ton of the United States a word AT , tt,,,
Among the immigrants who have been attracla Z
to the school are some who had more educa
uonal advantages in the old country than tho
majority. Some it was found when tho n,,,1,
were classified at the opening Of the school
could read and write English a little b,,ir.
been What is known wealthy" i'm their bo,,a
village, and able to afford the ADVANTAGES 90
some local establishment of learning, where f,--
eign languages were taught. These are in =
class by themselves With The clauses Of the
Constitution written on the blackboard these
advanced pupils are able to commit it 10 mem.
DRY HE 1t time, the teacher carefully and
patiently explaining the fun meaning of each
word, until in time they will know as much
about this framework Of the national liberty as
any American child.
The teachers are enthusiastic over their work
1t Is almost new experience to those who have
taught in American public schools to flud such