Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-01

Free? What do you mean by that? You
can't do as you like. You have to obey
the laws, don't your?
Eyes, we obey the laws but we make the
laws, and we are free"
rs that right Morris Popovitch?'
Yes. We do not have to do what car
says must do
But how about the policeman-the cop?'
"He is made by the people. The people
make the laws
The teacher nodded approvingly
Now, Moses Adler"
Pupils Come to Learn.
The teacher was back at his desk. talking
as he ran over the reports from the twenty
eight classes over which he has super
vision.
Attendance tonight, few short of seven
hundred, and nearly every man approach
ing middle age, and only a short while IN
this country. Five blocks away there is
a similar school for Italians and the prin-
Cipal tells me that his average attendance
equals mine. The night school in the CEN
ter of Little Hungary also has Its hum
dreds of pupils, and in every foreign colony
in the city there is at least night
school. which is invariably well attended.
But so great is the desire of the ghetto
to possess, as speedily as possible, work
ing knowledge of American ways. that
half dozen night schools have to be MAIN
tanned for the men, while there are two
for women not a half mile from here. All
told, there are in the city twenty-one night
schools for men and four less for women,
and not the least interesting thing about
them is that nearly all are located in the
foreign sections
The few night schools that are in ma
tive American quarters are not well at
tended and goodly portion of the pupils
are the toughs of the neighborhood who
consider the schools to be choice places
for having what they call fun at the ex-
pense of the teachers and the handful of
Woodworking pupils These schools are in
a continual uproar, and are in striking
contrast with such a school as this one
where l have not been called upon to ex-
tend a reprimand for over three weeks
For these people come to learn and to
learn as speedily as possible, in order that
they may be able to hold their own in the
fierce competition for the pennies that they
find going all about them.
This is the circumstance that sends the
most enterprising members of the foreign
colonies to the night schools, and as soon
as they have gained just enough knowl-
edge of American ways to see them
through, they do not return, but add the
early hours of the night to those of the
Gay spent in the sweatshops.
Still, in the few weeks that a recently ar
rived immigrant stays with us we manage
to inoculate him pretty literally with
sturdy American principles, as you have
already learned
THE men plead with us to teach them
AileTlcdH ways we lUuSC De americans
to be able to do business they say or,
We want TO take out papers. Tell us
what We must know about American to get
them?' So, from the moment an immi
grant enters the infant class we keep
pounding away at things peculiarly Ameri-
can the while we are teaching him to say,
in the language of his adopted country,
such simple sentences as: L put on my
hat L go to work. I eat my breakfast
and others equally as practical and help
full in his everyday life.
Whenever a new sentence Is brought to
the attention of a class the teacher writes
II on the board, repeats 1t several times
and then goes through the action which
each word or set of words calls for. 1t is
surprising how quickly even illiterate men
grasp the meaning of the sentence as a
whole, and of it's various component parts.
II is no unusual thing for the members
of an infant class to grasp fully a dozen
or more sentences in the course of an even
ing, being able to pronounce the words
distinctly and use them correctly They
display all the innocent exuberance of youth
over their new accomplishment.
Flee From CONSUMPTION.
"a few evenings spent in an infant class
equips the brightest of the pupils for pro-
notion and then they are moved up into
a class where the steps in language are
little harder. So they progress week after
week. month after month, until they reach
the classes where a little culture In the
shape of grammar, simple sums and history
is taught them. But by far the greater
majority of the pupils never reach the cul-
ture classes. Just as soon as they have
learned TO talk sufficient English to en-
able them to carry on ordinary conversa
ton they disappear, and give themselves
over to work day and night.
1T is remarkable, none the less how
many pupils we manage to have in the
night schools throughout the term, espe-
cially when it is remembered that the stress
of life in the foreign colonies is greater
than elsewhere in America, and that every
hour subtracted from grinding labor makes
ii harder to bear. Every man who at
tends a night school is making, for him. a
sacrifice of no mean proportions, that he
may be benefited in the future. When all
these limiting circumstances are taken into
consideration, no one can rightly blame an
immigrant for leaving school as soon as
he has gained the little knowledge of Ian
guage that will enable him to transact
business more readily with those about
him.
quite a few of our pupils, however,
stick through the three years course.
These are the men who have ambitions
above owning little corner stores and MAX
ing bare subsistence for themselves and
their families. They are equipping them
selves to be lawyers and teachers, spend
ing all the time in conscientious study that
they can spare from the work absolutely
necessary for the support OF dependents
The culture classes are made up almost ex-
clusively of these ambitious ones, who
graduate into the evening high school, and
from there go into the colleges. Many of
the leading men of the foreign colonies
owe their prominence to the nights they
spent in arduous study in just such schools
as this one.
Just at present the Russian Jews, who
are coming to this country in great num-
bers in order to escape service in Man
churia, preponderates in the night schools.
Many of them are illiterate. but naturally
quick to grasp matters, and so we have
very little difficulty In teaching them the
alphabet and to read and write. / have
known more than one illiterate pupil to