Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-01
IMMIGRANT SCHOOLS
Full-Grown Foreigners Alb
sorbing American Ideas.
WORK HARD TO LEARN
A GRAY-BEARDED "INFANT
GLASS; IN LITTLE HUNGARY.
Very Satisfactory Progress Being
Made in Most Important
Branch of Work.
my country, tits of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
OF thee | sing"

The singers were bearded Russian Jews,
every one of them. They were seated at
desks over which, in the afternoon, little
children-some of them their own children
had bent to do their simple sums In their
hands they held first readers but there
was no need to glance at the page; every
singer knew the words by heart, and was
singing them with fervor that could not
but affect any listener in the region of his
spine.
Wonderful, isn't it?" asked the prncl-
pal of the night school. But you will be
more astonished a little later on. Wait
till they have finished"
my heart with rapture thrills
Like that above
Slowly 1t dawned on the visitor what the
night school really stands for in our big
cities. Before this moment, as far as he
was concerned, it had stood for little, and
that vaguely Now he knew that a city
night school Is a place where any immi-
grant, grown to manhood, who cares to
attend it, is taught true and abiding prin-
ciples of sturdy Americanism as well as
the A, B, C's of book knowledge.
Great God, our king" they sang, fer
wildly.
The principal stepped before the class.
Isaac Goldstein, how long have you been
in this country"
Three mo-ufs," said Isaac
"Three-what?' asked the questioner
Three mo-months," said Isaac, trium-
rhantly
Good And you, Samuel Mirkirsky
when did you leave Russian"
Samuel smiled broadly. six weeks" he
answered
Now, Jacob Gordon, tell me when you
came here"
"One month next the day after"
'What?'
Jacob hesitated; then his eyes frightened.
tomorrow" he said, succinctly.
THAT man over in the corner-Abraham
Cahaan-tell me- how long,"
Five days ago" came the slow but
clearly enunciated response.
You heard" said the principal; land l
can assure you that the rest have been
over only for periods varying from two
weeks to the same number of months.
Now, we shall find out whether they know
the meaning of the words.
He turned to the pupils.
II am going to name several of you to
read the stanZas. and after each one has
read his stanZa he is to read line at a
time, then tell me in Yiddish what that line
means and so with each line till the stanZa
is done. Aaron Goldfasky, you begin"
MY country, 'tuss-'tis of thee" said
Aaron; then he ratified off confidently into
the tongue of his youth. "Swoot land
sweet land of liberty" another reyersion 20
the strange jargon, and so on through the
stanza, the mans ready interpretatio
showing that the words he had just sung
We're not empty meaning to him.
We Are the People.
AS Jacob Gordon, he who had come over
lone month next the day after" began to
explain the second stanza, the principal
and the visitor slipped into the hall and
the former showed the way into another
room. Here also men-some forty, some
fifty and others older-were deep in the
evenings tasks.
On the board back of the teacher were
the questions for the evening. The first
was: who makes the laws of the coun-
try?" and the rest were like unto 1t. Pretty
soon the teacher came to them.
Now" he queried, pronouncng dis
tinctly. what does that first line ask?'
A stopped and withered patriarch, with
a sweeping, snow-white beard. read the
words correctly.
And who does make the laws?" the
teacher asked.
Congress, at Washington" some one
sang out, eager as a schoolboy to display
his lately acquired knowledge.
Correct. but tell me what is Congress?' '
The pupil plunged in fearlessly, but be-
fore he had proceeded far became hope
lessly confused, the tabooed Yiddish all bu.
replacing the new tongue.
The teacher stopped him, then began to
give to the cist8s a clear, concise answer
to the question.. When he was done, do
you all understand" he asked.
The men nodded as though with one head.
Then, Isaac Nordinsky, tell me what Is
Congress?'
"Congress-is the people," he said. "Con-
gress is made out of the people. Con-
gress is made to be elected by the people.
Congress is made to make the laws of the
people"
"And the people-who are they?'
THE peopleP' Isaac looked hesitatipgly
at his interrogation. I'VE are the people"
Yes. we are the people," said the teach
er, mllitantly You and Rachel, your
wife and Saul Kantrowich, over there, and
all the rest in this room. We are the peo-
ple Isaac Nordinsky. Now tell me why
we have a Congress and why 1t can do all
these things?"
Because we are free and have no czar.'