The Washington herald., 1908-06-08
English Good Enough.

English Good Enough.
Editor The Washington Herald
Your editorial. English Is Good
Enough" in The Washington Herald Of
patriotism not only Of the clarion ring
but OF the deep intonation Of true Amer
lean spirit and broad vision. 1t is timely
and commendable. and the press to
preach and prove more of It. would be a
power for the preservation Of true
Americanism. We are one country with
one language, one fag-one liberty-loving
nation OF free Institutions To maintain
it Is our one ideal thought and chief act
To preserve it must be by the fraternsl
sense Of oneness. This fraternal sense
Of oneness characterized our fathers. the
founders, who transmitted II to us 10
guide us.
While the vast German population Of
Milwaukee is closing its racial theater
and will no longer support plays in the
German language which is the text Of
your said editorial. the Pennsylvania
Dutch. having survived the wreck OF
&
1t IS not TO be regretted. There is moth
ing In favor Of the perpetuation OF the
German language IN America. II is
senseless, then. TO try 10 ingraft dead
new language the Gaelic, which never
had any connection with our country.
for such as yearn 20 supplant our Ian
guase with Gaelic. never knew Gaelic.
and their motive is un-Amerlcan IN spirit
and institutions
Our country Is in no immediate danger
Of being disrupted by racial differences
barring the ever-smoldering negro prob
lem. famed into flame by the horrible
tnQuisitOrial. party politics. nightmare
Un-CauCasian, Senatorial Brownsville af-
fair. Yet. there are racial attempts in
bud 20 supplant our common language by
German. on the one hand and by Gaelic.
on the other, though senseless and un-
American Il may seem. Such a thing
carried 20 a successful conclusion would
mean the destruction Of our language
English. with German and Gaelic planted
on its ruins. between which carried 70 a
legitimate conclusion. would mean a dual
contest for supremacy. the survival of
the fttest and confusion and chaos in
tIIe destruction of free institutions.
A coalesced nation OF many races with
is nowhere found as with us COexistent
with the close Of the Revolution was ma
tiOnal fraternalism-a oneness Of spirit
and feeline born OF cOmradeship in a
hard-fought cause for freedom. In its In
tensity, the fathers threw wide open the
doors for freedom and liberty's sake TO
the whole world 20 come In for zone
country. one language. one flag" and its
upbuilding. The invitation was accepted.
and one country. one language. one flag
forever must be. The English language
must prevail, the Stars and Stripes
wave, and America live. II means that
one cannot be an American and Irish
man at one and the same time. nor
American and German at one and the
same time. but American all the time
one language. one flag. one country
America. There cannot be Gaelic. or
German, or Italian. OF Polish. or all. but
English. and only English in America
our common country with a common
language. common flag for one and all
alike. and all. whether of English, Irish.
German. Italian. or Macedonian descent
must. as only good citizens can and will
strive 70 perfect Englsh--Our language
for our common welfare: English. the
first 10 take root in America and give 70
us our free institutions. which make our
government different from the despotisns
from which all of us took flight in our
fatherlands to Join in this. our own land,
70 make model for the worlds imita-
tion. In all the past we have striven for
such end. II is a century-old American
doctrine, free-school institution, instiled
in satisfactory assimilation OF the more
than 25.0O0,coO aliens seeking home among
US and their children In succeeding gem
ola
changed7 II is a good subject for
study. We may be at the point where
assimilation is in the balance-marking
time. and further immigration a danger.
There Is on foot move which. If car
ried 10 legitimate conclusion, would
make European map OF America-our
country. The American Irish are form
ing classes all over America to learn
Gaelic 10 supplant our language and com
mon heritage-English. The move Is in
its incipiency, and will languish there.
tust as the American German move, a
few days old. with their "Allgemeiner
Deutscher Sprachverein''-"G German Lam
guage Union"-socletles to be all over
America, with the proclaimed and
avowed purpose Ito foster the German
language and 10 make It the medium of
conversation and universal use between
Germans Of the United States to
strengthen German national pride"
German national PRIDE Gaelic national
pridel For what? To land us I'm Ger
many? To land us IN Ireland? or 10
raise up a German nation. or an Irish
nation. IN America, one talking German,
the other Gaelic? Equally of right could
arise an Italian national pride, or Sean
dinavian. a Greek, or Turk. a Mace
DOMAIN. or Lithuanian, a Spanish. a Rus
sian. an English. or Indian, an Armenian.
or japanese an Ethiopian, or Chinese.
Not only would America become a Eu-
ropean map. but Asiatic and African as
well And In II all would be the destruc-
tion OF American pride and American
free institutions now typihed in one Ian
guage. one flag, one country.
II those who would supplant English
with German ito strengthen German ma
tonal PRIDE" or II those who would sup
plant English with Gaelic to serve what
ever un-American purpose they have In
mind would quit right now and spend
their surplus time In perfecting tlse Eng