The Washington herald., 1913-06-08
b. FRANCES SKATER.

II has lust come may way to read the
autobiography Of . Russian immigrant
in 'rhe Promised Land" BY Mary An
tin, herself the immigrant
And It IL particularly worth vnne pc
cause we are 20 accustomed 70 iooH ~
the Immigrant through American eye
and 10 view him In the aspect OF q dim
cult problem that we seldom catch the
sideiights that transform chin into
human being. swayed by the same emo
tons that dominate life the world over.
And more seldom yet do We look oacK
Of the scenes and learn just what an
Immigrant thinks OF the strange. the
many times beautiful and the many
times dificult steps he takes on ms way
from Russia or another port to success
in the promised land.
And SO there 10 a deal OF fascination
In this autobiography, which pictures
the small stranger back IN an obscure
Russian village, handicapped by her
Jewish parentage. then follows her. with
her family, overseas to Boston. ana 70
all the free, wonderful gifts that Boston
has to bestow upon the little immigrants
within its gates. along with other little
folk
For this little girl started her Amerf-
can life down in Boston's Sums. and she
reached the exclusive Back Bay And
Il is OF the glorious between-steps thar
she writes the most lingeringiy-they
were all glorious to her. for she loved
the schools, the public libraries, and all
the practical ways that every big city
takes to reach out its strong. helpful
hand in the making OF citizens.
Teachers Praised.
As she writes to the teachers who
helped her all along her way to college
well, It seems that the public school
teachers Of Boston and OF every other
city in the land where there are immi-
grant boys and girls must be glad when
| they read her story. and be thrilled with
! a fresh sense Of their possibilities to
| help make the small aliens over and to
| inspire them with deepened ambition 10
| make good in the country that has
| adopted them.
| OF course, the green little stranger
from Russia. in her FIRST days. even
years. at school stumbled against many
difficulties unknown to Amercan-born
children. and she pays charming tribute
to the patience and perseverance OF the
4 teachers who struggled with her and
halted the lessons to lift her out of some
Of her quagmires of ignorance.
| Teachers who number one or more OF
i these shy little aliens among their pu-
pills know all about the early problems
not concerned with the work OF the
| school, but rather with absorbing the
newness and strangeness OF speech. Gus
toms, and everything else. They know
tina. ii is all in the work OF the day that
before they can proceed with an example
in arithmetic they must pause to explain
4 the meaning OF words. But to those or
US who are not teachers one little Incl
4 dent is revealing of the way things run
with the immigrant child.
| The class had been asked to solve that
mighty problem, remembered by US all
| IF Johnnie has three marbles and
Charlie has twice as many, how many
marbles has Charlie?
The problem was all right, but the
small student from another land was at
sea on one Of her words, 50 up went a
little immigrant hand-'Teacher, ! don't
know what Is twice"
1 Took Time to Explain.
And there is where the grace Of the
teacher came in, for she beckoned the
young stranger to her side and pains
takingly led her to understand the mean
ing Of twice" One may say. that is
part of her work: and so 1t is, but to
the teacher II must be sort of satisfying
to know that years and years afterward
the small stumbler, guided into useful
womanhood. gratefully cherishes the en-
couragement. the kindness, and the
training that fell to her lot in the public
schools.
Then she tells Of the miracle Of trans
forming her into a full-hedged American
lit began well or in her second year in
school. when her class took up the story
of Washington and the early days OF
the republic. And she says that We born
Americans ought to be glad indeed to
look into the heart of the immigrant
child and learn the depth of his loyalty
II orrr-nrNV @rrv VyrnHy