The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-09-23
RAYMOND W. PULLMAN.

The preparation Of immigrants foE
American citizenship has become Z
subject OF special
Education Of study by various
Immigrants. educators Of the
country and has
attracted the attention OF many ex'
perts OF the United States bureau oil
immigration. the bureau OF natural
ization and the bureau of education.
Within the next two months II 10 ex'
pected that q bulletin will be pre-.
pared In one OF these bureaus outlin-
Ing the views of various educators on
methods OF preparing the immigrant
aud the immigrant child to III into
the social system OF the United States.
Systems OF immigrant education
branch out into many lines running
all the way. from the simple teachins
of English to the newly arrived adult
to the careful guidance OF the immi'
grant children who will be educated
In the public schools and who will In
course OF time become q part OF the
country's social fabric.
Up to the present time the govern.
ment has given little attention to the
work of educating immigrants. For
eigners coming to this country for
the most part have been allowed to
shift for themselves and find out the
best they could just how to acquire
an education which will help them to
earn q living and better their condi-
ton In this country. There has been
little specializing on immigrant teach
ing and experts who have watched the
progress Of immigrants In large cen
ters say that few understand the best
methods Of work among foreigners.
Considerable progress has been
made In New York In helping the I'M
migrant to learn quickly In this coun.
try by making 1t possible for him to
attend course of educational lee.
lures often delivered In his own
tongue. Small museums have also
been established in various cities and
in some places educational advan-
tages have been gained by exhibits
added to the activities of the public
school and library and made available
for directed study by the Immigrant
and his child.
Evening schools have been devel.
oped In New York to a high degree,
and they are frequently pointed to az
the greatest and most convincing ex.
ample of educational work for immi
grants In America The average at
tendance at these evening schools In
New York 10 moro than 10000, and
20 or more nationalities are repre-
sented. In New York state the edu
cation department has travelling II
braries for foreigners IN few Ian
guages, and these are freely borrowed
by various libraries. The efforts Of
both the schools and the libraries In
educating the immigrant seem to be
10 increase the value Of public insti
tutions for him and to urge him to
use them, and at the same time "a
acquaint him with the principles oi
American citizenship.
valuable work has also been done
IN New York In teaching to immi
grant mothers American systems Of
home economy, with special aften
tion OF proper food The working
basis OF al the teaching ia the actual
income Of the family, and mother
are taught how to provide best fol
themselves and family in the new
country to which they have come.
The recent reporting OF . fatal case
or bubon1c plague In California and
the resulting scare
To Fight have pointed out
Hat Pest to health authori
ties the import
ance OF rat-proof
ing cities--that IL. shutting out the
pest which has carried the plague
around the world. or rather which
has carried the heas which have car
RED the disease around the world
Public health onlcers say that there
II less TO justify the existence Of the
rat than any other pest which On.
dangers the health and happiness OF
man. not even excepting the typhoid
dy and the mosquito.
Besides being . menace TO health
rats cause the people q greater eco.
nomic loss than any other pest. The
board bill for the rats OF the country
II enormous. Foreign countries, In.
GLIDING Great Britain. Denmark and
France, have made Investigations and
have found that q single rat eats
food products each year which are
valued 1T from 81 to $50. It d
thought that the losses In this coun.
try exceed even those in Great Brit.
ain. whore the rat causes more dam.
age than In any other European coun.
try which has made m investigat ton.
A conservative estimate Of the rat
population Of the United States ID
that It II several times the human
population. In some sections It ID
much greater than the human popula.
ton. With nearly 100000, 900 people
in the United States and . rat popu.
lation only equal to the human popu'
lstion. II II easily seen that the rata
In this country. eating more than