The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1913-02-28

great deal to be done for them, but |!
much to be done with them. Just give |
them chance and they will do the |
rest. They have come to us with a |
high courage. an honest desire to be- |
come Americans. And let us see to 1t |
that they know what a real American !
is. / am speaking always OF the for |
eign family. and not the men who come |
here to send money back to the old |
country.
THE HOMING INSTINCT.
There is one trait very strong with
these people. and that Is the "homing"
trait. Though man have a wife and
family of from Ave to seven children
and make but s2.04 day. he is put
ting what Is left over" into a home.
How there can be anything left over is
mystery. OF course he is doing this
at a fearful price, at the price of rosy
cheeks and warm blood. of nourishing
food and warm clothes for his wife and
children. even perhaps though he does
not understand it, the lives of his I'M
born children. But this .homing
trait is a trait so fine and so precious,
such a valuable asset to our American
life. that we cannot afford to ignore It.
And the responsibility rests upon us
to see that the expression of this In
stinct may have full play. that the in
vestment in a home shall bring its full
return.
THE MAKING OF AMERICANS.
! The children of these people are
with our children in the schools. are
| with out children in the streets. are
selling us goods over the counter, are
waiting on US in the restaurants, are
| taking their place IN our American life.
| And these children eAmericans,. II
you please. 1 have heard young girls
and boys refer to their parents as "Oh,
| they are only Foreigners And in an
swer to what are you, pray? "Oh.
| am an American. ] was born In South
| Chicago" in Pennsylvania, etc. The
/ public school is doing wonderful things
| for these people. That is one institu-
| ton that is giving them full chance
| 1 know one school on the outskirts OF
| Gary where the teachers are perform
/ ing a labor which is more than labor
CT love. Some of the foreign children
| who come to that school are afflicted
| with filth sores-children who come
from homes so dirty they are menace.
| When ii came to the point of barring
tho children from the public schools
them their chance here in America
And every morning these teachers are
treating and dressing those highly In
fectious sores, have provided little
caps for the children SO there Is abso-
! lutely no danger to other children, and
50 are doing their best to present a
real America to these children by put
ting them on an equality with the
American born. / shall not go further
into the subject of what the public
school does for these people. 1t Is a
subject for whole paper in itself
But 1 do wish to point out that here
is one ground where the foreign boy
and girl has equal chance with the
!, American born. And these are our chill
dren-au OF them.
u Last night in a Gary station
|, watched two children. One rosy
: checked. sturdy. three-year-old. native
; born American boy who stood bundled
up in a gray chinchilla overcoat, car
and leggings, watching a little Rou
!, manian girl baby OF perhaps veal
3 and a half as she tossed about dirt,
stuffed rabbit and darted after 4
: laughing and Growing. The boys eyer
lighted up and very soon he had JOINED
D | in the fun Two more nearly opposite
types could scarcely be imagined Blu
. the little boy did not see the dirt,
I face. the draggled, soiled clothing, tn
sallow, pinched face, the under nour
itshed body, nor was he conscious OF tn
s nauseating odor. He saw only tn
h Laughing eyes and the Joyousness o
: this baby girl. He was wholly uncon
o scious of any difference in culture, Il
e BIRTH in nationality. In the years t
Il come will not these differences pas
i. away entirely Are not these peopl
q giving to us our future American ma
!. ttonal type? Then does 1t not behoov
s us to wake up?
/, AS have said, these people do no
= need a great many things done 10
them They do need a chance. Civ
them that and we need have no Tea
It for our future. For down underneat
e they are all right. They could teac
IS us many things If we would but list
o en- For example, they might give u
% many lessons in reverence. This stor
lie illustrates. To those who have eve
y tried to gather statistics among thes
lie people. this will appeal. 1 was tryin
= very patiently to ind out where a III
IF tie Polish boy was born. And fnali
l. after I had struggled in vain in des
lie neration. asked: Where did you
father come from" "By the old cour
Sc try And where did your mothe
r. come from" "By the old country
ID "And were you wit hthem when the
&c came by the old country" "Oh, no,
~ was by God yet" To show what ca
Sc be done with these people II but give
IN a chance, this story: A little Croatfo
e. boy IA years old had been In this coui
p try three weeks He spoke no VOL
OF of English. He had been made dea
n drunk on whisky and while under Il
l. influence of the intoxicant had bee
fe committing thefts. He was arrestt
is and brought into the city court. II