Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-21


| made part of the equipment of prac-
| tically every modern hospital in the
country. police station. schools and other
places where there is need OF producins
] sons who are threatened with drowning.
overcome by electricity, or any other
condition where breath is not produced
naturally and artificial aid is necessary.
The preparation of immigrants for
American citizenship has become SUBJ
iect of special study
| Education of by various educators
of the country and has
attracted the attention
of many experts of the United States bu-
! reau Of immigration, the bureau of nat,
radiation and the bureau, OF education.
Within the next two months it is ex
pected that bulletin will be prepared in
one Of these bureaus outlining the views
! of various educators on methods Of pre-
pairing the immigrant and the immigrant
child to fit into the social system of the
United States. Systems of immigrant ed
ucation branch out into many lines rum
ming all the way from the simple teach
ing Of English to the newly arrived adult
to the careful guidance Of the immigrant
children who will be educated in the pub
J, lie schools and who wilt in course Of
+, time become part of the country's So
cial fabric -,
Up to the present time the government
/. has given little attention to. the work of
educating immigrants. Foreigners COM
ing to this country for the most part have
j 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 a living and better their
condition in this country. There has been
+, little specializing on immigrant teaching
and experts who have watched the prog
ress of immigrants in large centers say
that few understand the best methods of
work among foreigners.
! Considerable progress has been made in
New York in helping the immigrant to
| learn quickly in this country by making
! 1t possible for him to attend a course Of
i; educational lectures often delivered in his
own tongue. Small museums have also
| been established in various cities and in
some places educational advantages ~have
been gained by exhibits added to the ac-
! tivities of the public school and library
and made available for directed study by
the immigrant and his child. :
Evening schools haYe been developed in
New York to high degree. and they are
! frequently pointed to the greatest and
/ most convincing example Of educational
work for immigrants in America The
average attendance at these evening
schools in New York is more than $4,000
and twenty or more nationalit1es are rep
resented. In New York state the educa-
ton department has travelling libraries
| for foreigners in a few languages and
+, these are freely borrowed by various Ii
| braries. The efforts Of both the schools
and the libraries in educating the immi-
| grant seem to be to increase the value
of public institutions for him and to urge
| him to use them, and at the same time
to acquaint him with the principles of
| American citizenship.
| Valuable work has also been done in
! New York in teaching to, immigrant
mothers American systems Of home
economy, with special attention Of proper
food. The working basis Of all the
| teaching Is the actual income of the
family. and mothers are taught how to
provide best for themselves and family
in the new country to which they have
come.
/ The recent reporting Of fatal case of
bubonic plagne in; California and the re-
| $3.50. sultinK scare have pointed
To Fight out to health authorities
Rat Pest the Importance of rat
As"t Aee' proof1ng cities-that is,
| shutting out the pest which has carried
| the plague around the world, or rather
which has carried the fleas which have
J carried the disease around the world.
Public health officers say that there is
less to justify the existence of the rat
| than any other pest which endangers the
| health and happiness of man. not even
excepting the typhoid fly and the mos
quito.
| Besides being a menace to health. rats
cause the people a greater economic loss
| than any other pest The board bill Tor
the rats of the country Is enormous
Foreign countries, including Great Brit
ain, Denmark and France, have made In
vestigations and have found that single
rat eats food products each year which
are valued at from 81 to SlSo. 1t is
| thought that the losses in this country
exceed even those in Great Britain, where
! the rat causes more damage than In any
other European country which has MADE
| an investigations 4 conservative estimate
| of the rat population of the United states
| Is that it is several times the human
| population In some sections it is much
greater than the human population with
nearly 1OO,OOOOO0 people in the United
| States and rat population only equal
J to the human population, 1t is easily seen
| that the rats in this country. eating more
than $1.SO worth of food each in year.
| cause an annual loss of more than $50
| 100000.
! The governments studies of the place
Of rats in spreading bubonic plague, one
/ of the most dangerous Of all diseases
| has led the authorities in many cites
| to urge ratproofing of all buildings
4 This work has gone on rapidly In many
port cities especially in San Francisco
! following the rebuilding Of the California
/ city after the fire of 1905. The people
on the Pacific coast are trying to make
| 1t impossible for the rat to live, and the
| cement and other types of buildings OF
fireproof construction will not only save
the cities the worry of having disease
| carriers constantly in and around the
habitation of man, but the new ratproot
! buildings will result in the saving OF
many thousands of dollars lost In the
| food which the rats have eaten each
year
The ratproofing Of buildings to prevent
| the existence of the rodents carving
plague infested fieas has had the erect
of improving health conditions or every
kind. because ratproof building usually
carries many other features of modern
| sanitation Rats are found most around
] stores. commission houses and in other
/ buildings where foodstuffs are kept in
storage In San Francisco and other
port cities where ratprOofing has gone
i on rapidly buildings of this kind nave
| been the first to be freed of rodents
In countless cases. however. residences
are being ratproofed, a movement which
! makes for a better and more sanitary
/ type OF construction. The government
/ health experts who have studied the
| rat problem have not only urged the
ings but through the public health serv-
ice advice Is freely given on the best
methods of discriminating the rodents.
| In cities trapping is usually suggested