The Blackfoot optimist., 1915-06-24
NEW mAN0r0 N CEIE0EA-
TON OF FOURTH OF JULY

TON OF FOO8xH OF JULY
New York. June 19.-Advices from
almost every quarter of the country in
dieate that widespread enthusiasm
has been aroused among civic leaders
over the plan to make the Fourth of
July this year an "Amerieanization
Day." Mayors committees in more
than 80 cities, large and small, have
been appointed and have agreed to
carry out in part at least the ideas of
the National Americaniaation Dav
committee, whose headquarters are in
this city.
The idea, as already set forth in post
ers and i'll instructive literature dis
tributed in mills and factories, schools
and colleges and civic and commercial
organizations, is. roughly, to round up
great proportion of the fifteen million
foreign-born residents of America on
Independence Day exercises of the
day, to imbue newly naturalized citi
zens and aliens with the full sense OF
what America means to them.
Means Much to Nation
In its preliminary work, the Amer
icanization day committee believes it
has already stirred civic leaders, edu
cational authorities and employers,
particularly, to new sense of what the
foreign born population means to
America. Letters from great mum
Der of prominent citizens have borne ex-
preston to the effect that the re-
sponsibility of the American towards
the alien should be more fully met.
The manner in which the American
ization Day program will be carried out
will vary somewhat in the different
cities, but large number Of them will
follow the suggestion Of tho general
committee ~ to holding . reception to
which the foreign. born, whether citi-
zens or not, win Ae invited to noet
their city officials and other prominent
citizens. Arrangements are being made
in . number Of cities for tho use Of
auditoriums with large platforms, on
which the most recently added citizens
win have special seats Of honor. A
special feature of tho occasion will be
the recitation in unison Of ths cath Of
the allegiance to the United States, ~
the American flag is unfurled. Pa9.
eaats aad patriotic motion pictures will
be part Of the program in some cities.
Things 70 b EnpAaaissA.
The United States commissioner Of
B. P. Claxton, who has IT,
sued IN official circular indersing the
says that among the things
which the speakers on Americanization
Day should emphasize arc: "That ev-
cry foreign speaking person in America
should learn English by attending the
public schools, because the English
language is the master key to Amer
lean opportunities and life, and the first
step to real citizenship; that every il
|iterate immigrant should learn to read
and write so that he can read Ameri-
can newspapers and attend personally
to his business matters; and that
adults and children, native and foreign
born be given civic training in both
evening and day schools, 80 that every
one in our country will understand the
ciples of Democracy and for what
America stands.''
During the Flag Day exercises on
June IA, the schools of the country
largely furthered the movement for
Americanization Day and the commit
tee believes that the outpouring on July
4, will be so inspiring that the idea
which is given nation wide considera-
tion this year for the first time, will
be carried to still further success with
each succeeding year.
In addition to the organized celebra-
tions in the cities, neighborhood meet
ings of the foreign born are planned for
the smaller communities, at which
employers or neighbors will
be hosts.
The organization of the National
Day committee in
cludes more than 50 prominent men
and women in every walk of live.
Among them are: Nicholas Murray
Butler, Thomas A. Edison, James Car
linal Gibbons, John Grier Hibben,
George Won l.. Meyer, Jacob H. Schiff.
Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt and General
Leonard Wood The chairman is
Frank Trumbull and the treasurer,
William Fellowes Morgan of New
York.