The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-10-07
The Door of Opportunity.

The door of opportunity is being
opened to a lot of people in Kenosha
this evening with the opening Of the
night schools under the direction of the
board of education.
New occasions have taught new du-
ties and there is no phase of public
stewardship in which the advance has
been more noted than in the field of the
public education. Years ago it would
have sbeen written "the education of
the child" The new occasions have
brought wider field and now it is the
education Of the child, the man and the
woman. The days Of school life have
been extended from six to sixteen to
four to sixty. It's far cry from the
three "Rs' Of the fathers and the
grandfathers to the new complex sys-
tenn of education of today. In the days
Of the fathers the rich and the poor
lived together. They worked out the
problem Of their common destiny with
out any feeling that there was a diff
ference between the cottage and the
mansion. The children played together
they went to school together and every
one reioiced when "Little Nellie' the
poor workman s daughter was the vale
dictorian Of her class. Then came the
foreigner and with the coming of this
new and valuable class Of citizens the
problem took great change. "Neigh-
L.
of that conferred interesting home and
school there came the "problem of the
foreigner" He was not ready to mix
and his children seemed to know in
tuitively that there was something lack
ing. In a short time the problem of
mixing the foreign children and the
native born was solved and then came
the even greater problem of the foreign
problem is the night school and it is
a real answer.
The night school is branching out.
There must be provision for the man
who tills the soil, the man who
works at the bench, and the man
who sees in this opportunity chance
to grasp other opportunities for higher
education. He must learn English first
and then he must learn citizenship
and it's rights and duties. Then he
wants more. The foreigners in the night
school are most receptive. They want
all the education that we can give them.
True, the fact that man may know
how to do problem in algebra may
not make him any better as a worker at
two dollars a day, but the things that
come with the solution of the problem
in algebra may make him better suited
to take a job that pays a lot more than
two dollars day There is nothing
Vested in education where education
"takes." OF course it is a little like
vaccination. The subject must assim-
ilate little of the virus but constant
association with this virus Of education
is certain to bring results.
The city of Kenosha has wisely pro-
vided for the education of it's foreign
born. 1t places no age limit, no color
limit on the admission cards. 1t asks
that no man renounce his allegiance to
his native land. 1t offers it all so near
ly free that even the poorest workman
may accept it without stinting himself
or his family. The city throws open
wide this door of opportunity and it is
to be hoped that the foreign born citi-
zens of the city will forget the handi-
cap of age, the handicap of not knowing
the language and accept this opportun
ity to prepare themselves for better
citizenship and for more useful and
more interesting living.