New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1916-03-01
CITIZENSHIP STUDY
BY R0RBlGN-B0RN
BUREAU OF NATURALIZATION
URGES FORMATION OF NIGHT
SCHOOL,.
CLERK OF COURT AND SUPER.
INTENDENT TO ARRANGE
STUDY PLAN.

Better knowledge of how the United
States government is conducted and the
principles upon which it is founded is the
object of a class about to be formed in
conjunction with the night school now
being conducted at the High School.
While the movement is promoted by the
government itself, the local work will
fall to a certain extent upon the shoulders
OF the clerk of the district court, as it
is at this office that the applications for
citizenship are filed and the final papers
issued. 1t is expected of the clerk of
court that he organize the class from
those foreigners who have expressed a
desire to become citizens and others who
desire to increase their knowledge along
the same lines. But the instruction will
not be entirely upon the subject of citi-
zenship and government, but also lessons
in English for those who can neither read,
write nor speak the language of their
adopted country.
w. V. Kasper of the government
naturalization bureau was in the city
several days last week and called upon
Mr.. Manderfeld, the clerk of the district
court, for the purpose of getting the
classes started. He made inquiries as to
the number of foreign-born people in the
city, who are not yet citizens just
because they are unable to either read or
write English. He found considerable
number and believes that the Inaugural
ton of the night school will have a
tendency to bring these people to a
realization of their rights and lead them
to become in time full fedged citizens.
He talked with a number of them, in
some instances with the aid of an inter-
prefer and he found them willing to go to
school if that were requirement to be-
come citizens and voters.
Clerk of Court Manderfeld states that
he is in perfect accord with the scheme
advanced by the naturalization bureau,
but he believes that not alone foreign
born people should become interested in
the class, but many of the American-born
citizens as we'll, as many of the latter are
totally ignorant of the workings of the
government machinery. He cited in
stances of young fellows OF thirty years
of age who admit that they do not know
what the Constitution of the United
States consists of or why there is such a
thing.
Mr.. Manderfeld also wants the women
instructed in the workings of the govern
ment. Clerks of courts are now required
to report whether newly admitted
citizen is single or married. In the latter
case the wife of the new citizen receives
pamphlet from the government which
sets forth her rights as the wife of a
citizen in addition to the rights of her
husband.
81 would like to see the classes attended
by the women as we'll as by the men,"
said Mr.. Manderfeld, "because it is the
wife in nearly all cases upon whom rests
the burden of raising the younger genera
ton to become useful citizens. It is
therefore just as important for the wife
to know something about the government
she lives under as it is for the husband.
Also woman suffrage is bound to come
sooner or later and women might Just as
well prepare themselves to be able to
exercise their rights while they have the
opportunity"
It is the intention of the government
to have these classes free of charge, but
as charge is made for the present night
school, this arrangement may not be
possible unless some public body like the
Commercial Club takes care of the ad-
ditional expense. Mr.. Manderfeld and
Supt. Hess of the public schools were in
conference this week working out plan
and the class probably will be started
early this month. Present intentions
are that the citizenship class be main
tanned as long as night sessions are held
at the High School, but this is an ar
rangement which will depend entirely
upon the size of the class and the regula-
ritu IF attendance