New Britain herald., 1916-12-02

l giving Day without skating was rare occasion. Many local people can re- call one particular Thanksgiving a little more than twenty five years ago when the day before was mild, yet the night grew so cold that by the following day there was ice on the ponds of sufficient thickness to permit skating The old Lock Shop pond was a Mecca for skaters in those days and the ice there was in waves as it had frozen the previous night.
 This Thanksgiving was the first In three years that football elevens rep resenting the New Britain High school alumni and the Hartford High school alumni have not played their annual game. The first two contests were staged at Trinity field, Hartford, and were ties. Last year Hartford won at Electric field. At the time it was thought that these alumni games would be permanent events each year, but it is now extremely unlikely that they will be revived, due, 1t Is said by many graduates, to the apparent opposition of the school department management to any of the alumni talk ing an active part in any school affairs. Last fall the New Britain team played a ringer" Percy Wen dell, once a famous Harvard fullback. All fair minded members of the alumni of both schools deplored this act and as a result the New Britain High school alumni athletic associa- tion was formally organized with Senator George w. K1ett as president This board was to supervise all alumni athletic activities and plans were In mind for other annual contests, the proceeds from which would go to a fund which would be used for the pur- chase of plot of ground to be pre- sented to the High school as an ath- letic field. Last spring, however Principal Slade of the High school, supposedly acting on instructions from the superintendent of schools, refused to accept Dr. Frank Zwick as football coach after he had been hired by the athletic council, composed of faculty, alumni and High school members. The result of the contro- versy was that the council declined to recognize the arbitrary methods of the principal and superintendent and they in turn were summarily busted The inference was that alumni assist ance was not wanted. It has not been given.
 Thanksgiving at the Town farm is a strangely pathetic affair. The r ~ l. agement of the institution provides the inmates with an excellent dinner, and yet to the eighty inmates who may be of sound mind and yet, through force of circumstances may be compelled to accept the citys charity, it must be day for anything but thanksgiving. Certain it is that every inmate at the institution at some previous year had a home of his own where, on Thanks giving day he gathered around the dinner table with his loved ones. Yet today how different it is. He is an outast, a Dnuper. In some cases this has been brought about by the in dividuaFs own indiscretions and In others it has been brought about by force of cimcum stances over which they may have had no control. But the fact remains that they are mostly alone in the world and homeless, friendlcss. When, on Thanksgiving Day, they accept the charity of their more fortunate brothers is there not a pang of regret as they look back over the dead past and think what used to be and what might have been?
 The request of the Swedish -Ameri- can Republican club that the city court be given power to naturalize aliens is matter that should be given the most careful consideration before any opinion Is to be established. At a casual glance 1t would appear to be a natural and reasonable request, and possibly it is. The alien must now appear before the court in Hartford and bring his witnesses. This means the loss of his days pay and the ex- penses of his companions To have the local court given the power to nat1lra lize aliens would be cheaper for the citzen-to- be. But here enters an- other element. American citizenship is a most priceless and sacred thing, not a thing to be measured in terms of gold. It Is not a matter of his convenience and if an alien Is not sufficiently interested in becoming an American citizen to sacrifice his time and some little money, if he does not think the benefits are worth 1t, then let him remain an alien. Amerl- canism stands for something higher and Am ericans want no such men in their ranks. But aside from these more personal opinions on the matter there enters legal question of whether or not the oity court can be given power to naturalize aliens with out a special act of Congress. Only courts of general jurisdiction have powers Cf naturalization, according to the United States act, and good legal opinion tr this city indicates that no superior court could give the city court the powers asked It is ex- tremely unlikely that the request of the Swedish Americans, made in the best of faith, will be granted.
 Generally the New Britain fire de-