The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1916-04-24
ALIENS ARE
INSTRUCTED
in SCHOOLS
Total Of $50 Cities and Towns Cooperate
with Bureau of Naturalization in
Training Foreign Born for
Citizenship

By United Press.
Washington, D. c., April 24.-In ap-
proximately $50 cities and towns To-
Gated in As states of the Union the
public school authorities, in co-opera-
tion with the Bureau Of Naturalization
Of the U. S. Department of Labor,
have established evening schools for
the instruction OF their foreign-born
population. Several municipalities,
with keen realization of the educa-
ton deficiencies of the aliens, and ap-
preciating the advantages to be deriv-
ed through their knowledge Of Eng
fish, haye extended the period of in
struction to the end of the present
scholastic year. In other cities the
school authorities have signified their
intention of maintaining the public
schools as long as there is any evil
dence of need on the part Of the adult
alien population.
Unfortunately, according to reports
received by the Bureau of Naturaliza-
ton, the public school authorities of
large majority Of the cities and
towns, which have engaged in this
stupendous campaign for citizenship
preparedness, have discontinued. or
are about to discontinue, their classes
for alien instruction. Various causes
are assigned, but the main difficulty
appears to be lack of funds for the
compensation of teachers. In order to
combat this condition, patriotic public
school teachers and representatives of
the principal organizations in many
places have volunteered their services
to continue this splendid work until /
such time as proper appreciations may
be made for the purpose.
In all of the cities and towns now
cooperating with the Bureau of Nat
uralization in this great educational
movement the intention is to reopen
the night schools at the beginning of
the fall term. Advices have been re-
ceived from various other smaller
places, where, for one reason or an
other, they have as yet been unable to
join in this undertaking, that the pub
lie school authorities have determined
to pen night schools for alien instruc-
tion at the beginning of the next scho-
lastic year. There is also contemplate
ed in various cities plan whereby
the summer classes, which have hith-
erto run from July 1st to August 31st,
may open their doors on May 1st, and
extend the period of instruction to
September Both.
Great results have already been ac-
complished, and greater are expected.
The Bureau OF Naturalization since
the first of last October has sent the
names of more than 10000 candidates
for citizenship and their wives to the
public school authorities of the coun-
try. 1t has also sent personal letters
TO all of these to induce them to enter
the public schools. 1t has prepared
an outline course in citizenship, thous-
ands of copies of which have been dis
tributed to the public school teachers.
It has also prepared a Syllabus of the
Naturalization Law, which it has sent
out with copies of preliminary natur-
alization forms to aid teachers in the
instruction of candidates for citizen
ship.
The cooperation Of the public
schools with the national government
has come to stay. and the Bureau of
Naturalization believes that this
movement will go far toward solving
the problem of the loyalty of every
sixth resident of the country, there be-
ing nearly 100000 foreign-born resi-
dents in the United States, of whom
approximately 1000, 900 are citizens.