The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-11-02
EDUCATION OF
APPLICANTS FOR
NATURALIZATION

| Approximately one-Seventh of the
population of the United States is
foreign born, with very large pro-
portion ignorant of American ideals
and institutions, and, to that extent,
loyal to the country of their birth.
Never in the history of the nation
has undivided support been so sore
| ly needed. A knowledge of Ameri
can Government and what it stands
for can only be gained by the aliens
through education, but, once under
stood, loyal allegiance to the coun-
try of their adoption inevitably fol-
lows. 1t means welding the hetero-
geneous masses into one patriotic
body.
With the beginning of the school
year, the door of opportunity is
again opened wide to the adult for
eign born. Last year, the public
school authorities of the United
States, working in close cooperation
with the Bureau of Naturalization
of the U. S. Department of Labor,
maintained night school classes for
alien instruction in approximately
l 700 cities, towns and rural COM
munities, located in every state in
the union. The opening of this years
classes is accompanied by every as
surance of increased attendance and
a material betterment of the results
already obtained through this stu
pendous educational campaign.
1t is the confident belief of the
Bureau of Naturalization that alien
instruction will gradually transform
this vast army of foreigners into
an army of Americans with COM
mon ideals, common hopes, COM
mon sentiments and unadulterated
loyalty.
With the American nation de-
Tending the cause of civilization and
humanity and taking her place on
the side of righteousness in this
worldwide conflict, military pre-
paredness, so vital to the country's
safety, cannot be possible without
citizenship preparedness. No one
should be permitted to remain in
ignorance of his duty and respon-
sibility as resident of the United
States and this, of course, applies
particularly to the foreign born. 1t
is certain that had alien instruction
been more universally extended in
the past, the question of divided al
legiance would not have assumed
such unpleasant prominence after
war was declared.
The present volume of naturaliza-
tion shows that over half a million
foreign born residents annually
bring themselves within the juris-
diction of the Bureau of Naturaliza-
tion. 1t is the plan of the Bu-
reau, through the cooperation of
the public schools with it's educa-
tional movement, to change that por-
tion of the alien body now in a
state of helpless dependence or mere
self -maintence to state of produc-
tive capacity.
The activities of the Bureau of |
Naturalization show how a routine
government agency has been trans
formed into great humanizing
force. This has been accomplished |
by linking together the Federal and
State courts, the Federal Govern
ment and the State public schools
for the purpose of extending educa-
tional aid to candidates for citi-
zenship. The work of this Bureau
now stands for more than naturaliza-
ton, as the term is generally un-
derstood. 1t represents American
ization in its truest sense. 1t cor
daily welcomes and brings into the
family foreign friends fully
qualified, through public school in
struction, for the coverted title of