New-York tribune., 1917-06-23
Practical Americanization

Until the beginning OF the war Ihe P'0
ple of these United States had gone cheer
fully along on the assumption that lmml-
grants were being "assmilated" and all
was well. Regulation references to this
country as "the great melting pot were
taken at their face value, and the alloy
resulting from the melting process was
usually regarded as 100 per cent Ameri-
canism.
Now there is much less complacency
abroad in the land about the thoroughness
of the process operating on the hlt-or-mlss
basis. Enemy plots participated in by
longtime residents of the United States,
some of them citizens, some even born mere;
reasonable utterances published in for
eign-language newspapers, "pacifist' SEN
timent tending to hamstring government
action stirred up by unassimilated aliens,
have rather effectually indicated the need
for more attention TO the details of the
melting process.
Youngstown, Ohio, a community with a
large foreign-born population, has gone
about the work of making Americans
ont of aliens in systematic and
highly intelligent fashion. In March
the Chamber of Commerce appointed
director of this Americanization
campaign. A committee raised Sl,500 for
night schools for adults in the public school
buildings, and the community was comDed
for non-English speakers, male and female.
Employers listed their workers who ought
TO attend: the churches got after their
members; womens organizations took up
the work among the foreign women, even
arranging to care for their babies while
the mothers were attending the night
classes. Special training classes for teach
ers were organized to enable them to at
tend to this work with the greatest effi-
cheney. The employers were kept informed
of the educational progress of their en-
poyes.
The Chamber of Commerce opened
legal aid bureau to give advice and IN
struction about the taking out Of naturail-
zation papers. 1t also uses its resources
to straighten out misunderstanding and
ouarres without litigation and to prevent
the exploitation of the foreign-born. On
the theory that the man with home OF his
own is bound to be better citizen than
the man without some stake in the com
munity. "Buy a Home" campaign was
started The Mayor, to allay unrest, is
sued a proclamation that no property OF
an alien would be confscated, and owners
of industrial plants announced that no
person would be discharged from employ
ment because of nationality.
Fraternal organizations, churches, So
cial organizations and associations of the
foreign-born have cooperated in this gen.
eral campaign. Widespread publicity has
been of great value--everything, from
weekly bulletin to meetings and parades,
was tried. Shop meetings have stimulated
attention to welfare work in industrial
plants; Safety First work has doomed;
employers have given vacant land for cul-
tivation to reduce the cost of living.
The alien who couldn't be assimilated-
who wouldn't make the utmost effort to
become a good and true American under
such onditions-deserves nothing better
than deportation. 1t is safe prediction
that the percentage Of unassimilated dis
coverable in Youngstown after these meth
DDS of stirring the fire under the melting
not have been in use a while longer Will
be negligible. This blastfurnace melting
method deserves trial elsewhere. Wonder
full opportunities are in this land for the
immigrant, and the fact that he is here
shows that he knows it. But he needs
helping hand in his Americanization-
sometimes he even needs push or two.
Most of all he needs to be made to realize
that the community expects and intends
him to become American. And that part
of the transaction is up to the community.