Norwich bulletin., 1918-09-21
EVENING SCHOOL WILL
 OPEN NEXT MONDAY

On next Monday evening, Sept. 23, the town school board is open the eve ming schools at the Broadway school house and at the school at Taftville On the following Monday an evening school at the Greeneville schoolhouse is to be opened. the first time that there has been an evening school in Greeneville. The school budget for next year contains $500 more for night schools than last year.
 It has been specially desired this year by the state board of education and the state council of defense that the towns should give particular at tention to the establishment of eve ming schools this year as an Ameri- canizing agency for the foreign born illiterates.
 Miss Helena Coughlin will be in charge at the Broadway schoolhouse, Miss Ida Desmarais and Miss Gle mentina Graham at Taftville The teacher for the Greeneville school is yet to be selected. This school will be for beginners. those who are unable 1 to read or write English. i Superintendent E. j. Graham and the school board are desirous that all manufacturers and those employing aliens unable to read or write should ] bring notice of the night school open 1 ing to their employees so that those who need what the night school can l do for them may attend.
 l Norwich, according to the 1910 cen sus. has a larger percentage of foreign l born population than Bridgeport, Hartford. Waterbury, Meriden or Stamford. Thousands in this country are unable to read or write. it was l shown by the first draft registration | and thousands of the men did not know enough English to understand the commands of. their officers. In the annual report Which he has prepared School Superintendent Ora ham has made the following reference to evening schools:
 During the spring an additional evening school class for beginners was opened in the Taftville school. There was total enrolment of AS with ar
 average attendance of 27.. Thirty e1ght of these pupils could neither read nol
 write English. At the close or tht school-tWenty five nights-all of the
 pupils were able to read easy story
 books
 The school in Broadway was car
 ried on as usual. The total enroll nlent was smaller than that of preVi
 ous. years, due, no doubt. to the in
 crease of night work in the shops an(
 factories and the smaller number O
 immigrants.
 A strong effort should be put fortl
 to get all the young men and womeI
 of the town to attend the night schoo
 during the coming year. Every youns
 man and woman in America shoul' learn The English language. It is tn duty of America to Americanize al , of the people in America who are no
 citizens.
 The school committee is planning t open an additional school in Greene vile the coming year in order to giv f 1 those living in that part Of the tow ; an opportunity to more easily take u the work of a night school. ? The following by the Secretary 0 f the Interior Lane is of interest:
 T believe that the time has com 7 when we should rive serious consid
 eration to the education of those wh
 cannot read or write in the Unite
 States. The war has brought fact
 | to our attention that are almost un
 behevable and that are in themselye
 accusatory. There are in the Unite a States Cor were when the census wa > taken in 1910), 5,516.163 persons ove = ten years of age who were unable = read or write in any language.
 Until last April the regular arm S WOu1Q not enlLSt lIIllGIdlSSs NSL III u t first draft between 30.000 and 40,0( a ilIiterates were brought into the al {, my, and approximately as many nes IL illiterates.
 y There are 100000 men who cam, $ read or write who may be draftt IS within our army within the next yei e or two. Training camps for soldie
 are not equipped for school work. ar
 the burden of teaching men to res n the simplest English should not h cast upon the officers or others if the camps. We should give some edl .- cation to all our men before they el , ter the army"
 'd Connecticut has as large a percen ~ age of foreign born people as ar .o state in the Union. It is highly in ,e portant thot we should do all that ,,S possible to Americanize those in o' [ town who are unable to read and wri If the English language.