The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-12-31

in Bridgeport at that time, of whom 4,235 were illiterate. The director of the Connecticut Americanization Department writes that these mum bers are greater today than in 1910. MT. Lasell in charge of night schools in Bridgeport gives us for the week ending December 18, 1918, the total English speaking residents of Bridgeport registered in our night schools, 5S0, with a total average at tendance of 294. This attendance represents today probably about 8 per cent. of the non-English speak ing residents of Bridgeport.
 Economically the presence of such speaking people in our industries is a serious handicap to efficient and economical production. Director Wheaton writes as follows:
 Not an Asset.
 "The non-English speaking man in iaddstry Is a liability and not par ticularly an asset except for his la Dor. Such an employe cannot read safety signs and warnings he can not understand orders and instruc- tions regarding work, machinery and material If given in English; he can not read printed rules and regula- tions of the plant; he cannot talk with American-born employees and cannot be directly trained except by interpreter-forefnen who are fre- quently unreliable. He causes ac- cidents, increased labor turnover, decreased ef1cie1cy, waste of time in explanation and a reduction of output and production; he is suscep- tible to misunders landings, and makes cooperation between employ CT and employe less effective and cor dial"
 Tn other words, such an employe Is not merely an inconvenience, but he increases cost in supervision, in compensation, breakage of machin- cry, and material and in loss of time"
 The social problem is far more serious than the economical one IL involves "our National unity, the pre- servaton of uniform ideal of citi- zenship, the maintenance of industrial peace, and the conservation of a so- cial ideaT' based on the use of the \ English language, regard for 7 American citizenship and American .-4 --',a-, ,.,,-,.,, l,ards of living. The program s-sa Iericanization calls for more th,a tt4He use of the English Ian- guage and a knowledge of civics. But the knowledge of the English Ian guage has been truly said to be "the indispensable key admitting the non English speaking to communion and fellowship with American principles, American customs and American laws. We have never had in Con- necticut, nor in Bridgeport adequate machinery for teaching the non English part of our community. We have never provided a sufficient number of schools, nor a sufficient number of teachers, in our sections where thl non-English speaking re- side to provide them with an edu- cation, if they desired it. We have never secured or trained teachers es- .pecially for the task of teaching the non-English speaking people Work of this kind requires unusual quail ties and the successful teacher of the day school may fail in the night school classes cf the non-EngIish speaking We will need more teach CTS and as a whole, better trained teachers. At present the principa, of one of our large day schools is conducting our night school He has done, and is doing good work. But no principal of a large day school could supervise our night schools as an adjunct of his daily work and dc himself or the night school work full justice. There should be a super. visor of night schools who should give all of his time to this work.
 Schools for Women.
 And in addition schools might prof. itably be provided for three or four afternoons a week for adult womer of the non-Eng1isA speaking class and perhaps teachers for factorl classes. This supervisor could read fly supervise this work in conjunction with his night school work.
 Schools opened for this work fl Bridgeport for every section whert the foreign born reside would includt all the public schools of Bridgepor with three exceptions, the assistan superintendent of schools advises us Some little work will have to b. done in order to render all of thes schools available as for example wiring for lights.
 Our night schools have done excel lent work. The Board of Education have done all they could be expecte, to do with the appropriation provid ed. Last year 1t was $6,00O, whiI about S7,O00 was expended. An in that same year Hartford appro priated s22,00O. It will be concede that their problem Is not nearly S large a one as ours.
 $25, 900 Needed.
 Mir. Morrison, the assistant secretar of our State Board of Education, ad Yises us that in order to properl carry out this work the Board c Education should have an appro priation of s25,OO for the genera conduct of our night schools, and tn education of our non-English speak ing peoples.
 MT. Wheaton confirms this in strong letter.
 Superintendent Slawson and Assis tant Superintendent Cortright concu in this estimate. All agree that supervisor of night schools is an 1T sdispensable feature of any prope attempt to have our non-Englis speaking residents in attendance upo our night schools
 Our own investigation and consit eration of this subject leads US to tf same conclusion.
 Let us do our part towards maj ing ours a united nation havir common ideals and common lal