Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-10-14
Here is Advice
For Foreigners
~ Frederic J. Haskin

-
Gently fell into company With sharper
who told him that according 10 the dfais
laws of America substitute coh,o
he hired for q fixed sum. The Greek,
thinking Of his dependent wife, ana
knowing that Greek law permitted
substitution sorared together the two
thousand dollars demanded by his ad-
wiser A few days later his draft summons
came, and he learned that he had been
deluded Grief at the loss of his saVineH'
anxiety about hs wife's future per
plexity and despair led him TO commit
suicide.
Such deceptions OF the ignorant
foreigner are shamefulIy common. nc
immigrant who places his trust IN some
| fifteen English words and the kindness
| of the American public is overehsrPed
| in stores doctors Offices, and lodgings
| If he is Young or has education he soon
| acquires an adequate nglisn vocabulary,
/ and after n few sad exp'rfence-5 lfafns'
Ia take care of himself The less adaptable
alien accepts the handicap of not knowing
| English as a part OF his burden whleh
| must somehow bc endured, anu con
| tinues to be gIllible mark for the sharp
| cr.
The methods of the sharper with the
| foreigner are, MS he himself would put
| it, "un the quiet . For this reason he ls
difficult to locate and still moro difhruit
To convict. n is easier for the govern
ment To apply preventive measures
| in its efforts 10 protect the more or less
| helpless element Of our population.
LIT UNCLE aAn KEEP.
The most effective way of helping
the foreigner IL tn substitute Tor me
| advice of the ubiquitous cxploltcr the
advice Of a still more ubiquitous govern
n,ent 10 do this information bureaus
| especially for foreigners have hecn opened
by the Labor Department IN twenty
or more eitief and still more ara IN process
III e tabllshmcnf Existence Of these
bureaus is announced extensively by
posters in English and foreign langrages
and IN The newspapers. especinily torelgn
| language publications. Word oi govern
rnent ald - further spread through night
schools. moving pictures shows, churchcs
naturalization courts all places Ife-
qnented hv the foreigner
Each government information bureau
| - established in connection with the
| local naturalization examiner snd located
usually in his office 1t offers to the alien
advice in anv difficulty IT explains
~ him passport regulations, the DRAFT
system. naturalization Law. the liberty
loan and helps him, whenever possible,
Ia secure his rights If ne has been victimlz-
ed in the past.
The information bureau and the natur-
aligatiun bureau work together. The
alien who applies for citizenship papers
is told to- come Ia the government repre-
sentative in case Of difficulty On the
other hand. the alien who seeks out the
information bureau finds himself IN the
office Of the naturalization examiner
where he il confronted with statements
in large PRINT explaining citizenship
requirements If he Is able 70 read any
of the signs hrs interest Is aroused and
Gften ono more alien declares hIs intention
If becoming . citizen Of the United
States IA there arc now ~, J0D. 900
foreigners in the United States, Of which
number l2, O00, 900 are not citizens,
these bureaus are important IN their
aid to citizenship alone.
rH,YR RE GRATEFUL.
Gratitude of aliens aided by the govern
ment through the burticaiI is expressed
with unrnistakeabIe gestures by those
whose limited English fails them. Many
offer pavrnent to their advisers and are
told that thev can better please the govrn-
meut bv investing the money offered II
war saving stamps and liberty bonds.
| This suggestion usually is followed. Re
| Gently, stolld Swede, who hitherto had
expressed interest in a war investment,
approached a liberty loan representative
with demand for him Ito fix the money
up for the United States government
quick
Others for whom the information bureau
becomes the main point Of contract viii
the government bring IN reports Of enem
alien activities MinglIng as they DO witt
f...ra mi ufh hqr
Seh-appointed secret service aides are ont
OF tho safeguards of the American people
against the spy system. More than on,
discovery Of espionage by government
secret service agents can be traced 70 ;
hint in broken English by an apparently
un mericanlzed foreigner.
OF AL requests received by the bureau
the most urgent are those for and IN ne
coming citizens. When told that they mus
, learn to read and speak English and know
something of that mystery. the govern
ment, becoming citizen looms up To-
many aS a task of almost lnSurmountabl'
difficulty. Here ag IN the bureau come,
! Ia their assistance with the address OF
night school for foreigners where bOti
text book, and tn tion are free. For som,
To whom night school proves too form
idable or too inconvenient there are ClaSse
in factories held at the noon hour or lat
In the afternoon.
IIiP III FCELIcN RoBLFP
The greatest problem of the govern
ment in its help the foreigner cam
paign is reaching the woman alien
Usually i; IS not necessary Tor her (,
learn English to become a citizen. II
She takes The citizenship oi her husband
Her children. who attcnd an American
school. soon speak English with fiuencl
if not accuracy. while her husband learn
English in his business dealings sfnd i
! acquainted with the government IN
/ fornation bureau as help in difficulty
! But in the home the language spokeI
: is The native tongue whieh the woman
) EN- understand, and hcr contact Wit
! the EngIish-speakng world is llmte,
! to the grocer and insurance coilecto
/ both of whom may be OF her own race
! With the foreign atmosphere retuine'
: IN the home Amerieanization OF IN
/ family Is impossible
/ Strange to say though the men ans
/ children of the family look upon thei
/ womenfolk rs unprcgresslve, yet tn
| the men object strenuously to education
| OF the stay-at-homes This attributed |
I TO the mems observations ol the Inert,
I of American women, which they ar