Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-05-31
MAKING AMERICANS The Plainly Frederic j. kin

tion program everywhere is to teach 4 sh to the
immigrant. A knowledge OF English the open
sesame 10 social and business OppoTty, and a
peruuisite to an understanding of Anian ideals
ana purposes. But the process cannotk with the
teaching of English, and cannot alwafgin with
il The immigrant must first be indudo come to
the class Furthermore, owing esp9ly to the
fact that an active anti-American Uganda is
being carried on by our enemies III country.
prO-American course of teaching Is las neceS-
sary as the teaching of English irselfl
For all of these purposes, the i'm fant must
be reached where he lives; the mattannot be
left wholly to the schools, ana to cdllsoTy at
tendance laws The cooperation of industries
is therefore, vitality necessary. These each be-
ing urged by the bureau of edUcationhppOint
special official whose duty it shall be induce the
immigrant workmen to attend nightPol, learn
English and get vocational training. y are also
to insert in pay envelopes notices print foreign
languages describing evening school pities and
the advantages Of learning English; fg1ster all
neutrality-suspicious. employees, and 7id plant
meetings" where school teachers, Eials and
others can address the employees on tubJect OF
Americanization. This program is tdy being
carried out with great success in m large in
dustrial plants.
The immigrant woman is needy much
harder to reach than the immigrant ! and this
makes the cooperation OF wOmen's and or
ganizations of all kinds especially Tble. The
foreign home is much more excfus than the
American home, and, therefore, .tlmmigrant
woman who does not work outside OF house is
especially hard to reach OFTEN, Whilf husband
learns En- Iish in an evening class orhe course
of his work she remains ignorant I'D in the
states which have given women tote, this
ignorant wife becomes a citizen by time judi
ciaI fiat as her husband, although 5nay have
none of the qualifications for citiZe1. Often
too. the children of immigrant famllfarn Eng
Iish and become thoroughly AmericanEhile one
or both of the parents remain ignoraInd it has
been found that this state of anair3ost inva-
riaby weakens home ties, and destrhe mater
nal authority which is necessary TO tiild's well
fare
Women's clubs in all parts of thehtry have
worked out various methods of reacthe immi-
grant woman in her home, and the + success
full of these methods now bein3nted and
distributed by the bureau of ed n The
Women's City club of Chicago, for hple, has
formed groups in cooperation wife Infant
Welfare society to teach foreign mds how to
feed and clothe their children property to pre-
vent the spread of contagious disd and the
legal status of women and children u our civic
code In Erie, Pa, Block Matro1aV been
appointed, whose duty it is to beco thoroughly
acquainted with the foreign women Inc block
and to urge them to learn English e offering
them all possible assistance in ma4of health
and domestic economy.
Methods similar to these have beIbrked out
by the bureau of education for aim very type
of social, business and religious Ation, but
space limitations make it impossibI describe
them all here. Organizations and nalals wish
ing to aid in the work of making And should
correspond with their state councils Itional de-
tense, direct with the bureau okcation in
Washington.