New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-12-17
UkRAINIANS EAGER
FOR EDUCATION
Many in America Have Commun-
ity CenterS and Cooperative Clubs

Washington, Dec. 1.-THE Ukrain-
fans in this country are voracious
readers. In their homeland Galicia,
the peasants are 50 poor that they
cannot buy books, papers or maya
zines. Large numbers of them are
illiterate. Their foremost desire upon
reaching America has been to edu-
cate themselves. Some idea of their
zeal for self-improvement can be
gathered from the statistics recently
obtained by the Ukrainian federation
regarding their consumption of print
paper. Only eight newspapers are
published for the 200,O Ukrainians
in the United States, and yet they con-
sumo more print paper than all of the
newspapers published for their 1000
600 brothers living in Galicia.
The first Ukrainian immigration to
America began about so years ago.
The immigrants who came then were
from the Carpathian Mountains in
western Galfcia. Their home condi-
tons had been forlorn. They were
farm laborers and owned practically
no land themselves More than half
of the arabic land in Galicia belongs
to landlords, many of whom are for
etgn noblemen The peasants work
for a pittance and have practically no
chance of Buying any land for their
own occupation. In fact, their status
has not been very far above serfdom
Hungary Restricted Emigration.
In the past ten years, the Ukrain-
ian immigration to the New World
has assumed large proportions It
worried the Frung'arian authorities so
much that, in 1912. emigration from
Gallcda to the United States was for
hidden. Nevertheless, it kept on. for
the peasants went over into Germany
and took ship from Hamburg or
Bremen. Usually the men came alone
and left the women in the old country
until they could make some suitable
provision for them in the new home
News about America and its oppor-
tunittes became widespread in Cali
cha and many of the peasants under
took to learn the English language
An amusing fact came to light dur
ing one Of the last Hungarian cleo
toral campaigns. Count Apponyi, in
the course Of a speaking tour, was
scheduled to address the townspeople
in one Of the villages in the Carpa-
thians. But when he reached the
town he was irritated to find that very
few of the people could speak or un-
derstand Hungarian. After inquiry
from some of his party leaders in the
district he found that most of them
could speak or understand English
very well. SO he made the best of a
bad business and delivered his poll
teal speech to the crowd in English
instead Of his native tongue.
Engage i'm Many Businesses.
The first Ukrainians to arrive in
America took up their homes in the
mining districts of PENNSYLVANIA. They
were not only uneducated, but they
had never had q chance to learn any
skilled trade. Naturally, the un
skilled occupations offered them their
only means of livelihood. They be-
came day laborers, miners and factory
hands In the bigger cities they found
g. variety Of odd jobs to do There is
one business in which the Ukrainians
are almost as densely represented as
the Greeks are in the confectionery
trade-windoww washing. The Win
doW-Washers' union in New York is
made up almost entirely of Ukrain-
ians. In Boston many of them work
in restaurants. In Detroit they have
become skilled mechanics.
distinctive feature of Ukrainian
life in the various settlements is the
''Narodny Dim or Peoples House"
This unique institution is a real COM
munity center; club, cooperative
society, school and forum combined.
The Oldest and most prosperous "Peo-
pies House was established in Mon
essen, Pa, foundry town, about six
years ago. There are now II of these
centers located in different cities.
description OF one in Newark, n. J..
gives an adequate idea of all of them.
for they are much alike
A Ukrainian Community Center.
In Newark the Ukrainians bought
two small houses, formerly dwelling
houses, in the heart of the foreign
district. at Beacon street and Spring
field avenue. In these they installed
a grocery, a butcher shop and res
taurant. Over the door they hung a
sign which read. "The Ukrainian
Workers cooperative Society,"" On
an upper floor they took out partitions
and made a large hall. where they
hold meetings three or four times a
week. Some of their gatherings are
for business purposes, some are poll
teal. and some are literary. AS often
as possible. once or twice week. thew
have lectures. It is hard to find
enough lecturers to supply the de-
mand. They want lectures on every
sort of sHbject-astron on1v, history
and politics. Often they
have concerts and choral singing. The
Newark group intends to buy third
house, adjoining the other two. and
enlarge its meeting hall to accommo-
date the increasing crowds.
One Of the best assure noes that the
Ukrainians in this country have come |
10 stay. instead Of being mere birds