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

" HE WAR has just proved that the foreigner threat to America To obtain this knowledge it is sufficient o read the casualty ss and the decorations gwen and the citations made for vaor.
 There nothing surprising in the circumstance that the foreign cooperated with e rest of America and that frequently foreign born groups furnished proporuonaey greater numbers of volunteers. The cultures of modern very similar and differ much less with respect to moral codes and national customs than might be supposed.
 The European who comes to America frequently has mill tary training usually religious and certain in his at tendance church than the native born He usually read and write his tongue and very has this advan tage the native born that he knows some English and one, two or three other languages besides
 The danger of Amercanzation movement lies in their tendency to be too paronzng in their dealings with foreign clements and in their failure to understand the rather pee which the foreign groups have for instruction recreation and worship.
 Education is good for all Night schools are excellent things nteracy and inability to speak English not the thing who does not speak English may be wise and accomplished and who does speak English be ignor ant and incompetent.
 As broad proposition inability speak English mat ter that itself English is taught in shop school and It is to the who intends to live here economic necessity enough English for practical purposes is tered by all the hopelessy stupid, and the old
 The foreigner has in his church, his parochal school in the insurance and fraerna societies that he maintains chansms for his educaon for which he pays from his pocket which are far more costly than mere OO expend ed annually in public night schools
 Not that there is any objection to appropriation for night schools The project excellent It will do good but the good that it will dO will be but drop in the bucket compared with the things the foreigner doing for himself
 Ieracy in the United States is not the of the eigner but the of the native born The most of that exists is not blot against the record of the immigrant but against the American people themselves
 The greatest block of terates in the United States the black men, brought to America against their will, and abused and mareaed by Americans since They cons ute than 40 per cent of the total eracy The Amer canzaon movement ought also 10 include the Americans who responsible for that iiteracy.
 Of the remaining illiteraes-hose who cannot write about twohrd native born consequence of defective educational systems and not of immigration
 If should at this moment be taken the propor- ton of foreign born unable speak English would probably be smaller than previous tme immigration having for four years
 The connection is this That at the three four years after he arrives the foreigner usually passed the English speaking class The number who do speak English is probably not more at time than the total immigration for three year period that the count always represents for the most part THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY ARRIVED. They will learn English.
 Most of the immigration arriving from Europe in these days is of peoples who live in neghborhoods where many tongues spoken They speaking and writing
 le than language and learn English with
 Bridgeport is familiar with foreign visitors engaged in propaganda who made very good speeches in English with study of the language than obtained in six weeks In general the immigrant learns languages with greater than those long native to the United States
 Since New England is community in which persons recently Europe and their immediate descendants the dominant group New England must be viewed from that angle else there will be failure to understand how completely in the whole immigrant has made himself partof ca in and peace.
 From the foreign born immigrant there fear for the future He is religious thrifty public spirited valorous and filled with the desire to be worthy of America In cases the foreigner like the original New Engande1 than the very descendants of the forefahers like he progenitors,
 The forefathers distinguished by their industry thrift their almost fanatca devotion to religion Those who believe that the foreigners different have but to the buildings in which they 9shp in Bridgeport any day morning. NJ a LEAGUE FOR ALL