Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-10-22
THE FOREIGN BORN PEOPLE.
Partly Our own Fault Why Some Do
Not Become Better Americans
Than They Would, If We
Took More Interest

Waterloo Courier probably puts the
proposition of the foreign born who
come to our country in a different
light than most of us have looked at
1T. Isn't it partly our own fault be-
cause some of these foreign born do
not become better Americans than
they would if we took a little more
interest in them and helped them
learn our language and our ways?
The Courier says:
Daily there are being thrust before
our attention evidences of glaring
sins of omission as we'll as commits
sion on the part of the people o.
the American nation. One of the
most notable of these is our indif-
ference to foreigners who have ar
rived in large numbers on our shores
and who have scattered here and
there and made homes for them
selves. In the great majority of cases
the new conner has been permitted
~ 81 hio ONil way anu tame care VI
himself and work cut his own des-
tiny. We have not been at pains TO
even assist him and his family in
becoming conversant with the Eng
lish language.
Here is little incident illustrat-
ing to what extent this neglect has
been practiced Pietro Mondi was
born in Italy some forty-odd years
ago and came to America aDou. 1905
and went to work in an eastern
manufacturing town. Not long ago
| there was strike in one OF the mills
where Pietro was employed. The
strikers assumed a threatening atti-
tude, so policemen were stationed
around the plant. The Italian knew
nothing of this, so he reported as
usual on certain morning ready
for work. When he attempted to
enter the mill he was was stopped by
policeman who supposed him to be
striker bent on making trouble
Pietro talked rapidly in Italian,
which was his sole means of articu-
late communication; and the police
man replied with some vigor in Eng
lish, with the result that neither got
word and in the end Pietro was
arrested and lodged in Jail. The
next morning through an interpreter
the affair was cleared up. The police
man found that Pietro wanted to get
into the mill to go to work, and
Pietro learned that the policeman
thought he was a striker.
The Italian looked thoughtful,
made some inquiries of the inter
prefer and that night he was enroll
ed at language school. In few
days he had made sufficient prog
ress to be able to say: IF l know
English 1 not be arrested" That in
cident was not only an eyeopener to
Pietro, but likewise to the COM
munity in which he had worked SO
many years, and Immediately there
was started a movement having for
its object the Americanizing of those
of foreign birth who lived in the
city.
And the same conditions apply in
the mid west. The foreigner comes
among us and goes his own way ani
looks after himself. We do not con-
Germ ourselves with him, as long as
he behaves himself, and so far as
outside help is concerned he vii! no.
learn our language in fifty years.
This is all wrong. We have a duty
to perform toward those from othe:
lands who come among us to make
homes. The nation, the state, the
county and the town should provide
means whereby the newcomer be-
comes acquainted with our language,
our system of government and our
ways, as soon as possible If this had
been done in the past, there would
have been much less trouble during
i the past two years and we should
not have heard so much of the
hyphen or pro" this or that.