New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1919-03-01

lilh'FIo ott anu H"Il-LlSllSn speak
ing minors more than Is wears of
age, in the American language
for at least 200 hours per year.
Federal money shall be used
only for salaries or training teach
ers and no Federal money shall be
used for buildings or equipment or
for support Of religious or private
schools.
Each State receives money in
proportion to the number of her
illiterates and persons unable to
speak English as compared to The
total number of such persons in
! the Ukfed States.
The other provisions Of the act
concern details Of administration.
These S,50O.OOO when taught to
read will be an immense new mar
ket for every form Of merchandise
They will mean S,5OO,000 new
readers of newspapers, periodicals,
farm journals, books in general
and advertisements Of manufac-
tured products. At present they
can make use of any product of
the printer labor. They can t
read even a moving picture title
or Victory Loan poster.
The elimination Of illiteracy
means the elimination of falsifll
merchandise, and the reduction Of
cheating by manufacturers ami
retailers who rely upon illiterate
groups for their main support.
Secretary Lane has said:
1T takes a brave and very
ambitious man to lift himself out
of such an environment. Easily
he becomes a vic tim to the shrewd,
predatory padrone or boss. He
falls into debt and becomes mort
gagged to ignorance and squalor
for years. His ideal Of America
has suffered a change. And is
this freedom?' he says to himself,
as with tired back he bends to
his work, without hope that the
burden will be lighter tomorrow.
He can not read the signs which
warn him Of danger. He can not
read of the opportunities which
city and country Her. In his
own land perhaps fe had no
chance to learn in his own tongue.
In this new land he is too tired.
too hesitant to learn this strange,
difficult tongue. Is it any won
der if to this dissatisfied stranger
the voice Of one who speaks to him
in the language Of home has au-
thority and carries far? And if
This voice breaches discomfort and
violent discomfort. as the one
sure path to better days, is it
strange that he should listene
Who are the men who master this
new world? Plainly the ones he
knows, from whom he has suf-
fered. DO these same men con-
troll everything; are there no
sweet places Of REFUGEE He can
ind no one to make him see the
greater America. The whole Of
his continent is to him the
,ramped apartment, the dirty
street, and the sweatshOp or the
'actory. To the sweep of the great
and and it's many beckonings his
yes are closed. And in his iso-
alton and ignorance and disap-
)ointment there is fruitful nesting
,lace for all the hurtful microbes
hat attack society"
From every humanitarian and
business viewpoint. it is of the Ut
most Importance to all with mes
ages, educational or commercial.
hat these eight and a half mil
ions be taught at least sufficient
v to read a poster or a newspaper.
Every user Of the printed word,
writer, manufacturer. merchant,
md advertising man should I'M
express his opinion, Of
he Importance and immediacy of
his legislation, to Congress.
The passage Of the Smith-Bank-
lead Americanization Bill de-
'ends entirely upon whether the
committees are sure
hat the sentiment of the people
through the United States is back |
f the measure. II
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