The weekly Alaska citizen., 1919-02-17

things American, and that was thru the Chil- dren. They went to school and of course learned something of the American ideals and traditions, along with the language, and these they carried home with them. This was vir- tually melting pot, but it did not go far enough-it did not take in the parents of these children. It could not influence the lit tie foreign communities SO that these parents would give up their native tongue and habits. It could not teach them also, for there was not provision for that. The child was all the schools had to work with, and while that would provide for the next generations American citizenship it did no more than touch this generation The child would learn to speak the language of America at school, but at home on everyside of him, he met t1e tongue of his parents, and their habits and customs, and he was helpless to counteract them.
 It was time that America woke up to what beautifully colored bubble it was she was holding, and it is extremely fortunate that there were not more serious results from the bursting of it. It was this condition that made it possible for German propagandists to spread their insidious poison turnout the country. It is the same condition today that makes it possible for l. w. w. and Bolshe- vist propaganda to gain such foothold in this country. Bolshevism is essentially doc urine of uneducated foreign people, for there is nothing to give it foothold among the traditions of the United States. Here there has always been freedom that the founders of Bolshevism have never had under the op pression of autocracy If the foreign e!e- ment had been assimilated and made over into American citizens it would be impossible for the Bolsheviki agitators to get hearing among the laboring people, much less fol- lowing of the size and proportions they have.
 America is really awake to what miscr- able failure she has made of this melting pot business. She knows now that when she threw these foreign elements into the pot-that is when she allowed them to come into this coun try-she forgot that prime essential to all good melting, the stirring of the pot. She is aware of this now and is making haste to stir thoroly that her dream may become reality, and that America may become in fact, melting pot. The government is talk ing steps to bring this vast foreign ropu'a- tion in contact with things that are essen- tially American that they may know what is expected of them, that they may become American citizens.
 And one of the first steps is to recognize them and find out their numbers Raymond Crist deputy commissioner of naturalization has informed the state department that there are more than ten and one-half millions of |unnaturazed aliens in America today. He stated further that many of these may be considered dangerous because of their anti American tendencies. He says rightly that such condition should not be allowed to exist, and in no other country would be al lowed to exist. He intends to issue an appeal to all Americans to use their influence to get foreigners to become American citizens.
 It is the duty of every American who comes in contact with aliens to help them to become American citizens. To do this it is necessary that they know something about America, about what it stands for, something of its history, its language and customs, and 1t is within the power of'every true American to do this. In many sections of the country there are citizenship schools for the foreign CTS, and in some states there is law com polling every foreigner to attend these schools for certain number of hours a week, and both tile person and his or her employer are punishable if this educational requirement is not fulfilled
 In Alaska we must not think of all this as something distant, applying to the states only, to those sections of the country where there is heavy foreign population, as New York, for instance. It applies to the territory just as much as it applies to New York. AL ready tliere is a night school, but that is not enough. Everyone who comes in contact with a foreigner who would make desirable citi- zen should try to have that alien become citizen. It is very easy to point out the ad vantages that will come to him as a citizen and to help him learn what America stands