The Washington herald., 1919-10-13
AMERICANIZATION
IS GREAT PROBLEM,
DECLARES LANE
CONTINUED FRoM PAGE ONE

In the street could not read or write |
our language.
At that time we were sending out
an immense lot Of literature to the
farmers urging them to produce
wheat. to produce pork and other
commodities in our interest and In
the interest Of the allies SO that we
could feed the United States and
feed our armies and feed Europe.
We found that practically 100000
of those farmers to whom that lit
Ierature was sent could not read IL.
We were sending out Liberty
bond appeals and one-tenth OF the
literature sent out was wasted
Speeches of our distinguished men
were sent out through the commit
tee on public information to arouse
patriotism and maintain the morale
Of the country and q large part OF
that went to eyes that were piino
because they did not know the text
Teach In Foreign Tongue.
Then I called an Americanizahon
conference and surprising things were
revealed. We found that HUNDREDS OF
schools in some Of our States were
teaching Lincoln's Gettysburg address,
IN thew were teaching It at all. in for
eisn language. The boys and girls
were being raised by thousands. VINO
came out Of their schools without
knowledge of the tongue Of this coun-
try. Therefore, the Americanization
bill which 10 now before the Senate
committee on education and labor was
drafted to meet that situation.
After that, when the armistice came,
we had a further revelation as to the'
situation and / doubt If any such
picture ever was presented 10 thS
American mind before as that present
ed by the figures of the War Depart
rnent showing that out Of 100000 men
drawn into our camps. "a per cent
either could not understand our IAN
yuaee or could not sign the payrohs'
or could not read the War Depart
ment's orders.
Taurht Them Word "Halt.S
We had TO undertake to educate
those men in the camps and we spent
millions of dollars in educating grown
men IN the meaning of the words tor-
ward " halt" and march" And TINS
was in a country where we have mao
a public school system for iVo year
and a country that held itself up az
the foremost democracy OF he Woiio'
think II is a serious renectioh
upon the United States that inns
condition should exist. l~thlnk IL Is
a serious rejection upon democracy;
l think 1t is a great danger TO us
not that these people are inchneo
! to violence but they certainly can pc
the easy victims of any klno OF
NJ
except out of their limited personal
experiences. The are unable to read
what the experiences OF other ma
liens have been. and so If there is
/ any fertile field in which this germ
of discomfort can thrive it ought to
| be in Just such a field as this.
Must Show Them.
America has got to be shown to the
\ people who are here as something that
1 combines two things-opportunity and
responsibility. You cannot have the
one without the other. Moreover. we
want the people who come to the
United States to get into their systems
a consciousness OF the new principles
under which they live.
| We wiz to establish schools in
which the teachers will be trained in
English language, both to grown-ups
| and chilren. This law applies TO those
over Is years Of age and up to Z
wears of age and we can compel them
| TO attend these schools, provided the
states Cooperate. Over that age their
action will be voluntary.
Our Duty.
In q large number OF our most I'M
portant industries, 50 per cert OF the
people working there are for"'-n born
/ and they have signs printed for their
welfare and to protect them and these
signs have to be printed in seven or
eight or nine different langua c"s. and
many of the people cannot re" them
| in any language. In the mining in
dustry alone, 1t has been ".t'T'ated
that we can save at least L%.t9 ac-
cidents a year II those people can be
taught to read enough English to un-
! derstand the signs and directions that
are placed before them.
| Now we have got to turn our
selves into a council OF progress
and frame a national purpose. We
are the prophets OF a new day. II
means that democracy. in essence
is that every man has a chance. 1t
means primarily-the very thing to
/ be done now is that We shall put
into the hands of every man born
in this country the tools by which
he can open the archives of Ameri-
canisn. II we can do this we will
produce the greatest Of all nations
and q new race that will long hold
compelling place in the world.
PAID FOR REFJJGE