Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1919-03-29
JUSTICE WHEELER TELLS WHAT CANIZATI0N MEAN

Speaking at a meeting Of Hungari-
ans in Bridgeport, George L. Wheeler
said:
1 want to explain to you what the
great work we call Augmentation is.
characterization in its broadcast
sense is for all 1t is for foreign born
ana native born alike. for ii is the task
of making each American to under-
stand and to keep in his heart the
ideals of America, and more than
these, to 1iva these ideals Ill his daily
lie.
The chief Of these ideals are:
The giving to every man equality
before the law.
The giving to every man an equal
opportunity under the law, and that
itleans the same chance every other
man has.
The guaranteeing to him the right
10 have his thought, 10 speak his
thought and TO worship according to
the dictate of his own conscience.
America aims to guaranty 20 every
one. foreign born and native born
alike, the right to enjoy life, liberty
and the pursuit of Happiness
One thing is true. The f'reign born
| the native loorn until he knows the
English language and can speak it
and read it. That is treat reason
| why we are trying to have every for
e,gn born in this country know the
| English. language. We want him to
have an equal chance with the native
born. That is democracy and that is
true American liberty. And you came
| here to enjoy these. .T;ont n1isunder-
stand me.
y knowledge of the English Ian
| %uage won't make a man Il loyal or q
useful citizen. but it helps him to be-
cGlne one because il gives him the
means of understanding those about
him, and it opens the door Of oppor-
| tunity and he can then feel that this
other citizen OF the countrE makes III
| the government.
AmericaniEation gives you thu
| chance to KNOW your neighbour, ant
he the chance to know you; it encour
ages and invite more friendly per
sanal relations between yen
No one race knows it all except tn
Germans. They did ;;rtow it ali
| Deutschland uber allies; That in
Guided America and the Islands of til
seas, and I suspect it inclritied H/n
gary, too.
While knowledge of the languag
opens the door Of your mind to wha
| America is. It at the same time open
the door of The native born mind an
lets in all thlt you hava brought owe
acre.
You give rs contact with an e1de
civilization ttan ours.
Your people loved liberty an
fought and died for it as we did. Ye.
We know that America :izdtion ism
che sided, where we give ali and yo
take. No. each gives and each re
ccires, and he English language mus
lie the vehicle of concentration be
tween US. That is WHY we want eae
: foreign born TO know our Language
, 1t will make him know america bet
, ter and it will make America kno'
f him better
; Zach citizen helps maze ur our gov
7 ernment Each by his vote is a pal
: of it.
We have in America s. differer
: races speaking "a different lar
= guages. Don't you see how necessar
it is that each of these races shout
1 nave one language in common.
Forty million of Our 10n million pee
pie We're e\.1er from across the sea
or their parents were foreign born.
: Ii we are to have fl'iCnd!iness an
. brotherhood between all these Peep
i VIC must. give all of these .aces II
), opportunity OF learning our languag
And that is our work. Three millfC
: of our foreign born people cann'
, spCIk our language. What is the re
: suit? We cH!.not give them our pril
: ciples, our mode of living our trad
! tons. our avs and our history, fl
| we cannot make them understand u
: America is to them Pre- ctically
= scaled book. And they are worse o
strangers in { strange hind, they cal
: not give lis what they have to civ
: Thew cannot teach us their habits
thrift, their dependence upon religio
: their knowledge which is the accuml
y lated wisdom of generations of ri
l cred experience. Americanization
not the imposition of American met
DDS, customs. knowledge and primo
g i.lcs of living upon you. but rather t
Vt putting you in a position where "
Y as a free agcnt can select what "
h think will benefit you, and the pu
q ting us in a position to got from "
S your knowledge and experient
v Americanizat'on brings to The cor
g lrunity the common stock of know
h edge which each of us las. Dor
Is think we want you to forget the la