The Coconino sun., 1919-10-24

spectacle of our American govern ment being seriously embarrassed in its momentdus problems of peace and re-adjustment by large numbers who style themselves Irish Americans; and, like the Germans before the war, they are more interested in the well fare of their mother country than in the success of our own government in the peace conference.
 It lies with us in the future to make sure that all foreigners receiving American, citizenship shall be the 100 per cent variety, and not the hyphen- ates. The handling of this special problem calls for civic rather than social means, and calls for no dis cussion here.
 Italians, Turks and Syrians are the representatives of another group with still different problem. The ma jority of these enter the country with out any intention of making it their permanent home. They hope to re- turnt to their native land and live with ease upon the money they acquire. Finally, we come to the swarthy hordes of the oppressed and beaten men and women of the hopeiessly beaten races, who come to live among us permanently, bringing with them heritage of mental darkness, social wretchedness, and utter lack of civic capacity. These wretched folk of the soil---brothers of the clod-present the most complicated problem of them all. These are the people who constitute the overwhelming majority of our im- migrants at the present time, and de- mand. our most careful attention. In presenting my phase of the topic I will be careful to advocate no new agencies either governmental or private-for meeting the needs of these peoples. I will, however, sug- gest certain small notifications in our current educational practice in the districts where these people con- gregate and settle.
 Now, I do not believe that much can be accomplished by working di- rectly upon the original adult immi- grant of this class. Frankly, I am very skeptical of our ability to make real changes in any considerable numbers of these people. My experi- ence in dealing with them in night schools and studying them in their homes, leads me to this decided opin- ion. Speaking by and large of this class of immigrants, there is little question of our wasting our time and money in approaching them directly through the usual lines of social effort. Their narrow mindedness, beastial ignorance, and superstitious dread of the foreigners around them make them unresponsive and unrecep- tive. They are suspicious and shy. Their determination to live their own lives in their own way is baffling. Any one who has studied the Navajo Indian will understand exactly what I mean, and the Navajo furnishes us a good illustration of the attitude of mind of the south European immi- grant toward the American and his ways.
 But do not mean to imply that these people can not be reached. On the contrary, it is possible to work upon them and change their ways of living and their ideals of life through their children. The accomplishment of this, with any degree of success will depend, believe, upon two fac tors: First-An iron-clad compulsory attendance law for the children of these foreigners; and, second-a real change in the educational system for the districts in which they live.
 Our American schools are designed for the education of the youth of twentieth century America, and pre- suppose an inheritance which these foreign children lack. Book education may be best for the child of Ameri- can parentage; but it will not pro- duce efficient results with the children of these immigrants. What they need above everything else is a thorough course in housing, food, and clothing, with special emphasis upon the sani- tary aspects of these subjects. Until they have learned the most elemen- tary facts pertaining to these subjects they can not be said to be ready for instruction in our usual course of study.
 In justification of my statements need only refer to the dirt and filth which is so characteristic of these peo- ples; the repulsive food and the way it is prepared; their unhygienic per sonal habits and dress, and the forms of recreation to which they are ad- dicted. l call attention further to the high death rate among these peoples, especially in certain seasons and in time of epidemics. All of us are no doubt familiar with the frightful in fant mortality in such districts.
 As have studied these people and pondered the problems and possibili- ties of re-making them into good