The mirror., 1919-10-16
Good Americans
Literary Digest

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sides ambitious plans for athletic
and social activities.
''Tompkins Square unit is work.
ing on the principle that the way
to interest these people in becom-
ing Americans is by showing them
what the real American is like;
that the way to make them into
good citizens is not to hand them
naturalization papers and give
them the responsibility of the bal
lot, but to give them a job their
own size. Their duty as citizens,
DIR. de Porte believes, should be-
gin with determining the fate of
their block rather than that of the
whole country. They know what
the block is, and they can be made
to understand that if it is Uttered
with unsightly tin cans, papers,
and rubbish it is their own fault.
Larger issues will come later with
larger vision"
"Block pride" is seen to develop
quickly among those who meet at
the unit. During the war this
sentiment was one of the outstand-
ing signs iu the foreign quarters
that the people were Americans in
their loyalty to the great cause.
Whenever a block service-f1ag was
hung out it was accompanied with
patriotic demonstrations. Now
the same spirit is turned to practi-
cal ends:
| Block loyalty. mixed with for
eign warmth of temperament, en-
genders many a hot argument at
club meetings as to which neigh
borhood is cleanest and best.
Through these discussions, how
ever, the men are finding out what
is wrong with their particular
block. Their ideas of improve
ment are still hazy. but they have
at least definitely expressed dis
satisfaction with existing sanitary
conditions in the tenements and
have voted against the custom,
especially prevalent among the
Slavs of the East side, of using
bedrooms in shifts.
Plans are being considered for
organizing each block, and having
a captain at the head, to see to it
that every tenement is kept in
good order, inside and out. In
fact, left to themselves in the
working out of their own ideas,
the clubs rapidly get over their
initial inarticulateness and begin
to discover what they want to do.
Many of the aliens have pas
sion for music or painting. So
great was the eagerness shown for
instruction in the latter art that
Director de Porte has interested
the painter Salvador Anthony
Guarino and other well known
artists in plan for taking a class
out on sketching trips in this vic
unity.
Reference has been made to
the classes in English .and math-
ematics being planned for the fall.
The need of English instruction
developed itself unassisted in the
club meetings, a number who
spoke only broken English dis
covering that they we're at a dis
advantage. One club member
needs a working knowledge of
mathematics in order to get. on in
his trade and he is going to have
special coaching. Recently a
group of girls came to DR.. de
Porte, complaining that they were
being neglected and asking that a
crochet class be formed. Who
does not know of the yards of
honest, handmade crochet lace
used on foreign petticoats, or the
wonderful wheels and squares,
patiently made, one by one, and
joined to form the fancy bedspread
displayed in many an East-Side
home9 DIR. de Porte gravely
| Continued on page .. column D