The Alaska daily empire., 1919-12-11
Education M Amey1c0niSm
 Is Au Absolute Necessity

l numerical inferiority is to attempt the changes they wish Recent his | tory furnishes an unequivocal answer l to their plans.
 True American Plan Best But we cannot dismiss the matter with that knowledge however com forting the thought may be. These well-defned groups of un-AmeriCans should not be here. But what are we to do with them? We can rid ourselves of some of the most dan gerous by sending them back for an unlimited period in which to study the new institutions they admire l Though the steamship companies can | help us. they cannot solve the prob lem,-too many experimenters will still remain.
 The basis trouble with the great mass of these men is not what they know about Russia, the soviets, or other things but what they do not know about the United States. This l brings us to whatI consider the only lasting cure for this political disease and that is education in Amcricanism The un- n-Americans must be taught our history, the spirit of our laws, | the promise of American life. l have sufficient faith in the institutions of this country to believe that those who understand them will hesitate to | ,J thn IrNnyr1 of self-appointed statesmen, however roseate the plan may be.
 One of Best Cures
 Six months in a night school studying English and history will dc more to make an American out of an un-American than six years in any jail in the country. Our government is now doing highly commendable work for those who wish to become citizens by making easy the obtain ing of the knowledge necessary But we must educate not only the non citizen but also the un-citiZens. those who are now opposed to us in addi tion to those that wish to be with us. We must increase the assets oi the country by making potential as sets real and by conversion of liabil tiles, too The process is not an easy one, it will be discouraging and cx pensive but anything else will vastly more expensive and will moi in the end succeed.
 Must Educate Foreigners
 The national government and al the local authorities should expand greatly their work in education foi participation in the duties of c:i zen of a great republic. The I. w w. and kindred organizations in or der to stir up dissatisfaction circu late many newspapers and periodicals classes that do not understand Am erica Why cannot real knowledge of our country's history and prin ciples be spread in the same way? Why should only the undesirable pro. paganda be highly organized?
 We have been content with the as- sumption that the good will some how take care of itself, that foreign CTS and those with foreign ways of ! thinking by coming in contact with our methods will learn all about 1 them without much active education along that direction. But the record of the last few years has proved the falsity of that belief many times. Newspapers in English and in all the other languages spoken here, lectures by the best speakers ob- tainable, organized study clubs, mo. tion pictures to illustrate our life and history, exhibits, posters and all the other methods of propaganda used so effectively in the war drives must bc adapted to a greater campaign 10 raise not money but the standard Of citizenship.
 That the schools have been doing good work in training for their duties those who as children pass through the grades, the war has demonstrated However educators are not at all satisfied with the results and are earnestly striving to improve the in struction. But the real trouble lies with those who ordinarily do not come in contact with the work of the schools because they are past the compulsory age limit before coming