The daily morning oasis., 1919-08-09
MAKE AMERICANS.
FORD'S MOTTO.
Government Adopted His Plan of
Teaching the For
eign-Born.
LIBEL CASE NEAR AN END
Final Witness Tells How Motor
Maker Drilled Patriotic Ideas
Into His Workers.

MANU- DIIHeu FdlFlOuC lucas
Into His Workers.
Mt. Clemens, Mich, Aug. 6.-The
last testimony was uttered in the
Ford-Tribune libel suit Tuesday. 1t
was brilliant description of Amer
icanization methods created by the
Ford organization and adopted by the
United States government.
When the government in 1917 found
itself with tens of thousands of
drafted men who could neither read
nor speak the English language, and
had no conception of American prin-
ciples, it conscripted every Ford edu-
cational worker and used the same
methods in the training camps which
Henry Ford was using in his factor
les. That was the final answer given
by the Ford forces to the Chicago
Tribune's contention that Ford is an
anarchist and that his teachings make
anarchists.
so American is the Ford educa-
tional course said Clinton c. De-
Witt, superintendent of the Ford
English school, that not even the
English language is taught It's the
American language Mr.. Ford was
of the opinion that you could not sue
cessfully put over one idea while
there were fifty-two languages in the
shop, so for his one idea, which was
Americanism, he insisted on one lam
guage, which is the American lam
guage, and that is how our school be-
gan"
When Ford shop students graduate
from the school they graduate into
"The American Club" which gives
advance acquaintance with American
ideals.
: The motto of the Ford school is,
Help the Other Fellow" It's school
yell is, "Siss-Boom-Bam Hurrah
for Uncle SAM
Several of the lessonc which the
Ford classes study were read from
the witness stand. One of the gram
mar lessons ran: 81 buy an American
flag. You buy an American flag. He
buys an American flag"
One of the class contests was to
see which group could sing Amer
lea" best.
In the center of every class room
used by the 1000 students a huge
silken American flag was kept always
waving by the help of large electric
fans.
One of the instructions to teachers
read, Have the students write five
sentences about America"
1--WE always call the students Amer
icans," said Mr.. Dewitt. "We teach
our men that they are Americans
now. Our formula of address in the
class room is, Now, all the Ameri-
cans who can say that sentence prop
erly, stand up
1--WE always run patriotism and
home together in our lessons" he
continued. eve show how correct
home life and love of country are
linked together"
Some of the examination questions
ran as follows:
Explain what the stars and stripes
in the flag mean"
Explain what liberty, justice and
equality mean"
|. Every American loves and respects
the American flag" read one of the
lessons. "The American flag stands
for liberty, justice and equality"
Pictures of great Americans adorned
the class rooms and the pupils were
given lessons from their lives.
/. One lesson was entitled, ''How to
Get Citizenship Papers"
Another lesson had this as the
fact to be brought about: "An anar-
chist is a man who does not believe
in organized government" This was
in lesson 63.
Government is for the protection
of the people" was the fact to be
thought about" in another lesson.
The American flag was bought in
5000 lots for the Ford school pupils,
each man being furnished with one,
and taught its care and significance.
The federal and state courts had
long recognized a diploma from the
Ford school as an evidence of ade-
quate preparation for citizenship
papers, it was testified.
Henry Ford wishes that we be-
come big, broad, intelligent American
citizens" was a sentence in one Of
the reading lessons.
At the autumnal graduation exer-
cises the American flag played a con-
spicuous part
Mr.. Ford loaned all his educational
workers to the government for the
training of teachers for the Ameri-
canization work undertaken during
the war. Ford educators were in the
military camps and in foreign mill
tary units spreading the American
idea and Henry Ford was paying
their salaries.
Mr.. Dewitt was the final witness
in the case.
The lawyers will now argue points,