Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1919-03-07
Educational Bill

car card, sign, booklet or letter in the
American language. Five aud a half
millions of them can not read anything
in any language.
These astounding facts demand the
immediate consideration of the Nation.
The war has demonstrated some Of the
dangers from large numbers of foreign
born persons who have not been assimi-
lated or A~mericanized. 1t has also
brought to light thousands upon thou
sands of native. born Americans who
can not read or write.
These ill~iterates and aliens out num-
Der all the people in Nevada. Wyom-
ing, Delaware, Arizona, Idaho, Missis-
sippi, Vermont, Rhode Island, North
Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon, Maine,
Florida, Connecticut and Washington
combined. They exceed the total pop
uIation of the Dominion of Canada. AS
voters, their ballots will outweigh the
influence of greater New York, Phila-
delphia and Chicago in national affairs.
Such people must be educated at least
sufficiently to read the Constitution Of
the United States and American news
papers and to know something of what
it means to be an American.
This problem is national. The South
leads in iIliterates. The North leads in
non-English speaking. Seventeen and
one-fourth per cent. of the people OF the
east South central states are illiterate,
but 1873 per cent. of the people in Pas
sale, New Jersey, can not read, speak
or write English. Sixteen per cent. Of
the people of the South Atlantic states
are illiterate and so are 1872 per cent. Of
the people OF Lawrence and Fall River,
Massachusetts.
These civic aud economic seconds"
are beyond all help from printed wsrn-
ings or ad vice in the English language.
Their ignorance and inaccessibility to
essential public information are con-
slant drags upon progress.
The Secretary of the Interior has
graphically painted the situation by
the nationally accusatory questions he
has asked in his recent letter to the
President:
"What should be said of a world
leading democracy wherein ten per
cent. of the adult population can
not read the laws which they are
presumed to know?
"What should be said Of a de-
mocracy which sends an army to
preach democracy wherein there
was drafted out of the first 10000 0
men a total of 200, 600 men who
could not read their orders or I'M
-d dssn4 them yfen dsffvere6, Or
read the letters sent them from
home?
"What should be said of a de-
mocracy which calls upon its citi-
zens to consider the wisdom o fform-
ing a League of Nations, OF passing
judgment upon a code which will
insure the freedom of the seas, or of
sacrificing the daily stint Of wheat
or meat for the benefit of the Rou-
manians or the J~ugo-Slavs when
eighteen per cent. Of the coming
citizens of that democracy do not
go to school!
"What should be said of a de-
mocracy which permits tens of
thousands of its ~native-born chill
dren to be taught American his
tory in a foreign language-the Dec
laration of Independence and Lin
coins Gettysburg speech in Ger
man and other tongues?
"What should be said of a de-
mocracy which permits men and
women to work in masses where
they seldom or never hear a word
of English spoken?"
Senator Hoke Smith has just intro
duced In the Senate and Honorable
William B. Bankhead in the House,
the Smith Bankhead Americanization
Bill; Senate Bill 1854, House Bill 1902.
This bill directs the Secretary of the
Interior through the Bureau of Educa-
ton to cooperate with the several states
in the education of the above mention
ed peoples and in the preparation Of
teachers for the work.
The appropriations begin at once and
end in 1925.
A State, to cur the money, acts
through its chief school officer and
shall not participate until it has requir-
ed the instruction Of illiterate and nom
English speaking minors more than is
years of age, in the American language
for at least 200 hours per year.
Federal money shall be used only for
salaries or training teachers and no Fed
eral money shall be used for buildings