Norwich bulletin., 1920-01-06

nook and cranny in our national life. To build this great country of ours it had been made easy for foreigners to come to our shores. In our cities the foreign born Nhave been housed in slums and in settlements and there they have lived unto the third and fourth generation. They are "in'' America but not ''of'' America. In many cases their children have been taught only their own language and customs and not a word of the Eng fish language.
 These 1u1e-gn settlements have of- ten proved breeding places for dis ease and bolshevism. Not only have our foreign brothers been neglected. e have found not hundreds but liter ally hundreds of thousands of our own American brothers who can nei- ther read nor write. Can you picture what illfteraey means? Can you | imagine what it; would mean to you :? There are 5 1-2 millions in this country who cannot read or write. There are three millions more who are unable to read or write English. Eight and half millions of people ] who cannot read or write English. Think of it. The mobilization of our draft army brought out many intel esting fatts in our national life. The | men Of the draft army were separated l into two classeszthose who could read and write and those who could not read or write. Out of 1.552 .O0O examined s62,00o were unable to pass the test. Is it possible that one-fourth of our people cannot read the ballot I they are voting?
 The problem is not one of the col l ored race, nor one of the south. We have similar conditions here in tke | nDrf1 Wa Q ra 1l-inoy If ioI,f "a
 trouble if we cannot teach the ave- rage man to read the ballot he is vot ing. The public school system must i be strengthened. We must enforce more strictly our educational laws We must see that the foreign ian l guages taught are taught as lan-
 guages and that they do not donii- nate.
 l Education of men and women by
 force is out of the question. But we can make the opportunity so inviting that all can learn with ease. The state must realize that the education of H. literate men and women is as much s
 state duty as the education of chil- dren. Supervisors, directors ant teachers must be provided Nigh
 schools alone will not solve the ques
 ton. We must look to the manufac-
 turers to form classes for their Hitter.
 ate eIuRtOySS. we can snow the man.
 ufacturers where 1t will pay Acei.
 dents. and deaths by accident vii
 decrease. We. can show in increased labor supply and we can show q bet
 ter spirit in labor.
 So we must form classes in indus
 tries, in, churches, in schools and 1T every place where these people con. gregate. We must provide ways O
 helpful recreation. The foreign borl
 and native born must be brought to-
 gether. Speaking of the foreign bor1 : woman. Mir. Butler said she should b,
 brought into her own place.
 In. conclusion MT. Butler said tha. ] if each community would solve it
 own problems of foreign labor ther would be no national problem.
 A hearty burst of applause greete;
 Mir Butler as he took his seat. H,
 was in addition given rising vote O
 thanks, and Rev. Mir Purkiss wa. given a rising vote of thanks. for hi efforts in securing Mir. Butler to ad } dress the gathering.
 , The committee in charge of servinj } the supper was headed by Mrs. Hen
 riettas Tefft Mrs, c. Eugene Saunders
 Mrs. Floyd May Mrs. WiIlis. Hill, Mis- Maria S Briggs. Mrs C. e. Amble
 and Mrs. Fred T. Bunce. Mrs. E. ' ? Messinger was in charge of the wait 7 resses.