New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-17

thorities, have been held in New York st...
In 1913 when the work started, classes uo~.
held in four cities During the year 1919 ,oo
classes were held In ffty-two cities. e,a..~-,-
now being compiled will show great rncro.r-
in the number Of cities and the indiv;a,,.,
mothers reached. At least 5000 mothers bs..a
been receiving instruction
Owing to change of policy on the mar, =.
the State Board of Education and the refr..,
of New York City, for reasons of economy .
finance the smaller day classes for motbo,,
for 1922, the work which has been 50 carefpII,
built up is now seriously threatened.
One of the individuals chiefly interested :.
this work of educating immigrant mothers b.a
put the situation as follows:
Since July l the responsibility for rnr,;
grant education work has been transferred h,
the State Legislature to local school boards
For reasons of economy New York CITY has cr.
the regular immigrant education budget to ons
fourth of the amount needed The hands =.
the State Department of Education are tsa
under the new law, if the local boards canno.
take over the state paid teachers and cont;rro
the work.
GAS result Of the change in New York Cir,
more than I 800 mothers who have been taucb+
by both the full-time and part-time teachers
paid by the state, will be deprived Of instruc.
ton this coming September. Only those moth.
ers who can find it possible to attend the laryer
school and neighborhood classes of twenty or
more can hope for day instruction The fact
that over score of organizers on full time
and another score of part time teachers arc
losing their positions is far less serious mat.
ter than the loss Of confidence which the corn.
munity will sustain among the foreign born
Through special study of the psychology an.
proach and appeal, teachers of these home and
neighborhood classes have aroused irrespon
sible ignorant mothers to a sense of respons;
bility and interest in citizenship and the better
care of the welfare of their children
eve make laws saying women may be cti-
zens if their husbands are citizens Our state
Legislature for the second time passes con-
current resolution requiring of all persons seek
ing the vote the ability to read and write
English.
eff this land of ours Is land of fair play,
women who are attending to our essential in
dustry-home making-should have these op-
portunities continued.
eff the school boards and politicians refuse
to assist these women who are most respon-
sible for our future citizens private support
must be secured. Women's organizations and
individuals must take the responsibility for
this work. Forty or fifty thousand dollars
would give the work in New York solid fnan
cial standing. Two thousand dollars would
finance one full-time teacher for year. This
would mean that more than 100 mothers every
week would be directly Influenced and from
200 to 400 children indirectly influenced for
future citizenship.
These classes of mothers should be con-
tinued for the following reasons:
"To help wipe out illiteracy
"To extend the use of the common language.
"As a matter of child health and welfare
Mothers who cannot understand English are
deprived of the advantages which the Amer-
can-born mother can readily obtain from our
institutions - the press, printed circulars,
clinical instruction, directions for home max
ing arts, school directors reports.
"To cut down juvenile delinquency, which
has been found higher where the parents do
not speak the language of the public school
children.
"For better citizenship of women and more
intelligent cooperation in community respon-
sibility by foreign-born mothers"