The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-03
DR. WISE PLEADS
 FOR JUSTICE ID
 FOREIGN ELEMENT
Rabbi Urges Americanization of Aliens By Fair Dealing. Church, School and Press
 Are Greatest Factors

Urging the Americanization of the foreign population of the country, Rabbi Steven A. Wise spoke last night on the subject, "My Vision of Amer ica" at the Temple Emanu-El before an audience that filled completely the spacious edifice.
 pr Wise stated that many people thought that when a foreigner was naturalized he was American This, he said, is not the case. A new conner is not an American until he loves America. Taking his own case, Dr. Wise said that America was one of his religions and that Israel was the other.
 Dr. Wise spoke on the methods which must be used to Americanize the for eigners, and the things that the Amer ican people must avoid when dealing with them. He urged that the for eigners be spoken of not as intricate problems but that they be treated as brothers and not patronized as is now the case.
 Dr. Wise declared that it was far easier to Americanize a man than it was to adapt him to any other coun- try, for the reason that no special blood rules this country; citizenship in America is not awarded by birth but by worth.
 GREATEST FACTOR
 Agents of Americanizat tion are the church, schools, press, theatres and city government declared Dr. Wise. He said that the church was probably the greatest factor ins Americanzation, and that next came the schools. He deplored the low salaries nowApaid the teacher as compared with other vo cations.
 T think the time Is coming,' he said that every child will have to spend, during his school life, at least one year in public school. In my opinion there is no other one factor in child's life that so well fits him for citizenship as the trials and embarrassments of d public school. Especially does this fit the foreign child"
 The press is another enormous fac tor in Americanization, said Dr. Wise. He pointed out that the press held the fate of the country in it's hands and that in this way decided on the course that would be taken. T have no use for the paper which is printed one day out of the week for Italians, the next day for French and the next day for tiiS II ioiif AO lSdiuy l WduL u Scc lAt paper that is printed seven times d week for Americans"
 INFLUENCE OF THEATRE
 The theatre,' he continued, lis do- ing its best it seems, to retard Amer icanization." He said that the modern theatre portrayed only the lower side or lite ana tnac q production of Shake speare and kindred works played to empty houses, while the modern farces, portraying the life of the underworld, playeo to capacity. Some authors seem to be inere buyers of hos ley," he sad. They know hosiery, but nothing else.'
 pr, Wise pleaded for the saving of Ar. menia from the Turk, saying that the redemption of Armenia anu Palestine were two of the objectives of the war. Palestine had been liberated, he said, but Armenia had not and it is our duty to save her.
 The worst thing in the world would be for the Jews to lose their racial identity" declared Dr. Wise. 'It is an established fact that whenever a Jew is loyal to his religion and loyal to the Jews, he is a good American. But. on the other hand, Jew who disregards his obligations to the Jewish religion does not make good American. You cannot base new loyalty on an old disloyalty
 COUNTRY OF UNITY
 What we want is not country of uniformity" he stated, but one of unity. We should not seek to all be alike, but we should seek to all work together for unity
 pr. Wise is gifted with unusual abil- ity, which, coupled with a keen sense of humor, delighted the large audience which listened to his lecture. The lec- ture was the sixth of the Iyceum course, and probably the most success ful from financial standpoint.
 The speaker was introduced by Dr.. c. A. Brown, principal of Central High school who made few remarks ia reference to the Lyceum association.