The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1922-04-14
ANERICANIZING THE FOREIGN
BORN
by Miss Grace Carter

by Miss Grace Carter
The great task looming before Am
o,ca today is the task of the assimi-
lalior of the foreign population within
it., borders And it is made all the
more difficult because of the mistaken
idea of some people who consider this
national and not an individual task.
II is the government which deals
ir,t with the foreigner coming to the
United States, through the admittancc
proceedings which take place mt Ellis
lslanu Then, having been admitted
he L. abandoned to 90 wherever fate
takes him.
/" he is Greek, Polish or Italian he
naturally wishes to go where other
Greeks, Poles or Italians are. One
cat readily see how difficult it is to
make Americans of such people who
seem to prefer to live in colonies and
tongue. But do they prefer such n
ll"' Some do no doubt; but nine
time. out of ten circumstances force
them to the slums because they have
no other place to 20.
Special bureaus established in the
large cities to aid them in the sclcc
ton o. their homes would certainly he
death blow to the colony. | know
TIA, the government has already done
much to relieve conditions along this
line through such societies rs the
"No,th American Civic League for I'm
migrants" and the "rravclcr's Aid So.
Getty" but Little Italics" still seem to
exist IL many cities and net rs u barn.
~ Ia AmcrcaniZation.
Another way in which the govern
mcnt tthis time the state and city,
can aid work along this line IL in the
establishment of schools FOR the for.
eign born. Unless we go about this In
the right way we are liable to turn
out na our finished product, foreigners
who are educated not "for" but
against" America, First of all, there
must be teachers who understand and
love their work and who are rcpresen-
tntINcs of Americas finest types, for
after their characters, other characters
OF future Americans are to be mould
ed The foreign child must be- imbu.
Ell by these same teachers with Ameri-
can ideals and standards and must be
lNadH to understand that to become II
true American he must not simply
peak American, wear American
Clothes, play American games, but
"trrr American.
A great danger which may result
from the education of the foreign child
i, the possible misunderstanding when
may he brought about between that
enid and his family. II Is harder to
leach the father and mother to becom"
TIA" Americans than it Is to teach their
llhrCn. This II obvious from the fact
that they have acquired set ideas of
their own, which cannot easily he bro
h"'L Some one has told them for eX-
ample that America stands for Glib
crty" liberty to them. Unless they are
informed differently may mean permits
r'on to do anything they choose, re-.
rirdirsS of the fact that IN 40 doing,
they are infringing on another's rights.
In auluting the American flag further
more they fail to feel the sacrcdncHs OF
it, ANA IN casting their vote the seq
ipllhnCss of it.
The establishment of night schools
nnd vocational schools, making 1t pos
siblc for NJ least the father to attend
and receive from them, the same ad
Wautagcs AZ his children, will help
clear up Misunderstanding to some
extent. The case of the mother is II
more serious one. She is 0ftentimcs
tied down with the cares of her home
and children and hence, lives more
secluded life than her family. Social
service workers, Civic League or
welfare Society OF Interested Amerl-
can women can make 1t possible that
fh' be introduced to American methods
OF cooking and housekeeping
characterization Ia, after all, the
broadening out OF community life bas-
ID on American ideals and principles.
TO he part Of community ifc one must
be- II part OF community life one must
not simply live in house In com
muhity and deal at the corner store,
but HI must be made to feel that he IL
ore Of the necessary cogs in the wheel
Of cooperation in that community.
Nov unless we show our friendship
/ aud good viii to these foreign born. do
you think that they will come even
halfway to bring about the ends we de
sine? or course they won't. They are
usually OF timid nature and feel like
we did the first time we went to n
ST. rngc school where we knew no one
and we've undecided as to whether we
should stay to ourselves or mix with
the others. II you have Parents and
Teachers Association in your commu-
nifty and Mrs. StaRis' Tony goes to the
/ nttu unh m nj Oh