The Penn's Grove record., 1922-01-27
THE NECESSITY OF AMERICAN
lZING THE FOREIGNER
Mrs. Fred j. Peters
Before The Woman's Club

Down al Lands End is an interest
ing house which bears the legend,
..lhis is the last house in England
On the south side OF the house one
finds another inscription which reads,
This is the first house in England
Much depends on the point OF view.
We all have our idea OF Americaniza-
ton and the status of the people
whom we class indiScriminately as
foreigners"
America has been built up by pro-
cesses of immigration. Josiah Strong
said that the average man cannot see
a crisis until it has arrived. This was
true of America and her immigrant.
Labor leaders and mission and social
workers saw the menace and the OPP
p~ortunity involved in this river Of
foreign human life pouring into our
land.
In one hundred years we have adj
mitted more than 10000, 900 of per-
sons to u shores. The war revealed
the vast numbers of these newcomers
who were practically untouched by
American influences and were as for
eign as when they landed.
lHO GOlulllOilS VI IIt HilCI IIdii
mind have been changed by the war.
The first was n of foolish optimism.
We thought that America was a
"melting pot" and spoke glibly of
cases where there had been wonderful
transformations of obscure immi-
grants becoming leading Americans.
The second, and by far the worse,
was the condition of Indifference.
After one cheap labor had been sup
piled we did not question as to the
result Of unemployment; how the i'm
migrant lived; his influence on the
community and on US.
Now that our optimism and indiffer-
ence toward this foreign. world about
US have been dispelled, what are the
motives of this new interest that have
been aroused? Are we willing to
sacrifice for these people? What
price are we willing to pay to help
America meet this opportunity? Do we
love or fear these new people within
our gates?
What is Americanization? | will
quote some definitions given by Chas.
A. Brooks:
Americanization is the achievement
of national unity for world service
upon the planes of our highest ideals.
In its larger aspects, Americanization
means the extension of our ideals, of
the American spirit and of our langu-
age to every locality and every COM
munity, until there shall remain no
foreign colonies untouched by the full
currents of our American life out of
harmony with the rest of America. In
its local and more intimate aspect in
which it comes home to every one of
us. Americanization is the extension
and deepening of the community spirit
until we shall, as a democracy, be able
to literally and spiritually speak
the same language and to cooperate
for ideal ends.
Perhaps the greatest enemy to be
combatted is not an aggressive for
eignism but a complacent, passive
Americanism.
AUGMENTATION Is Spiritual
We must remember that Americana
cation does not consist in changing the
clothes, " language. 1t is not me-
chanical. 1t is a spiritual process. 1t
exists in the hearts (minds) of the
people. Our immigrant, unlike many
others, has not been conquered. he
is our guest until he becomes u citi-
zen.
"The true foundations of Democ-
racy," says Prof. John r. Commons,
care in the character of the people"
at is not the Government that makes
the people Free" said Gov. Whitman.
at is the people who make the Gov
eminent free. 1t is not the Gov
ment that makes the people good or
bad as the case may be-"
Education and training are neces-
sary to prepare for democratic re-
sponsibilities. When the foreigner is
admitted to citizenship with its duties
and privileges the fundamental i'm
portance of training, intelligence, in
tegrity and experience, all that make
up character must be taken into con-
sideration. There must be spiritual
unity. AS Prof. Commons said, ITO
be great, a nation need not be of n
blood; it must be of one mind. If we
think together We must act together.
The essential prerequisite to united
action is united thought" Is this pos
sible for America to do? Is it posi-
BILE for the millions of foreigners to
become so assimilated with our ma
tional life that our ideals shall be
one?"
AS a recent paper said, the greatest
need to insure effective enforcement
of the prohibition law is educational
work among the foreigners.
Statistics show that rs per cent of
those arrested for violation of the
Volstead Act in Cleveland, o., were
citizens of alien birth. 1t is of the
utmost Importance that foreigners in
our midst be taught the truth about
our constitution, laws and government.
By this method the State of Wiscon-
sin secured the election # a legisla-
ture that enacted a strict forcement
law in conformity with lie Volstead
Law.
In the European countries w see
so much of the conditions of subjuga-
ton. Races conquered in battle and
subjected to the most intolerable con-
ditions. That is assimilation by sub
jugation. The Slavoks in Hungary
cOnmnorad hv tho Dro1d and stern