The Penn's Grove record., 1922-01-27

IrdnSplanJed and not Indigenous to
America, a survival of old world ira
ditions and habits and points of
view, a bloc that politicians shall be
able to reckon as the Irish vote or
the German vote,' or the Swedish
vote or the Jewish vote 1t is these
same racial relationships which have
meant discord in other lands"
Be of One Mind
Prof. Commons said, "To be great,
a nation need not be of one class; it
must be of one mind. If we think
together, we can act together, and the
organ of common thought and action
Is common language" Men may
speak the same language and not be
united. They may speak different
languages and yet be spiritually
united. But all other things being
equal we are far more liable to think
and act together if we can understand
one another's speech. We must re-
member that a difference in language
within a country creates a condition
which is a fertile source of discord.
There are $3.50 900 persons over 10
years of age, in the States, who do
not understand English. The Nation
a~lization Committee states that there
are more than 100000 persons over
81 who do not understand English,
cannot read newspapers and have a
very meagre vocabulary.
The widespread influence of the
foreign language press is attested by
many signs. Many of these periodi-
Gals exert a powerful and far reaching
influence.
The Government reports a %circula-
ton of 1900 periodicals in foreign
languages. There are 600 German
language periodicals published in the
United States. The combined circu-
lation of these papers aggregates o.
600, 900.
There are immense numbers of
foreign language societies and foreign
language parochial schools. In West
crn communities the public schools
were conducted in foreign languages
up to the time of the World War.
In Cleveland two years G there
were more than $1,000 in the paroch-
ial schools. This number includes
nearly half of the children of school
age. AT the same time there were in
Chicago 100000 children in the public
schools, while there were 10000 in
parochial schools.
1t is very difficult to bring Ameri-
can influences to bear upon the chill
dren of immigrants who do not enter
the public schools. There are 5000
Lithuanian children in ~parochial
schools in Chicago representing 50,-
900 Lithuanian population; but three
years ago there were only twenty
7 fh,,nrion- -, fhn hifr1 calaa1g Of
Chicago against the 5000 in parochial
schools.
The question Of the parochial school
in Milwaukee and Newark and scores
of other cities is such as to give the
greatest concern to intelligent Ameri-
cans.
In America the question is not of
two or three languages as in Switzer-
land, but of fifty or more. We surely
would not be so insane as to advocate
an officially polyglot nation.
In Germany the use of a foreign
language in a public assembly was
forbidden except by special consent
and then twenty-four hours notice was
required and two members of the
police force had to be present and re-
port the meeting.
We must admit we have been very
neglectful of our foreigners. Probably
the thing they need most of all when
they land is a friend. The pitiful
tales of their landing at Ellis Island
and other places are familiar to us.
These newcomers must not be left to
drift but at once be guided into classes
in English and given the counsel and
advice they so much need. The large
majority of them do not know Amer
lea. Their America is unfriendly, i'll
smelling, unsanitary, unjust.
The slums of our great cities are
not created by the foreigner. He is
forced there by circumstances. A
visitor to the italian quarter in Mil
waukee describes what he saw: "In
a single dwelling, which is not unlike
many we saw, there lived together in
ignorant misery one man, two women,
ten children, six dogs, two goats, five
pigeons, two horses and other animal
life which escaped our hurried obser-
vation." Is it possible to assimilate
under these conditions? Then, too,
there are so many Americans who
are very un-American. So many with
no ideals, with no knowledge of Gods
True Word which was the foundation
the Puritans had. Herein lies the
crux of the whole matter. We can
not give what we do not possess our-
selves.
So, then, to sum it all up, we be-
lieve that it is necessary to Ameri-
canize the foreigner, and that means
to educate him in the full meaning
and spirit of American ideals. Citi-
zenship should never be a means to
employment. We cheaper it in that
way.
What shall be our plans as to educa-
ton? To support at least u public
school spirit. We cannot overestimate
its value in making good American
citizens. Let us remember, too, that
if our public schools are not good
enough for Catholic children, then
logically they are not good enough
for Catholic teachers.
We have been speaking much of the
intoxicating of American ideals. What
are these ideals. Shall we not say
+bayy GRO pu1-itv. Honesty. Fidelity.