Evening star., 1922-12-09

"HE modern world loves slogan.
1t puts Pep into anything to be
able to boil down tts essence
into three or four words which
leave nothing out We have do II now"
for the procrastinatng business man.
We have Safety nrst" and Don't get
hurst" and Don't hurt anybody" for
the trafficker. Now comes another
which is Of great significance: "Elimi-
nate Illiteracy!" That is practically what
the Americanization School Of Wash
ington aims to accomplish. With more
than 10000 in the District who cannot
read, 1t has before 1t a great task. but
one the importance Of which cannot be
exaggerated.
This school reaches adults-not chill
dren. The thought that 1t Is ever 100
late to learn is all wrong. An aouit
will learn more rapidly than child.
and. In one year OF instruct!on: =
man who starts without the shehtess
who persists in study. learning ten
words q day. may become quite ADEPT
in reading the daily papers ano IN
writing simple. straightforward letters.
This is not an exaggerat1on. Ten woros
cabuisry 2 ~ exceeding 5000 words. while
the ordinary laborer gets along Win a
about a quarter as many words. Ine
adult has the advantage over the chic
In his comprehension. through nie e1-
enfireiy unfamiliar to the child.
The Americanisation School does Tor
the illiterate what the college exten.
sion and the chautauqua courses 90
for the college graduate or the under
:.,ss e see xYys. 0RHs'sssy sss ss out
Of 10000 iliiterates. less than 100 took
advantage of the open doors. Here
is a chance for good educational mis-.
sionary workers to bring in the known
their shyness. Last year = M man 1--we, over
forty years Of age entered the school
una BILE to read. Now he has learned
his ten words a day. can read the oaiiy
papers, understand current news. ano
write letters. 'There 10 nothing tnas
Of. II his youth failed to give him
school advantages. provided he now
uses the opportunities before him. An
illlterate may have q brain az orieht
as that Of statesman; nnies s Weos.e.
not q perennial spring: It was cistern
and he could get nothing out OF the
cistern until he put something into II:
Fill up more cisterns and We may nno
more Websters-at least many flne citi-
Gems Of great usefulness.
x + *
1t is ama1ing what surprises come
in that line have in mind a young
man from q Virginia farm. who seven
years ago was believed to be so igno-
rant that he was counted as almost
a hopeless moron. During the last
seven years he has been reading a
certain weekly magazine of current
events. touching upon all science
and political problems. Last fall he
and certain friends of the previous
OF knowledge that would have con-
founded many q college graduate.
They demanded what had wrought
the miraculous change. and hts mod
est answer was that he got all he
knew out Of the particular magazine.
That needs interpretations: The maga-
zine whetted his thirst for informa-
ton. SO that in addition to it. he de-
voured the daily papers and such
books as he could get. bearing on th0
subjects that the magazine opened
to his mind. He is still running the
ing. where he has sweltered for
seven or eight years. but his infor-
nation includes general science and
politics.
1t is the greatest blunder of any
man to imagine that there is an age
beyond which he can not learn. That
was shown by the soldiers of the A.
E. F. after the armistice. while they
were waiting transportation to re-
turn to America Thousands Of ma
ture men took advantage Of special
arrangements admitting them to
French and English colleges. where
science and literature. thus spending
four to five months in study. It was
a much-prized opportunity. but no
greater opportunity for them than is
the Americanization School today for
the 10000 illiterates and for the for
eign-born here in Washington.
II your Christmas package, care
lessly wrapped and hastily addressed.
bumps in collision with a hundred
other packages. something may hap
pen just like it does when your auto
mobile colIides with coal truck.
Then the package has to 60 to the
post Office hospital. which corresponds
to our Emergency Hospital. There ii
will be doctored and certain surgical
stitches may be taken. but when 1t
comes out of the ether 1t will be sort
o dazed. and the expert surgeon who
sewed up it's wounds may order 1t
to the convalescent ward until after
Christmas-perhaps long after. Or
it-might-die, Don't get hurt"
then. If your friend to whom you
started ii. may not thank you before
July. Don't hurt anybody. whom sou
love. by seeming to neglect to re-
member at Christmas time the love