Evening star., 1922-12-07
MULTIPLICATION
HELDu|TERACY AID
BaI|ou's Education Week
Message Says Night School
Hope of 10,190.


In the District of Columbia twenty
one years of age and Over To whom
newspapers. ear adds and cNpidliit-
tionS in the movies mean n"tninS'
who cannot write Il letter. make Il
memorandum nor even >i~n paper
nor read 4 personal message "i'h""l
the aid of a third party. il WAS point
ed ont today i'll an Education week
statement issued by Superintendent
of schools Eailou.
They live in the capital Of the
most progressive nation on earth.
said the statement. but civili2atun is
passing them by
What the schools are doing I"
change this condition is explained by
DR. Ballou as follows:
Not many years ago an individual
who passed his childhood without
schooling was doomed to remain il
literate. But recently the idea OF
adult education has been gaining
force. We realize that man who. for
any reason. has missed education
during his childhood or who desires
more should have the chance to ac
qUirc it when he can, regardless OF
his age The good of the community
as we'll as of the individual demands
this.
Evening Classes Formed.
and 50 the school buildings have
been thrown open i'll the evenings.
three evenings Il week during the
greater part of the year. Materials
and trained teachers are furnished for
the evening just as for the day
Il In
the day school age may secure all
elementary school education, or he
may pursue more advanced studies
which he needs for his practical good
or for his own enjoyment. The
schools lighted at night. hundreds OF
people beyond the compulsory scnoo!
age hurrying into these buildings
after Il days work. many OF the'h
missing dinner to reach there on time
this is Il beautiful thing I" see
a hing to gladden. our hearts and
give US hope for the future of our re-
public.
But how do these schools meet ti''
illiteracy prob!cm" How fast Is th''t
number of 10.0ou iiiiterites being re
duced" The sad fact is that the schools
reach Very few iliiterateS. The AMER
canization School does practically Il!
that is done for them in the city ana II
received less than 100 the past year. out
OF 500 of bo-n illiterateS- The reaS"i!
for this is very simple. man or W":n-
an who has never attended school ""es
not voluntarily enter school after NJ Is
grown \ school to him is an unknown
q rather fearsome place. He is t!!nid
and awkward and ashamed When ne
does enter Then in many cases the
iliterate does not realize the need OF
education, having lived 50 long without
it. Even i'll cases where he does rt'tiiZt
the need he often lacks the courage 70
attempt what seems to him SO stupend-
Gus d task. So with schools all about
him lie remains unheipcd.
New World Opened.
The Americanization School receives
the few it does because they have an
incentive beyond and stronger than
the desire for an education The neeu
of learning the English language ana
enough civics TO become u citiZen n
brings them into the school. After
they once enter the rest is Simple
They soon realize that they can learn
TO read and write and Il new world IS
opened up to them.
Last year a man past forty years
OF age entered This school. the first
time he had ever been in any school.
To him a simple education was the
hard road to his citizenship. After a
few lessons the JOY of the task took
hold of him; he set himself the task
of learning to spell ten words every
day In one years night work he
changed from an illiterate to a man
who can write simple letters and read
everyday English. Moreover, he is
now continuing his work in more
advanced English class. Who can ap-
preciate what this means to him or
foretell what it may mean to his
community?
$50 with every illiterate, either
foreign or native born, the great task
is to reach him in the first place. He
is either tinid or ashamed or indif-
ferent.
individual Work Required.
TT requires practically individual
work to reach such one. The Ameri-
canization School can reach many of
the foreign born especially the wom-
en-. only by going into their homes.
There is one teacher who meets a
large class Of women IN a community
kitchen. She remains there while they
prepare dinner and as they have a
few minutes spare time she teaches
them. Through her contact with these
women many others in their families
are reached and enter the schools.
Could something like this be done for
our native born? Only the personal
touch of some one with tack and
sympathy will open the doors to these
people.
'.Is it too much to ask Of our Capt.
tai city that these people be reached?
Ten thousand Is not SO large a num-
Der when we think of helping them,
but it is disgracefully large mum
ber to be neglected. Haven't we as
a nation realized yet that education
at any cost is cheaper than Ignorance?
rs it too Utopian thing to hope
that at some time Washington may
celebrate Education week with the
NO ilnteracy in the National Capt.
taIo'''