Evening star., 1923-07-07

Five years Is q short time for an
idea to spread across a continent and
start 5000 new institutions.
There was a woman in, Washing
ton-not a professor of economics or
civics, not a scholar versed In all
the abstruse histories of government.
but kindergarten teacher-who
evolved the idea that immigrants
were too valuable raw material" to
be allowed to drift about
Time will come when Miss Maude
E. Alton will be recognized with such
American women as Miss Frances E.
Miss Clara Barton. Mrs. Lucretia
Mott and Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe
outstanding leaders in the uplift
of humanity.
Miss Atoms idea has the apprecia-
tion of Chief Justice Mccoy and his
associates of the District Supreme
Court 1t has also been adopted and
supported by the Department of
Labor. and, through that sanction
and the support Of the Society Of the
Daughters Of the American Revolution.
has been transplanted. throughout the
United States. 1t Is financed, although
inadequately now because OF its rapid
| growth. by an appropriation of Con-
gress, to carry II on in the District OF
Columbia. Elsewhere 1t is supported
locally, chiefly by the ID. A: r..
* #*
1t has awakened great enthusiasm
for the Intelligent Americanization of
oil thnnsanhs
women of all ages and degrees OF
education in their native countries
are being shaped and developed into
reasoning, enlightened and apprecia-
tive Americans. Miss Alton. who was
the originator Of the idea, is the
washington principal and the ma
tional inspiration of the work.
The teaching of the English lam
guage is one Of the first ;-.I..s. but
perhaps, some of the pupil. forget
guage. since the lessons bear upon
the Interesting history of the coun-
try, its heroic personages, It's lnsti-
tutions OF government and its social
customs and ideals. They get the
language as an infant does. by using
today's vocabulary in talking about
whatever Is most interesting-how
Congress Is elected. what happens
when the President vetoes bill. how
the veto affects the interests OF the
people, how railroads are controlled, etc.
X u 4
One OF the finest achievements OF
the work lies in helping foreign born
! mothers to keep pace with their
children. The youngsters are in the
public schools. and in very short
time they begin to speak English
and to know something about Amer
lean ways. This knowledge is FOR
! eign" to the parents-especially to the
shut-in mother.
1t is natural that the youth who
can talk in a language unknown to
his mother should have a feeling that
he is much smarter than she Is. She
| Is humiliated by her child. who be-
gins soon to be ashamed of her-to
rebel at parental control, to become
disrespectful. disobedient. defiant OF
all authority. That is a state almost
j impossible in the "old country. He
is headed toward the same defiance
of governmental as OF parental law
To save the oncoming generation, the
first step is to save the parents from
hing looked down upon by their own
children.
In washington there are not only
day schools, but also night schools
and home instruction, and house
gatherings of mothers at many
points.
One German mother of ten children
gets up at o'clock in the morning
in order to get her family off to
school. and then she attends the
Americanization School. SO that her
! children shall not become smarter
, than their mother.
But seldom can mothers leave their
( homes to attend even an American
; ization School. They want to learn
the language. but household duties
| tie their hands and feet.
In one part of Washington there is
| a group of Italians who have COM
munity kitchen, where the mothers
go every morning to do their family
baking. Later In the day their hus-
bands come there to get their meals,
for the men are employed in bakeries,
; or at other night work. No time for
such hard workers to go to school.
! but one of Miss Atoms very tactful
assistants is assigned to spend about
| two hours a day as visitor and ad-
wiser" at that community kitchen
| Wonderful problems are brought to
that adviser" and so they have
great discussions about how things
are best done In America. They can't
spare the time to go to school,. but
| the school comes right into their
community kitchen and into their in
most lives.