Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-10-08
TRAINING PUPILS
FOR CITIZENSHIP

the eleventh time this fall to prepare
foreign-born to pass their examina.
tions for citizenship, there will be
nlnety-nlne enrolled. Pittsburg is in
the heart of the Kansas coal district,
and the auxiliary found a fertile field
for its efforts.
Among the pupils this fall will be
included several American-born girls
VINO married foreigners and lost their
American citizenship as result.
Ihese girls are helped by the classes
and appreciate the work Just as much
as do the aliens themselves, accord
ing to letters of appreciation received
by the auxiliary from former pupils.
For three years now the Pittsburg
unit has been conducting these
classes. Three times a year, before
each session of court for the exam
nation of aliens seeking citizenship.
these women have held their schools.
IN November, February and May, the
applicants are examined, and for ten
Saturday afternoons and evenings be-
fore the tests, the classes meet.
1t all came about very naturally. A
few years ago the Auxiliary, the
Daughters of the American Revolu-
ton, and the Ladies of the Grand
Army of the Republic, united to hold
q special ceremony of one hour on
the day of the examinations to make
the comforting of citizenship more i'm
pressive.
While serving on this committee,
the Auxiliary women learned of the
needs of the petitioners for a school
devoted to elementary civics and
American history, appreciation of the
American system Of government and
an intensive study Of the plan Of gov
eminent, national, state and local.
They saw how these men foundered
about in their attempts to answer the
questions put to them and how Woe
fully ignorant many of them really
were of the government from which
they sought citizenship.
The ceremonies are still continued
The service consists of prayer, pa
triotic songs and a short address on
the duties and responsibilities of citi-
zenship. Committees from the soci-
cites in charge remain throughout the
ds-y and present to each of the sue
cessful applicants a copy of the Con
stitution, a small silk flag and copy
of the flag laws of Kansas.
The school was started
At first the classes were composed
of those who were virtually sentenced
to attend and whose cases were con-
tinued by the judge only on condi-
ton that they would come to the
school. The work has received the
hearty support of the judges and of
the bureau of naturalization, and has
received official commentator from
heads of the bureau at Washington.
Because of the limited time avail
able for the instruction, a course of
study covering ten lessons has been
worked out. The work has been ex-
perimental from first to last, as it is
said to differ from Americanization
work of other organizations. 1t is
purely educational without any well
fare or religious phases.
1t is a class for busy men and wom-
en- who already have a fair knowledge
of the English language No English
is taught. Those who need instruc-
ton in English are sent to the night
schools.
These classes do not take the place
of the night schools and do not at
tempt to do the work done in them.
The American Legion and the Aux
Hilary took the lead in creating an
Americanization education council
which secured the establishment OF
night schools in Pittsburg They
made a survey of the city They Sc
cured the pupils. They petitioned the
school board for the schools. They
made them popular by entertaining.
The citizenship classes aim to be
bureau Of specific information on the
points which come up in the citizen
ship examinations. How the laws are
made, who makes them, how many
members sit in congress, what district
the petitioner lives in, who represents
the QISLElCI III luG SClltilS anu III lllC
house, similar questions on the state
government, how taxes are raised,
what part goes to what department,
what the county, township and city
governments are, how elections are
held, what primaries are for, what the
electoral college is, what the bill Of
rights is-these are some of the mat
tiers discussed in a very definite way.
Besides the ten lessons, oral instruc-
ton is given andeit is supplemented
by home reading covering the ques-
lions of each lesson. In this way APP
plicants for citizens have been pre-
pared very effectively and splendid
work for real Americanism has been
done by the Pittsburg unit.
The committee in charge of the
work is composed of Mrs. John
Tracey, chairman; Mrs. Ella Dingman
and Mrs. Amos Bennett. They have
been assisted by Mrs. H. B. Munson,
an attorney, in technical instruction,
and by Mrs L. E. Curfman and Mrs.
Kate Morse