Evening star., 1925-04-25

had been in America four years and
next Fall viii enter high school, a
year in advance of the normal age
of native Americans.
x
What the aliens need most of all.
explains Miss Alton, is contact with
the better class of Americans, that
| they may discover true American
| ideals. She told of this need not long
ago to a club of American ladies who
are interested in welfare work of va
rious kinds. She referred TO a Russian
| immigrant who was a university grad
uate, a gentleman in training and a
gentle man in instincts. She appealed
to this club to cooperate in supplying
! the American touch. They were inter-
ested. 1t was romantic.
! Yes" added Miss Alton, the man
! has no opportunity TO meet Americans
! who are his equals in education and
manners and ideals; you see, it is hard
| for one who cannot speak our Ian
! guage to get proper economic ad-
| justment. This man is forced to scrub
| floors in restaurant. Now, if you
| ladies would"
! Miss Alton comments. whimsically:
| The club has not yet been heard
from in that economic and social ad-
! justment But in America, All men
| are created equal, and are endowed,
etc. What class distinctions in
! American
| The president of the Americaniza-
| ton School Association is Souren
Hanessian, an Armenian, who came
TO America four years ago and served
in the Army, so as to become entitled
TO American citizenship, at once.
/ inc Of H. IL,
taken place in recent years in the at
tftude OF the public toward the alien.
| he contrasted previous conditions with
those of the present:
But the times have changed. and
thinking Americans have come TO the
| realization that they cannot afford
to let that condition continue. They
feel strongly the moral responsibility
which rests upon them to educate and
! Amerfcanlze the new elements of
| population of this country. Thev
| know well that unless these elements
are AmerlcantZed this nation cannot
De 100 per cent American. To
| nave America 100 per cent Amerl-
/ can, the educating of the foreign-born
! should go hand in hand with the edu-
| eating of the native born Ar
| this time, thinking of America as a
country of patriotic and intelligent
| HAitASh ASeAiio, we IlcGu less OF clothes
| less or material pleasure less of lux
| ury and more of the spirit which
makes America the greatest of all. Let
| us work and sacrifice to that end"
| MI. 1aneSslan wrote his speech in
| Armenian, then at the school he was
assisted in correcting his English;
| nhaliy, took the manuscript to Chief
Justice Mccoy of the District Supreme
Court-the chief friend of the school
10 cneck up its sentiments, so that he
might not be advocating what a true
american might not approve. His vi
sion Is to extend the America nization
School Association all over America.
| with headquarters in the Capital.
- X x
Miss Alton emphasizes the principle
| OF working with the immigrants-co-
operating while encouraging their own
initiative-rather than doing for them.
She points TO the fact that in all i'm
| migrants there must be unusual ini-
| tlatIVe-self elf-determination, enterprise
and the pioneer spirit-else they could
not have reached America. Develop
/ this spirit along right channels rather
than seek to make mere non-compre-
/ hending imitators of American ma
tives. She defines Americanization as
the unity of new and native-born
Americans into a fuller understanding
and appreciation, to secure by means
of self-government the highest well
! fare of all"
There appears no room for patron
| izing nor for condescension in that
definition, the guiding rule of the
| school, and she adds:
1T is participation rather than sub
mission or conformity that makes
Americans of foreigners" That idea
stimulates self-respeet while incu-
eating appreciation of American ideals
and opportunities and true liberty.
Copyright, 1898, by Paul V. Collins.l