Evening star., 1925-03-13

worked up over the problem of the
melting pot, and are greatly concern
ed over the danger of having a large
foreign population ignorant of and
even hostile toward our institutions.
That is, of course, a serious problem.
But, as matter of fact, great
number of immigrants are eager to
familiarize themselves with our sys-
tenn of government promptly and
diligently. Can We say as much for
all or even a vast majority of our
native born population?
Certainly one good way to Ameri-
canize the foreign born is to make
certain that the native-born, who are
their unconscious tutors, are them
seleves adequately informed as to our
institutions. Toward that goal this
contest moves with long, swift
strides"
Interest Is Widespread.
A vision of the appeal of the ma
tional oratorical contest and of it's
power to reach into the most remote
sections of the United States is to be
caught in the following story from
the Detroit News:
Mail comes infrequently from the
isolated Beaver Islands, far up in
Lake Michigan, and it travels slow
ly, but always when 1T comes it bears
Wills. Sunday the word that came
was of the loss of a whole load of
mail through a, crevice in the ice, as
1t was being brought to the MAIN
land by carriers with pony outfits.
Today the word that comes is that
Mckinley High School at the little
village of st. James, capital of the
group of islands, will respond to the
patriotic call to duty, and participate in
the national oratorical contest on con-
stitutional government.
THE letter which comes from the
Dominican Sisters, who conduct the
only high school in the Beavers, is
not an optimistic one, but it is coura-
geous. 1t is by no means certain
that, when the district eliminations
are held, the boy or girl champion
will be able to cross the icy waters
to the scene of the interscholastic
competition. But they are used to
disappointment. They will do their
best At least, one youngster will
have won bronze medal for his
triumph over his fellows of ST. James.
And they will put to shame the few
schools which have, through faint
hearts, passed by opportunities af-
forded them and their students.
Cut OF From World.
"'Only the fact of our isolation
has made us hesitate to enroll our
pupils writes Sister NJ. Leo McDon-
aid, principal of Mckinley School. AS
we are living on an island cut off
from regular communication with the
rest of the world for most of the
year, it frequently happens that just
at the time when we are wanted to
appear elsewhere we cannot get
away from the island.
"'Our mail is now being carried
over the ice on sieighs. The last mail
was entirely lost in the lake. Soon
the Ice will begin to break and then
a period of several weeks will elapse
before a boat can navigate the lake.
However, our high school consists of
20 members, whom you may enroll If
you think it is not now too late
THE Beaver Islands lie about 25
miles out in Lake Michigan from the
mainland of the lower peninsula. The
group takes its name from the largest
island, which is about 13 miles long
and miles wide, with a shape like
the body of a beaver, the head point
ing toward the north.
Once Mormon Settlement.
I'm early days the island was in
habited by a small band of Chippewa
Indians, among whom the Rev. Father
Baraga established a mission in 1880.
in 1850 the larger island was oc-.
cupied by a colony of Mormons, under
liking Strang," who maintained a
patriarchal and despotic government.
The Mormons expelled several camps
of fishermen who lived on the, main
land This action and the fact that
the Mormon colony constituted ma
jority of the voters of Mackinac
County for several years led to a
petty war which ended with the muir
der of Strang by one of his own fol-
lowers and the expulsion of the
Colonists when the settlers on the
mainland became strong enough in
numbers to overpower them.
For many years the Beavers have
been occupied by fishermen, mostly
from the north of Ireland, who farm
the land but get their living mostly
from the water of the lake. Their