Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-19
BY GEORGE PORTER.


sand foreign studeants. representing 80
nationaIties, are being taught the re-
uuirements of good citizenship. With
the aid of the school, q club and a
newspaper, and the kindly assistance
of public spirited citizens and ofganiza-
tions, the work of AnfericaniZing the
foreign-born population of Washing
ton is being carried on with an eff
cheney and enthusiasm of which the
National Capital may well be proud.
The school is conducted under the
Board of Education in close co-opera-
ton with the Naturalization Bureau,
and has its headquarters in the old
Webster School Building at Tenth and
H streets. The clhb which was organ
lied within the school, adopted as its
name The Americanization School AS
ISOLATION" 1t publishes a monthly
called THE AmericaniZation Bulletin"
printed in newspaper form. and is re-
Sponsible for numerous other educa-
tional and recreational activities that
have become a regular part of the
school program largely through the
helpfulness of several public-Spirited
citizens, among whom are numbered
the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia. the
commissioner of the Naturalization
Bureau, and local moving picture
theater owner. Organizations interest
ed in the work include the Daughters
of the American Revolution. the Red
Cross. the American Women's Legion,
the Chamber of Commerce and the
Civilian Club.
\ *
UTMIE stranger within our gates has
always constituted a difficult
problem for civilized nations, especially
TrylN n anf nj RI
the problem abruptly by ordering the
stranger to go home. Just how COM
pick and difficult the problem is can
scarcely be conceived until actual con-
tact is made with a group of immf-
grants when the wide variety Of views
of life, temperamental backgrounds, in
tellectual attachments, political ideas
and spiritual values embodied in such
people becomes apparent.
The manner in which the problem
is being solved in Washington can
best be revealed by a visit to the
Americanization School. Such visit
is enlightening in several respects. 1t
brings out an unsusI~cted eagerneSS
on the part of hundreds of foreigners
to go TO immense effort to become
citizens of this country. Americans
are accustomed to thinking themselves
uncofnmonly virtuous If they attend
night school for any purpose, but here
are hundreds of working men
and women who are going to school
after business hours for the privilege
of becoming citizens of our country
a thing which most of us take as a
matter of course as our birthright
and frequently value much too lightly.
And the efforts of the students are
more than reflected by their teachers,
whose patience, friendliness and I'M
ceasing industry cannot be described
as anything less than heroic.
The extensive program of the school
was outlined by Miss Maude E. Alton,
its principal AS we talked in front
of the entrance to her Office on the
first floor Of the building, several
youngsters of three or four years of
age could be seen playing in a room
atathe other end of the corridor. They
were children of immigrants, Miss
Alton explained, whose mothers had
left. them in the kindergarten while
attending classes upstairs. The close
cooperation of the kindergarten de-
partmei1t OF the public schools makes
this possible.
Our school holds classes in the
morning, afternoon and evening""
said Miss Alton. This affords every
one an opportunity to attend. The
ability and requirements. There are
classes for illiterates, the unfortunates
who can neither read nor write, not
even in their native language, but
who, nevertheless, have the ambition
to do both in a foreign tongue. There
are beginners, intermediate and adj
vanced classes in citizenship. There
are classes in arithmetic, algebra,
spelling and so forth, for those whose
education is lacking in one or more of
those subjects. There are classes in
typewriting, cooking, literature. jour-
nalism and score of other subjects
for those who are not satisfied with
their present attainments, but who
have absorbed some of the American
get-ahead spirit and wish to conquer
new fields through education.
+ Il
0ITHIS year a special class was
opened for children under 16
They are taught English as rapidly as
possible, in order that they may be
transferred TO the proper grade in a
public school without loss of time be-
cause of the language handicap.
These classes are often subdivided
again into smaller groups, for it is
the work of our school to meet the
needs of the Individual. In that our
task is radically different from and
much harder to perform than that of
the ordinary school, which only has to
give certain number Of similar
students specific amount of instruc-
ton in definite period. Our teachers
have to supply the requirements of
widely different types which means
that they cannot follow any cut and
dried method Of instruction, but must
adjust each lesson to each class"
Knowing that an idea of the work
ings Of the school could best be under
stood by actually seeing its program
in operation, visits were made to sew
eral classes. In the morning inter-
mediate class in English, conducted by
Mrs. ii. c. Herman, several features
of the regular work were seen that
were worth noting.
This class, like most of the others
In the building, was conducted in q
room from which the rows of desks
characteristic Of regular Washington
schools had been removed and re
placed by lines of tables, arounc
which the pupils grouped themselves
in an informal manner. Judging b.
the manner in which the scholar!
fraternized, one would think they haC
been friends for years instead of &C
auaintances of a few months. The at
mosphere of good-fellowship was i'm
mediately noticeable and ( source o
satisfaction TO the teacher who hat
purposely striven TO obtain it. know
ing that in her work friendlinesl
should first be established, and upoI
that basis the teacher-pupil relation
ship built.
There was no conscious effort TO
discipline. 1t was not needed. Goo
order was uniformly maintained, thu
pupils knowing they were there 70
business and not for foolishness.
Because a visitor was present, tn
pupils We're asked to name the cour
Try from which they came. Armenia
Russia, Poland, Hungary, Italy
Greece. France and Germany wer