Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-12

MY Native Country, Thee" was sung
last Sunday under the dome of the Cap
itol by more than a thousand aliens
who meant all the time just the reverse
of what they said. For this is not their
native country" at all, although it
were hard to find more patriotic and
loyal Americans than they Were-and
are. They had come from New York
City, at their own expense, to see the
National Capital of their adopted land.
They are students in the Americana
cation School.
Once upon a time two young boys
were disputing. One was the adopted
son of those he called his parents; the
other was with his actual father and
mother. Said the adopted orphan:
HUH Your parents don't love you
like mine love me. Your father and
mother had to take you; mine chose
me-"
That seems to be the notion of many
an immigrant coming to adopt Amer
lea and achieve the honor and privi-
leges of American citizenship. Against
such a spirit there is no desire of Amer
lean natives to invoke immigration re-
striction. Probably there is no country
doing more in practical way to aid
the acceptable immigrants to become
imbued with the spirit of their adopted
country than Is the United States of
America. Other countries force immi-
grants to learn to speak and read their
official language and handicap them I'M
til they do learn the language, but in
America schools are maintained to give
aliens the opportunity, without cost, to
learn not only our language but the
history and ideals of the country and
incl ca
are many thousands of aliens in Amer
lea who love their adopted parents
like the orphan above quoted was con-
fident his foster parents loved hinl-far
more than do those who had to take
Uncle Sam because they were born in
his own household.
There Is such a public Americana
cation School in Washington, located on
the corner of Tenth and G. streets
northwest, where students of all ages.
from 5 to So years, representing Sc
natiOnalitieS and of both sexes, are
eagerly learning to become American
citizens The principal of the school.
Miss Maude E. Alton. has built up the
work during the last decade from a
small class of citizen candidates which
in 1914 met three times a week to a
school of 800 to 900. meeting mornings.
d
turnover making a total enrolment of
not less than 1000 in the course of the
year.
From this school some so graduate"
each month with certificates recognized
by the courts and Naturalization Board,
emitting them to become citizens with
out further scholastic examinations:
they can read and speak English and
are familiar with the history OF the
United States. the ideals and institu-
tons of our Government, both Federal
and State, and the general ideals of
Americans.
What is most interesting is that these
alien students, comprising Sc nationali-
ties. are all eager and enthusiastic IN
their ambitions to become qualified
Americans. In the face of the fact that
when the Army draft was made in 1917
quarter of the young American natives
were found to be illiterate and utterly
unable to meet the present requirements
for naturalization of these aliens, it is
standing rebuke of American short
comingS in education. Yesterday morn
ing when the writer entered one of the
claSSroomS, unannounced, the teacher
called upon a young man to repeat his
criticism Tin English) of the speeches
made that morning by others in the
class-for daily exercise consists of
two-minute speeches-and he told in
English what he had said in the class.
1t transpired that he was a Mexican
who had been As days in the United
States and had had no study of Eng
fish before coming. How many Ameri-
cans could enter Mexico today without
knowledge of Spanish and by April l
express ideas in the foreign tongue?
Tomorrow evening in the auditorium
of the United States Chamber OF
Commerce, at 1915 II street. there will
be given reception to the pupils OF
the Americani2ation School and their
friends OF the public. under the
auspices of the State characterization