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About The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip. (Portland, Or.) 1923-1927 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1922)
THE WESTERN m e r i c a n ( continuing The Northman ) I A MAGAZINE OF GOOD CITIZENSHIP Devoted to the Cause of Americanization, Assimilation and Group Elimination; Pointing the way to a Constitutional Americanism, to Equality in Citizenship, and a better understanding between Native born and Foreign bom. Vol. 1 &?“1’ 19 Number 2 NOVEMBER 1922 AMERICANIZATION WORK IN THE CITIES INTERPRETING AMERICA TO THE STRANGERS WITHIN TF THE RANK and file of the foreign! born people ■ in America, who speak no other language than their mother tongue and able to understand but very little of America’s language, fully understood what the organized Americanization movement meant to them, there would scarcely be a single alien in the United States who would not be a pupil in a class, day or night, where the American language is taught and where the proper interpretation is given the in stitutions of America. I If those of foreign birth, who have assumed lead ership among their countrymen and hence, in a measure, are responsible for their warped state of mind and inability to progress, would cease to ex ploit their less fortunate nationals and stop their sneering and ridicule of the Americanization move ment, there would be less room for extreme isms Among Americans and no cause for organizations of native bom people, taking exceptions to the for eign born who have made their home in America. I While misinterpretations of the Americanization anovement have continually agitated the alien group centers, the average American has taken little stock in the movement, being, himself, by training, too in- different regarding the mental and physical well- being of “these strangers within,” to look upon it as a matter of his concern that these strangers be assimilated and, as far as possible, made to feel at home, not merely as taxpayers, but as community builders, neighbors and friends. I In spite of these impediments, the Americaniza- tion movement is taking form, and a veritable army of young, educated and truly American men and women are gradually sweeping away the ob stacles, the inertion, the obstanacy and the outright enmity, in its progress for better understanding of the mutual interests of native born and foreign bom on the common ground of one language, one flag and one nation. The Americanization work, which gradually has come to be an institution of community activity, par ticularly in the cities, has largely been carried on, at personal sacrifice, by Americans of native and for eign birth, who have heard their country’s call for service in the great cause of bringing into unity the scattered and widely divergent groups of people who call themselves Americans! The Americanization work has, contrary to many people’s belief, had no financial support from com munity, state or nation. The American millionaires, who invariably have gone hunting for a worthy movement to endow with large contributions, have evidently overlooked this great cause, and the Fed eral Government has so far been unable to appro priate money for Americanization work. The natu ralization work, under the direct supervision of the government, is evidently not considered of much more importance, due to the fact that the naturali zation bureau at Washington has not had enough money to care for this important work in the re spective states, rendering the examining officer un able to give the applications the proper examina tion and at the same time keep the naturalization docket clear. ♦ ♦ ♦ Organized Americanization work had, as far as known, its beginning in the city of Cleveland. Shortly after the United States declared war on