10
THE WESTERN AMERICAN
that will never be forgotten in the lives of those men
and women who felt that the city and the Americans
of the community had for once recognized them and
reached out a warm hand with a grip of welcome and
with smiles had spoken tender felicitations.
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Another reception to those who have been natural
ized during the year of 1922 will take place at the
municipal auditorium on Washington’s birthday this
year.
Judge Kanzler, who was chairman of the day last
year, has again been chosen to direct the plans for
the reception and program this year and the public
interest already manifest is a criterion that there
will be a mass attendance on this occasion. It was
confidently hoped that Mr. Raymond F. Crest, Com
missioner of Naturalization, would have been able to
be present at the reception, but a letter just received
expresses his regrets that he will be unable to attend.
Invitations are to be extended to all those who have
been naturalized since last February 22nd, asking
them to be present among those who are to be hon
ored on this day and publicly welcomed into citizen
ship. Every one who became naturalized last year
and values citizenship should arrange to be present.
He might learn to prize his citizenship higher after
the 22nd of February.
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A city wide survey, in effect a census of the for
eign born people of this city is being conducted this
month under the direct charge of the director and
the field secretary. In this survey more than one
thousand women have given their time as volunteer
census takers and marked results have already been
shown on the part of the foreign born who are com
ing to the Council’s office for friendly advice and
help. Particularly gratifying is the interest in Amer
ican language education manifest by the foreign
bom and their desire to study America’s institutions
in government which eventually will enable many of
them to take the examination for citizenship.
A heavy enrollment in the night schools is con
fidently looked for as a result of the survey. This
increase would be much greater if the budget for the
public night schools would permit of opening addi
tional public schools for night classes in the outlying
districts and suburban neighborhoods.
The Portland budget for Public Night Schools is
$7000.00. A slight increase in this budget might be
made if attendance in the schools now open should
warrent the establishment of additional classes.
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A plan for a statewide Americanization movement
was inaugurated more than two years ago by former
Governor Ben W. Olcott. These plans, however, never
materialized. An Americanization commission for
the state, with men willing to tackle a real live job,
should have a wholesome influence in the promotion
of intelligent citizenship among the foreign bom and
to removfe the stigma of illiteracy from this fair state.
January, 1923
SEEKING THE LOST BACKBONE OF HUMANITY
TN OFEG’S DITTIES, by Ola Hanson, is the follow-
1 ing pretty little story of the man who went out
in search of that human quality we have come
to describe as the “backbone” of man. This little
ditty reads, in translation from Swedish, as follows:
One summer night as the full moon rose, I wandered into
the forest. In an open glade between the alders I found the
God of Time napping in the pearly moonshine.
“What seek you in the wood at this late hour?” asked he;
“you appear apprehensive and your eyes are full of fear.”
“I seek help for humanity,” I replied; “the races are list
less, faint-hearted and heedless. If they are unconcerned,
it is from apathy. If they are fearless it is from
fatalism.
If they are strong, it is resignation. I
seek for the witchwort, whose sap alone can give to mankind
the lust of existence; joy in the simple fact of living; make
the feet of humanity light and their spirit bright; create
great dreams and incite to great deeds. I seek the backbone
of humanity, which has been lost to it.”
The God lay silent, gazing out into the expanse of endless
space that sparkled in the mystery before him. It seemed
to me he was smiling, but suddenly I saw him knit his brow
into a frown. And from afar there came a rumbling through
the Wood, and darkness fell upon us. The rumbling rolled
nearer and nearer and the darkness grew more dense. From
the gloom came the fantastic shadow play of indistinct forms;
the rumbling became growling as of many beasts, and sud
denly the growling turned to the baying of hounds and I saw
many hundred pairs with red, gleaming eyes rushing toward
me. Instantly I stood on guard and gripped the knife in;
my belt. Then I heard some one chuckle softly beside me;]
chuckle mirthfully and heartily but quietly. And the bay
of the hounds became hushed, the gloom lightened, the wood;
about me stood silently in the moonlit summer night, and in;
the open glade amongst the alders lay the Time God chuckling.i
“When the time comes,” he said, “when mankind comes i
seeking for the magic wort, as you have done, then will I
conjure forth the great terror. THEN the races will draw;
their knives from their belts and stiffen their backs—just as
>you did but a little while ago—and find again their lost]
backbone.
THE IMMIGRATION QUESTION
(Continued from page 11)
law and order. These people do not have the faintest;
conception of what government with the consent of
the governed mean. It is from this element that
the agitator comes. You can hear them bellow and
mouthing on street corners their theories of a Kai
Marx or a Lenin and the dream of the dictatorship;
of the proletariat, attacking the very institutions;
which give them the liberty to express themselves.;
As Americans we have been lax in the past. We]
have permitted these millions to come and have raised]
but little objection. Each immigrant as he enters;
America should be compelled to register when he]
enters and once a year until he becomes a naturalized;
citizen; if within a certain period he does not become
a citizen then he should be sent back to the country
from which he came. We should have a required
standard of education for citizenship. We should
have but one language—the English. Foreign groups;
should be compelled to give way to American groups.'
The problem is one in which we can all participate
for the betterment of conditions. The Americaniza
A woman who creates and sustains a home, and under whose
hands children grow up to be strong and pure men and women, tion Council is working along right lines. Other or
ganizations are doing their bit.
is a creator second only to God.