JANUARY, 1924
THE UNITED AMERICAN
7
and unnaturalized, who fancy that they are entitled to tain the views of The United American. The cause
look upon America as their country.
of Americanization should cease to be a political and
The incident is used here only to furnish an illu social hobby horse for people who use every means to
stration of what we mean when we quote a common be in the center of the stage. People who apply to an
parlance of the street: “Anything is good enough for educational institution for training in Americaniza
the ‘foreigners’.” The dignity and pride of the for tion subjects should either be told that the subject
eign born, as an American citizen, perhaps ought not was not taught or else such an institution should pro
to be hurt, if some unimportant “head” writer with a vide a competent and qualified instructor, qualified
leading American newspaper, believing that he ex because of personal training in the subject and backed
pressed a somewhat acceptable opinion of his native by acceptable credentials.
clan, conveyed the impression that books simple
It should be borne in mind that a large number of
enough to be suitable for feebleminded would be the people of foreign birth, who are deficient in the
excellent reading for the foreign born.
American language and lacking in intimate knowledge
The relevancy of this reference to the subject mat of American institutions, are fairly well educated
ter under discussion is only by way of specific refer people and in intelligence and training are quite equal
ence to emphasize the importance of changing some to the native Americans.
I woefully wrong impressions regarding the foreign
SHOPPER
born which is quite general among native Americans.
A tiller of the soil frnm Pohick Crossroads trudged into a
This is absolutely essential, if we are to have any shoe store with his nine children and said to the clerk, “I want
beneficial results from our Americanization activities. ’em all fitted.” The obliging clerk went to the job and as
Those who have come to believe that the work of rapidly as he had each one of the children fitted, the farmer
asked, “Now, what size is that?” The clerk gave him the in
teaching the foreign bom the American language is formation,
which the farmer wrote on a slip of paper.
all there is in Americanization, or that learning how
Wheh all were fitted, the clerk figured a minute and said,
to instruct a class of foreign born in the American “Now that will be fifty-eight dollars.”
“Oh,” said the farmer, “I don’t want to buy their shoes here.
language, by some general method, is all there is to
know about Americanization, will never contribute I just want to be sure of the sizes. I am going home now and
them from Sears-Roebuck.”
much to the Americanization work which is held es- order
Don’t laugh at this, for it only parallels a tragedy daily
I sential to the assimilation of the alien in the interest enacted in the printing business by the habitual shopper.
of our common unity cause.
There is but one way to break up this iniquitous custom, and
is to run the Standard Cost System in your shop, and
It may be an expression of feeblemindedness on the that
then talk it at every opportunity to every shopper who enters
part of the foreign born when he resents expressions your plant.—Typothetae of Washington.
of paternalism and objects to sympathetic patronage, iiiiiiiiiiiHiiiitiiiiHiiiiiiiiiHfiiimiiiHtiiiiiiiHiiiiiiminiiimiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniimiiimiir:
and asks for only one thing — to be regarded as an
American, in spite of his accent and impediment of
speech. He may not be regarded “just right” by some
I people when he insists that the constitutional prero-
Igative should be granted to him without any equivo-
I cation or reservation, but it is a safe conclusion that
I the mental reservation he observes on the part of the
I native Americans who grudgingly admit that the
I wording of the Constitution favors equality for the
foreign born, is not going to help bring about his
I Americanization.
We believe, regardless of the criticism our frank
discussion in this respect is almost sure to bring about
in certain centers locally, that such profound stu
dents and instructors in Americanization as Doc
tor Raymond Moley, of Columbia University; Ralph
Boas of Springfield; Dr. Alfred E. Koenig of Minne
apolis; Dr. Albert E. Jenks, formerly head of the
[Department of Anthropology and Americanization in
—is an everyday source of pleasure and
¡the Minnesota State University now engaged in
pride—and it can be accomplished within
Research work in Washington, D. C.; R. E. Dugdale,
the moderate income. We have had long
[Director Extension Department Board of Education
experience in judging furniture values,
and in charge of Americanization in Toledo, Ohio;
and the pieces we select represent the kind
W, C. Smith, supervisor of Immigrant Education, Al
of furniture you want, at prices you can
bany, N. Y.; Charles M. Herlihy, Department of
Americanization, Massachusetts; Robert C. Deming,
State Director of Americanization, Hartford, Conn.;
Chester A. Graham, Board of Education, Akron,
Ohio; E. W. Emsweiler, Director of Americanization,
Columbus, Ohio; G. A. Green, Director the Citizens’
(Bureau, Cleveland, Ohio, and many others, will sus
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