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THE UNITED AMERICAN
no power to levy taxes, no power to prevent individual
states from issuing unlimited quantities of worthless
paper money, no power to make treaties with other
countries, no powfer to regulate trade among the
colonies and no power to preserve order. Naturally
disorder ensued and the government and its laws fell
into disrespect. Because of this condition there arose
a demand for a new constitution providing for a
stronger government. I have already given the reasons
for this government as stated in the Preamble to the
Constitution. In my next letter I shall begin a brief
analysis of the character of the new government.
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APRIL 1925
themselves immigrants. To them we owe a great
burden of gratitude. From all immigrants we have the
right to expect equal loyalty to our country, the right
to expect that in time of need they too will fight in her
defense.
These things the immigrant owes to America.
There are still greater problems to solve and upon our
citizens, foreign-horn as well as native-born, we must
depend for the solution of these problems. Every alien
entering into citizenship must enter upon his new re
sponsibility with the determination that he will study
the problems of the government carefully, that he will
use care in the selection of capable, patriotic men to
enact the laws which will settle these problems and
that he will never neglect the greatest privilege
America confers or can confer on him — the right |
to vote.
And now let us consider for a little while what
America has proven itself to be to the immigrant and
what we hope it will continue to be.
In the first place, it has been a land of opportunity.
FALLACIES OF THE FOREIGN BORN
Millions of immigrants have come to America from
countries of arbitrary government where laws were Editorial in “The Union Signal,” official publication for the
_ National Women’s Christian Temperance Union
administered to favor the rich and the nobility, where
NE OCCASIONALLY hears a critical query as to why the]
they were held down in poverty, where they were de
W. C. T. U. devotes time and money to Americanization]
nied the right to think for themselves and to worship
when so much is being done for the foreign-born by other
as they wished and where there were no free schools work
societies and through governmental agencies. A sufficient
for their children. From such conditions they have answer is that the W. C. T. U. was a pioneer in the work
come to find in America a fair government and the among the foreign-speaking people, and is simply continuing |
chance to build a home. Here their industry and thrift a line of activity inaugurated nearly half a century ago.
But there is another reason for our being in the field, and
have counted, here there are schools for their children,
is the necessity of educating and enlightening the foreign
here there is freedom of thought and speech, here they that
speaking citizens on the truths and principles that underlie I
havie seen their children often become men of influence the Eighteenth Amendment and Volstead Code. In a recent I
and standing. Here they saw in high position such men article in Mental Hygiene 'by Dr. Horatio Pollock and Miss
as John Muir, Charles Schwab, Michael Pupin, Edwin Edith Furbush of New York, hospital statistics are given I
that of the 223 first admissions for alcoholic insanity I
Steiner and Knute Nelson, all immigrants or the showing
in New York hospitals for the year 1922, 125 or 56.1 per cent I
children of immigrants, and these examples gave them were foreign born; 29 or 41.2 per cent were native whites, and I
courage and inspired in them ambition for themselves 6 or 2.7 per cent were negroes. Of the 92 native-born whites, I
and their children. Yes, America has long been and 34 were of native parentage, 41 of full foreign parentage, 15
still is a land of great opportunity for the immigrant. of mixed parentage, and two of unknown parentage. The
conclusion drawn from these statistics is that the enforcement i
Furthermore, it is, as has been said above, a land of the Volstead Code is largely a matter of changing the more
of liberty. Here they find that they can think their or less fixed habits of our foreign-born population, and while
habits are undergoing a change, making some effort to
own thoughts and, so long as they do not thus interfere their
change some of their fixed ideas and fallacies concerning the
with the rights of others, express them. Here they nature and effect of alchohol.
can exercise the right to seek for happiness and con
This is precisely what our Americanization department
tentment in their own way, so long as they do not in aims to do — change the fixed ideas of these foreign folk,
terfere with others’ rights. Here they and their child especially the mothers, and train the children to know the
ren can become full grown men and women, full grown actual truth about the menace of the alcohol habit to their
health and efficiency, to their success in life and to their
in every way, a right long denied them.
happiness and prosperity generally. Such instruction is being
And for all these things what do they owe to patiently given by our Americanization workers in their inter
course with the women and children in Americanization
America?
In the first place they must work. The nobility of centers, in teaching them English, and as they gather the little
ones in the kindergarten. Valuable as is the work being done
America are the men who work hardest and to greatest in
the night schools and 'by other organizations, it does not
effect. The men in whom we place greatest faith are enlighten the confused minds of the foreign-born as to the
those who labor and save and are thoughtful of the reason why they should not be permitted to make, sell and
welfare of their fellow men. It is thru hard work that indulge in alcoholic liquors, as they did in their mother
America was builded and it is only thru hard work that country.
Many local unions have felt they had no time for this
America will continue to live. From the citizens of department
of our work, but if they were to consider how
alien birth, then, we expect industry.
vitally necessary it is to have foreign-born men and women
In the second place they must learn the high ideals of their communities vote right on questions related to prohiib-
of man’s relation to man upon which America is tion, they would appreciate the importance of including the
founded. That is, they must learn and practise justice, Americanization department in their program of work.
respect for law, integrity and a high ambition for their
THE GREAT MAN
country.
It’ is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion.
In the third place, they must learn loyalty to It is easy in solitude to live after one’s own, but the great
America. Millions of our soldiers in the Great War man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect
were the children of immigrants. Thousands were sweetness the independence of solitude.
O