The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip., June 01, 1925, Page 11, Image 11

JUNE 1925
THE UNITED AMERICAN
Page Eleven
Ten Points of Progress in New York State Program, 1915-1925
By WILLIAM C. SMITH, Chief, Immigrant Education Bureau, State Department of Education, Albany, N. Y.
(Special for The United American)
tered for the past two years. The administration of the
literacy test is in the hands of the educational author­
'T HE FIRST SURVEY of state conditions in Immi- ities of the State, and since it is based upon an intelli­
1 grant Education was undertaken in New York in gent reading and writing of English, it goes one step
1914 to 1915. During the same period the first Teacher in advance of any test administered by any of the other
Training Institute was conducted at Albany State
twenty states now requiring literacy as a test for
College for Teachers. The city of Rochester appointed
a local Director of Immigrant Education the same year. voting. This requirement has influenced the night
school attendance and efficiency for good.
1917
The above dates represent the outstanding events,
New York became the first state in the Union to
so far as state legal machinery is necessary to embody
appoint a Supervisor of Americanization.
a State Program of Immigrant Education.
1918
In 1918 the New York Legislature enacted into law
They do not tell all the story of New York’s pro­
a State program, which provided for:
gress. This is based upon the belief that ability to
I. Trained Teachers.
speak English and training in Citizenship is necessarily
II. Opening of Public School Facilities.
the first, but not the only step in the Americanizing
III. Compulsory attendance of non-English speak­ process. It seeks to enlist the prospective citizen in
ing and illiterate minors 16-21.
those forms of civic duty and community participation
without which, the re­
1919-1920
public must fail and the
A State-wide drive in
democracy
for
which
opening up opportunities
AMERICA’S MAKING
America stands, meaning­
for foreign-born, and pro­
less.
viding specialized organi­
By RABBI A. H. SILVER
It translates the forms
zation and supervision of
and machinery of the
smaller centers, were some
f'' OD BUILT him a continent of glory and
governing processes into
of the outstanding de­
'J filled it with treasures untold;
cooperative service.
It
velopments in 1919 to 1920
interprets the life of
in the state of New York.
He studded it with sweet flowing fountains
America to the immigrant
and traced it with long winding streams;
Simultaneously a zoning
in terms of the larger life
system was placed in oper­
He carpeted it with soft rolling prairies and
of which we are all a part.
ation to meet emergency
columned it with thundering mountains;
conditions, with a Director
TRAINING OF TEACHERS
He graced it with deep shadowed forests
and Teachers placed under
The special training of
and filled them with song,
authority of the State De­
teachers
engaged in this
Then He called unto a thousand peoples
partment of Education.
delicate task of adjusting
and summoned the bravest among them,
1921
the foreign-bom to his or
They came from the ends of the earth,
her new environment has
In 1921 the New York
each bearing a gift and a hope,
always been considered a
Legislature enacted a re­
The glow of adventure was in their eyes,
keystone of the arch. It re­
imbursement law to assist
and in their hearts the glory of hope,
cognizes that a technique is
local communities to ap­
necessary if the pupils are
And out of the bounty of earth and the
point teachers and author­
labor of men;
to get the things for which
ized the State to pay one-
they, as adults, come to
half of the salaries of
Out of the longing of hearts and prayer of
school, perhaps at a time
teachers up to $1000.
souls;
of life when their only ad­
local communities taking
Out of the memory of ages and the hopes
venture in education is
over State Directors or ap­
of the world;
pointing local Directors.
fraught with great power
God fashioned a nation in love, blessed it
for success or tragedy—
Under this law, over
with
purpose
sublime
and
called
it
AMERICA.
one hundred communities
the tragedy of disillusion­
have appointed Directors,
ment at the great gateway
Supervisors or Teachers in
to opportunity.
charge of the work; two thousand teachers conducted RECOGNITION OF GIFTS OF FOREIGN-BORN
classes; and last year, over 100,000 pupils attended
“They came bringing gifts.” Each immigrant in
some class in Evening School, Factory, Home or Neigh­ his or her own way. Pupin his relay coil making long
borhood.
distance telephoning possible. Steinmetz, his wonder­
ful experiments resulting in myriad fruits of the
1922
electrical currents. Marconi, his wireless. Riis, his
LITERACY REQUIREMENT FOR NEW VOTERS
social service. Schurz and Kosciusko, their patriotic
A Literacy qualification for New Voters was sub­ fervor, and a thousand peoples in their valuable con­
mitted in 1922 and passed by an overwhelming referen­ tributions of unanswered loyalty on a war worn battle-
dum vote. This law has been satisfactorily adminis-
(Continued on Page Twelve)
1914-1915