The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip., June 01, 1925, Page 35, Image 35

JUNE 1925
THE UNITED AMERICAN
Page Thirty-five
Accomplishment for the Cause of Americanization in Astoria
By A. C. STRANGE, Superintendent City Public Schools, Astoria, Oregon.
(Special for The United American)
A STORIA, a little seaport city of fifteen thousand
n people, is unique among the cities of the West
in that it is very largely populated by immigrants
and their children, a very uncommon state of affairs
in this part of the country. And like many of the
large cosmopolitan cities of the East, its people are
not from one or two countries but from many. In
fact, the public school enrollment records for the
school year, 1924 - 25 indicate that thirty four different
nationalities are represented among the parents of the
children. It has been estimated that about seventy
percent of the entire population are either immigrants
or their children. Of these, however, a great majority
are Finns and Scandinavians, the remaining ten percent
including small numbers of Japanese, Chinese, Italians,
Greeks, French, Canadians, and the various British
and Russian types.
Practically all of these, as those who know foreign-
born citizens will testify, furnish the best of material
out of which to build loyal, capable American citizens.
Surely we have no better American citizens than we
find in those prosperous commonwealths of the north
middle West which were settled and built up by immi­
grants from the north of Europe.
And why do they become such excellent citizens?
Because in their native. lands they have long
enjoyed a large measure of self-government, because
they are inherently interested in affairs of citizenship,
and because they are naturally industrious and thrifty.
Few will deny that these statements are true of
the Swedes, the Danes and the Norwegians, but many
people do not know that they are equally true of the
Finns. The character of that little country in the
far north of Europe and its people is not so well known.
While it is not always taken into consideration, it is
nevertheless true that Finland is a wonderful little
country, having many great prosperous industries,
beautiful cities, excellent schools, art galleries and
museums, a large commerce and a well established
government modeled after that of the United States.
It is from these northern countries, with the intent
to establish permanent homes, that most of Astoria’s
foreign-bom people have come. They have no thought
of eventually returning to Europe as do so many from
the countries in southern Europe. They are here to
live out their days and to give their children those
golden opportunities denied to them in their youth
which America so generously offers.
Where can one find better material out of which
to build citizenship ?
However, ambitious and capable as they are, they
cannot acquire the needed lessons in citizenship by
mere contact with the native-born citizens. They need
schools; those who already are citizens must take
interest enough in those who are not to give them thè
chance. America has too long iieglected them, too long
permitted them to drift into colonies where they remain
foreign in thought, speech and habits, subject to
exploitation by unscrupulous employers and mercenary
countrymen. Largely due to such causes these people
become discouraged and finally embittered against
everything American. If we are not willing to give
them the chance to learn how to become Americans, we
should never permit them to come here. Our very
act of allowing them to come has placed upon us a
sacred obligation which can be met only as Astoria
is trying to meet it — through the adult school.
In dealing with the immigrant we must bear in
mind that he usually brings with him certain ideas
and certain mental attitudes which, to say the least,
fit badly in America. His life abroad has tended to
make him distrustful of other peoples with whom he
has had little or no contact, to make him suspicious
of his government and its officials who often are very
arrogant in the exercise of their authority, and to give
him strong clannish inclinations. Hence, he prefers,
for purposes of self-preservation, to live in a colony
of his own people. This tendency is natural enough,
but the sad part of it is that there he is likely to
remain the rest of his life, hearing no tongue but his
own, retaining his own native characteristics and native
mental attitudes.
Unfortunately such people are of little worth to
themselves and less to America. They can become
Americanized only by taking them into our social and
political life, by making them proud of America and
by teaching them our ways of viewing human relation­
ship. I believe this can best be done through the
school. I am hoping the day is near when the Ameri-
s,>iiiinniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiii2
| “The Land of
Opportunity” |
A DRAMATIC MOTION PICTURE
|
|
|
!
VISUALIZING FOR the non-English
* speaking foreign born the value of
learning our language, and of becoming
an American citizen. .
j
|
I
I
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION WRITE
WORCESTER FILM CORPORATION
|
State Mutual Building
Worcester, Massachusetts
. or
130 West Forty-sixth Street
New York City
ruiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinii
Place Your Orders With The United American Advertisers—and Tell Them Why