Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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Americans of the great mass of foreign- born in the United States. There have been many definitions of the term A mericanization. At a conference of English teachers who were anxious to pro- mote the movement, the following definition was unanimously adopted : ‘ ‘ Americaniza- tion is the process of teaching the foreign- born the idioms not only of our language but of our thought ; of familiarizing them with American traditions and American ideals; and of encouraging action in har- mony with such teaching.” Indeed, there might be no better definition of American- ization than that contained in the golden rule, “As ye. yould that man should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” The foreign-born are illiterate, and they fail to understand American ideals. The task .of Americanizing them is, therefore, a great one. No one knew the extent of illiteracy in this country until we entered the Great War. For. years we had been boasting of the intelligence of our nation, ' and of the very small amount of illiteracy in this country. . It was always easy for an illiterate to answer . ‘ ‘ yes’ ’ when the canvasser asked, “Can you read and write?” No one was required to prove his answer. When.wm entered the Great War, it was different. The. government got the facts. It discovered that one-fourth of the men in the army were unable to read an American newspaper, or to write a letter to their friends, at home. In truth, almost 20 per cent, of the people in the United States are unable to read. lit the State of Massachusetts alone there are 300,000 illiterates. . That means that an average of almost, one person in every ten cannot read. Not only are the foreign-born ignorant of the English language, but they fail to understand American ideals. Some of them come over here with the idea that the United States is a place in which to make money, and our country signifies nothing else to them. Some think that this is a country where people are taken advantage of and enslaved, and that all are not given equal opportunities. May of the foreigners are influenced by the spirit of radicalism in government. They come here to over- throw law and order. Many do not under- stand the country which is willing to be- friend them. How can we have a united country if we do not promote Americanization, if we do not teach these foreign-born American principles and ideals, if we do not show them which of their ideas are right and which are wrong? We must show the for- eign-born that in this country they have all the rights of citizenship if they attain it. We must show them that not only should they earn an honest living, but they should also interest themselves in the coun- try which has received them, and they should have other ambitions than the pur- suit of money, money. Theodore Roosevelt’s last, plea was for Americanization. He said : “If he (mean- ing the immigrant) tries to keep segre- gated with men of his own origin and separated from the rest of America, then he isn’t doing his part as an American. There can be no divided allegiance at all. “We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against civ- ilization. We fiave room for but one lan- guage here,, and, that is the English lan- guage, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out Americans, of Amer- ican nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding house ; and we have room for. but one soul loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people.” Since., Americanization is necessary to the welfare of our country, let us consider its aims, and , the w:ays in which they can be realized. Americanization aims to make English the universal language of this country, to preserve the best contributions of the Old World, to add to them the ideals of the New World, and to produce a united people, loyal to America. The English language is the first neces- sity. Is it right for foreigners to read papers in their own language, papers which tell them to “Fight for Italy,” or “Fight for Greece”? We must show the foreign- born who have settled here, that America, and not the land from which they came, is the country to which they must devote themselves. The immigrants in an English-speaking country must know English. It is a handi- cap to be ignorant of the language. They must be able to address English-speaking people, read common signs and warnings in the streets, and write letters. They can-

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IN ALL LABOR, THERE IS PROFIT To the school committee, superintendent, principal, teachers, and friends who are here tonight to help us commemorate the completion of our High School career, we extend our heartiest welcome. Four labor- ious years have been necessary for the com- pletion of one room of the house of life. Tomorrow we begin another. Perhaps we feel we have worked ardu- ously in order to attain the little success we have won, but let us consider for a moment the amount of labor expended by those great characters who have climbed high on the ladder of success. Those men have worked unceasingly, but not without reward. Consider the contributions to civ- ilization which those great, hard-working men have made. The professor has reached the stage at which he imparts to less- learned men the knowledge of the ages. The physician lessens human suffering. The business-man controls the industrial and commercial world. The scientist has made discoveries which are almost incredible. The laborer’s duties are necessary to the wel- fare of humanity. The value of labor lies not only in the finished product, however, but also in the effect which work has upon character. Man b? rated by God, not according to the task he accomplishes, but according to the effort he nuts into his work. People too seldom realize this truth, which is well expressed •in the following selection from Browning: “Not on the vulgar mass Called “work” must sentence pass, Things done that took the eye and had the price, O’er which, from level stand, The low world laid its hand, Found straightway to its mind, could value in a trice; But all the world’s coarse thumb And finger failed to plumb, So passed in making up the main account ; All instincts immature, All purposes unsure, That weighed not as his work, yet swelled the man’s amount. Thoughts hardly to be packed Into a narrow act, Fancies that broke through language and escaped ; All I could never be, All men ignored in me, This I was worth to God.” We may struggle all our lives, yet never reach the heights from which our ideal beckons to us. Indeed, we should have no fixed goal. We should “hitch our wagon to a star.” Success in its broadest sense is never attained, there is always something beyond us, something to strive for, to grasp. A man’s soul dies when he becomes thor- oughly satisfied with himself and the world. Tt is the man climbing after an ever-rising ideal, who makes contributions to the civ- ilization of the world. Yet there are people, and indeed many of them, who labor and labor, yet fail. Some may make early failures into step- ping stones to success. Others will struggle, will follow a lofty ideal, but will follow it in vain. Browning refers to the latter class as “high men”: ‘ ‘ That low man seeks a little thing to do ; Sees it and does it ; That high man, with a great thing to pursue, Dies ere he knows it.” The labor of this apparent failure, has produced, not material, but spiritual fruits ; and may it not be, as Browning suggests, “God’s task to make the heavenly period perfect the earthen”? Dear classmates, have we not found dur- ing the last four years, that a nything really worth while requires much labor? Our High School life, by teaching us the value of work, has prepared us to meet unflinch- ingly the difficult tasks of life. In the future, as in the past, may we be guided in an upward path by the realization that ‘ ‘ In All Labor, there is Profit ! ’ ’ Irene Atkinson — 1921. AMERICANIZATION Without doubt, Americanization is one of the most important and most necessary educational movements in our country to- day. Educating the foreigner regarding the constitution, the rights of citizenship, redress before courts, and the equal oppor- tunities of all people in this country, is of the greatest importance if we wish to make

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not live without English in this country. By this I do not mean that we should Americanize by force. I advocate patience and sympathy in dealing with these people. Teach them English, and they themselves will begin to read American newspapers. We cannot take away from their minds by - force their ideas of radical government. Force has never been successful in over- coming an idea. Ideas must be fought with ideas. I advocate Americanization that will win over the foreign-born by instruc- tion rather than by force. If we should resort to force, our method would not be American, for America is the country of toleration and fair play. In order that we may succeed, we must have co-operation, societies, chambers of commerce, churches, clubs, factories, mills, and communities must unite in this work. Many mills have been teaching their em- ployees Americanism. They have large classes maintained in the company’s time. These mills and factories have realized that a foreman can better communicate with those under him if they speak the same language that he does, and that the laborer can do his work better if he knows the Eng- lish language, because he ' can understand directions and warnings. Many societies and clubs have endeavored to do their part. Money is being contri- buted by them tow T ard the welfare of the foreign-born. Many communities are work- ing for Americanization. Night schools are maintained in which every-day English is taught. The foreign-born are taught the way to keep their homes. Recreation is provided for their children. Many com- munities are engaged in this kind of work. I commend the town of Ipswich and those in Ipswich who are working to promote the welfare of the foreign-born. The whole country, however, must be united in the task. We must also eliminate racial hatred. At present was exclude the foreign-born from society, we scorn them, and we refuse to live near them. Americanization can never succeed thus. Give the immigrant a chance, teach him, treat him sympathetically and patiently, and he will become a good American. Many of the prominent men in the country came from foreign lands. They have succeeded. Others will succeed, and some day we shall be proud of them. Let us all unite in forming a country in which everyone shall be a true American, and do his best for his country and his flag. Let us hope that the United States will always be a country to which all its in- habitants can proudly say: “Fear not each sudden sound and shock; ’Tis of the wave and not the rock; ’Tis but the flapping of the sail, And not the rent made by the gale ! In spite of rock and tempests’ roar, In spite of false lights on the shore, Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea! Our hearts, our hopes are all with thee, Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears, Our faith triumphant o’er our fears, Are all with thee, — are all with thee!” Let us hope that our country will always stand among the nations of the world as a country whose ideals are liberty and jus- tice. Nathan Sushelsky — 1921. THE CULTIVATED MAN Before studying the characteristics of a cultivated man, let us consider the defini- tion of the word culture. The “Encyclo- paedia Britt anica” says that culture is the art of tilling and preparing the earth for crops. We are all familiar with the condition of the soil in the spring. , The ground is then sterile, poor, and unfruitful, a soil from which satisfactory crops cannot be raised. Such is the uptrained mind. Dur- ing his high school career, the pupil works upon, his mind as the farmer does upon his land. He systematically trains his mind that he should reap a satisfactory harvest. At graduation the pupil’s mind is like the cultivated soil, rich and fertile, a land from which great things are expected, and from which he shall reap all that he has sowed, nothing more. At the graduation season there should be planted and slowly growing in the stu- dent ’s mind, the seeds of true culture. The first of these is freedom, freedom from all habits which may enslave him. Habit is like a cord to which we add a fibre each day, till at last it becomes so strong that we. cannot break it. The thundering cata- ract is formed from the union of many small streams of water, so from an act often repeated an overpowering habit re- sults. Laziness, negligence, and self-in dulgence are often chains binding the man