EDUCATION OF IMMIGRANTS. Dur ing the 14years preceding the outbreak of the European War 11,726,606 immigrants over 14 years of age were admitted to the United States. Of this number 3,116,182 or about 25 per cent were illiterate. During a year of ordinary im migration preceding the war more than 1,000,000 immigrants came to this country. In the year 1914 the number was 1,218,480. Illiteracy has been on the increase in 18 States in the Union. These States are the leading industrial and mining States, and include New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsyl vania, Illinois and California. These are the States in which the great majority of immi grants settle. Under the first selective draft law 1,243,801 alien males registered who are between the ages of 21 and 30. Under the military ages fixed in the amended draft law, 18 to 45, there are 3,000,000 unnaturalized alien males in this country. About 20 per cent of these cannot speak English. When they enter the United States army they will be unable to understand the commands of their officers until they are taught to understand English. There are 5,500,000 people in the United States who are unable to speak English.
In the last decade there has been a large decrease in the number of illiterates under 14 years of age. Under compulsory attendance laws illiterates under this age have practically disappeared. The number of negro illiterates is rapidly decreasing. The number of native-born white illiterates is also rapidly decreasing. The only class of illiterate which has been in creasing during recent years is the foreign-born. This large number of citizens unable to speak the language of the United States exceeds the number of soldiers which the government ex pects to send to Europe to fight in this war. The number equals about one-twentieth of the popu lation of the country. These immigrants come to the United States for the purpose of obtaining larger opportunities for themselves and their children. They naturally drift to the sections of the cities which are inhabited by former residents of their native lands. Thus there are to be found in all the large American cities a particular section inhabited by Italians and known as the Italian section, another in habited by Poles and known as the Polish section, etc. These immigrants do not get the
spirit of the life of American or democratic institutions. They retain to a very large ex tent the customs and habits of the country from which they emigrated. It is difficult for them to learn to speak English and they are not able to communicate readily with Americans. This fact is to their disadvantage in obtaining employment. Then, too, they do not acquire so readily a knowledge of the laws of the United States, of their rights in and their obligations to the country. About one-third of the prisoners in penal institutions in the United States are aliens. The number during the decade preced ing the war had constantly increased. They have in many instances been here but a short period of time and have committed minor offenses. They are in many cases the leaders in riots and in other movements of disorder and lawlessness.
President Wilson in addressing several thousand aliens made the following statement: °You cannot become thorough Americans if you think of yourselves in groups. America does not consist of groups. A man who thinks of himself as belonging to a particular national group in America has not yet become an American. . . . America was created to unite mankind by those passions which lift.s Immigration is a national affair and has always been regulated by the Congress. The action of the Congress in passing a measure over the veto of the President in 1917 prohibit ing immigrants from coming to this country who are illiterate has simplified in a measure the question of adult illiteracy. While no addi tional illiterates will be admitted to this country there will still be large numbers of immigrants admitted who are not able to read or write English. In the problem therefore of immi grant education there are two types of alien who must have consideration. First, the illit erate alien, and second the literate alien who is unable to speak English. It is as important to educate the non-English-speaking literate alien as it is to educate the illiterate alien for preparation for citizenship, by informing him upon the fundamental features of the social, industrial and civic questions upon which the progress and prosperity of a democracy depends.