Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol4, 1920.pdf/123
A decision of the Supreme Court handed down in December 1919 is to the effect that all instruction in public, parochial and denominational schools must be given in the English language up to and including the eighth grade, but permits people who send their children to the American public schools to provide for them foreign language instruction in Saturday, Sunday or vacation schools outside of public school hours. This decision saves the day for Nebraska which thus provides its rising generation with a thorough education in the English language, but does not deprive it of the advantage and opportunity of instruction in other languages as well.
Another piece of legislation signed January, 20, 1920, by the Governor of Oregon which may yet prove sadly retroactive was the act making it unlawful to print, publish, circulate, display, sell or offer for sale any newspaper and periodical in any language other than the English, unless the same contains a literal translation thereof in the English language of the same type and as conspicuously displayed, and providing a penalty therefor of imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed six months or by fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500), or by both such imprisonment and fine.”
Is Oregon to be a state abjuring the knowledge by which its citizens could profit through other than English sources? Are we really developing into an exclusive one-language people?
That the Czechoslovaks regard the acquirement of the English language as not only desirable, but a necessary patriotic duty is evident from the thousands of expressions on the subject. Such representative men of Europe as Charles Pelant writes “The Czechoslovaks must be regarded as a nation whose second language is English. We must have English taught in all our schools.”
It may surprise many “Americanizers” to know that the most effective, in fact the only “Americanization” efforts made among the Czechs long before the recent hysteria had seized on the native born, were the results of the work of the Czechs themselves. No American took any interest in them except at election times, so forthwith they themselves set about learning the first step in the proces of becoming Americans. No fewer than thirty-five (35) English books—interpreters, grammars and dictionaries have been written and published by Czechs and almost an equal number of works on how to attain American citizenship. The Czechs and latterly the Slovak newspapers and periodicals have published series of lessons on the American Constitution and on Civics in general and have for years devoted columns to articles on the Americanism of leaders like Washington, Franklin, Lincoln and Wilson. Practically every masterpiece of American literature—both prose and poetry—has been translated into Czech language and widely circulated in the justified belief that the truest knowledge of the nation of Americans can come through intimate acquaintance with its literature.
It is noteworthy, too, that the Czechoslovak press in the United States published in 1919 alone upwards of 520 releases from United States Government Departments issued by the Czechoslovak Bureau of the Foreign Language Governmental Information Service and have cooperated wholeheartedly in every effort to provide its readers with authentic and dependable information about the activities of government agencies. The official organs of large Czech and Slovak organizations constantly urge their readers to learn English and to take an active part in all community activities. Practically every one of them now has from one to ten pages devoted to informational articles in the English language. Most of these organizations open their lodge meetings by singing “America.”
The spirit of America finds an echo in the heart of every Czechoslovak and in them it will find an intelligent and patriotic citizenry. It is the practice of certain Americans and not the principle of Americanism that is objectionable to the residents of foreign stock. It is all very beautiful for the nativeborn to rant in high sounding phrases of the principles of freedom, equality and justice which our country supports, but it is rather disillusioning to read in the news columns of every paper article after article telling of political graft and crookedness, business profiteering and industrial wrongs. The effect of the chauvinistic editorial is refuted by the proof of actual daily occurrences and experiences.
The “Denní Hlasatel” of Chicago pertinently remarks: “It seems to us highly necessary that Americanization should begin at home, among those who so loudly demand the Americanization of foreigners,