the americanization of edward bok-第73节

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　man　was　too　high　to　escape　editorial　vituperation　if　his　politics　did　not　happen　to　suit　the　management；　or　if　his　action　ran　counter　to　what　the　proprietors　believed　it　should　be。　It　was　not　criticism　of　his　acts；　it　was　personal　attack　upon　the　official；　whether　supervisor；　mayor；　governor；　or　president；　it　mattered　not。

It　is　a　very　unfortunate　impression　that　this　American　lack　of　respect　for　those　in　authority　makes　upon　the　foreign…born　mind。　It　is　difficult　for　the　foreigner　to　square　up　the　arrest　and　deportation　of　a　man　who；　through　an　incendiary　address；　seeks　to　overthrow　governmental　authority；　with　the　ignoring　of　an　expression　of　exactly　the　same　sentiments　by　the　editor　of　his　next　morning's　newspaper。　In　other　words；　the　man　who　writes　is　immune；　but　the　man　who　reads；　imbibes；　and　translates　the　editor's　words　into　action　is　immediately　marked　as　a　culprit；　and　America　will　not　harbor　him。　But　why　harbor　the　original　cause？　Is　the　man　who　speaks　with　type　less　dangerous　than　he　who　speaks　with　his　mouth　or　with　a　bomb？

At　the　most　vital　part　of　my　life；　when　I　was　to　become　an　American　citizen　and　exercise　the　right　of　suffrage；　America　fell　entirely　short。　It　reached　out　not　even　the　suggestion　of　a　hand。

When　the　Presidential　Conventions　had　been　held　in　the　year　I　reached　my　legal　majority；　and　I　knew　I　could　vote；　I　endeavored　to　find　out　whether；　being　foreign…born；　I　was　entitled　to　the　suffrage。　No　one　could　tell　me；　and　not　until　I　had　visited　six　different　municipal　departments；　being　referred　from　one　to　another；　was　it　explained　that；　through　my　father's　naturalization；　I　became；　automatically；　as　his　son；　an　American　citizen。　I　decided　to　read　up　on　the　platforms　of　the　Republican　and　Democratic　parties；　but　I　could　not　secure　copies　anywhere；　although　a　week　had　passed　since　they　had　been　adopted　in　convention。

I　was　told　the　newspapers　had　printed　them。　It　occurred　to　me　there　must　be　many　others　besides　myself　who　were　anxious　to　secure　the　platforms　of　the　two　parties　in　some　more　convenient　form。　With　the　eye　of　necessity　ever　upon　a　chance　to　earn　an　honest　penny；　I　went　to　a　newspaper　office；　cut　out　from　its　files　the　two　platforms；　had　them　printed　in　a　small　pocket　edition；　sold　one　edition　to　the　American　News　Company　and　another　to　the　News　Company　controlling　the　Elevated　Railroad　bookstands　in　New　York　City；　where　they　sold　at　ten　cents　each。　So　great　was　the　demand　which　I　had　only　partially　guessed；　that　within　three　weeks　I　had　sold　such　huge　editions　of　the　little　books　that　I　had　cleared　over　a　thousand　dollars。

But　it　seemed　to　me　strange　that　it　should　depend　on　a　foreign…born　American　to　supply　an　eager　public　with　what　should　have　been　supplied　through　the　agency　of　the　political　parties　or　through　some　educational　source。

I　now　tried　to　find　out　what　a　vote　actually　meant。　It　must　be　recalled　that　I　was　only　twenty…one　years　old；　with　scant　education；　and　with　no　civic　agency　offering　me　the　information　I　was　seeking。　I　went　to　the　headquarters　of　each　of　the　political　parties　and　put　my　query。　I　was　regarded　with　puzzled　looks。

〃What　does　it　mean　to　vote？〃　asked　one　chairman。

〃Why；　on　Election　Day　you　go　up　to　the　ballot…box　and　put　your　ballot　in；　and　that's　all　there　is　to　it。〃

But　I　knew　very　well　that　that　was　not　all　there　was　to　it；　and　was　determined　to　find　out　the　significance　of　the　franchise。　I　met　with　dense　ignorance　on　every　hand。　I　went　to　the　Brooklyn　Library；　and　was　frankly　told　by　the　librarian　that　he　did　not　know　of　a　book　that　would　tell　me　what　I　wanted　to　know。　This　was　in　1884。

As　the　campaign　increased　in　intensity；　I　found　myself　a　desired　person　in　the　eyes　of　the　local　campaign　managers；　but　not　one　of　them　could　tell　me　the　significance　and　meaning　of　the　privilege　I　was　for　the　first　time　to　exercise。

Finally；　I　spent　an　evening　with　Seth　Low；　and；　of　course；　got　the　desired　information。

But　fancy　the　quest　I　had　been　compelled　to　make　to　acquire　the　simple　information　that　should　have　been　placed　in　my　hands　or　made　readily　accessible　to　me。　And　how　many　foreign…born　would　take　equal　pains　to　ascertain　what　I　was　determined　to　find　out？

Surely　America　fell　short　here　at　the　moment　most　sacred　to　me：　that　of　my　first　vote！

Is　it　any　easier　to…day　for　the　foreign　citizen　to　acquire　this　information　when　he　approaches　his　first　vote？　I　wonder！　Not　that　I　do　not　believe　there　are　agencies　for　this　purpose。　You　know　there　are；　and　so　do　I。　But　how　about　the　foreign…born？　Does　he　know　it？　Is　it　not　perhaps　like　the　owner　of　the　bulldog　who　assured　the　friend　calling　on　him　that　it　never　attacked　friends　of　the　family？　〃Yes；〃　said　the　friend；　〃that's　all　right。　You　know　and　I　know　that　I　am　a　friend　of　the　family；　but　does　the　dog　know？〃

Is　it　to…day　made　known　to　the　foreign…born；　about　to　exercise　his　privilege　of　suffrage　for　the　first　time；　where　he　can　be　told　what　that　privilege　means：　is　the　means　to　know　made　readily　accessible　to　him：　is　it；　in　fact；　as　it　should　be；　brought　to　him？

It　was　not　to　me；　is　it　to　him？

One　fundamental　trouble　with　the　present　desire　for　Americanization　is　that　the　American　is　anxious　to　Americanize　two　classesif　he　is　a　reformer；　the　foreign…born；　if　he　is　an　employer；　his　employees。　It　never　occurs　to　him　that　he　himself　may　be　in　need　of　Americanization。　He　seems　to　take　it　for　granted　that　because　he　is　American…born；　he　is　an　American　in　spirit　and　has　a　right　understanding　of　American　ideals。　But　that；　by　no　means；　always　follows。　There　are　thousands　of　the　American…born　who　need　Americanization　just　as　much　as　do　the　foreign…born。　There　are　hundreds　of　American　employers　who　know　far　less　of　American　ideals　than　do　some　of　their　employees。　In　fact；　there　are　those　actually　engaged　to…day　in　the　work　of　Americanization；　men　at　the　top　of　the　movement；　who　sadly　need　a　better　conception　of　true　Americanism。

An　excellent　illustration　of　this　came　to　my　knowledge　when　I　attended　a　large　Americanization　Conference　in　Washington。　One　of　the　principal　speakers　was　an　educator　of　high　standing　and　considerable　influence　in　one　of　the　most　important　sections　of　the　United　States。　In　a　speech　setting　forth　his　ideas　of　Americanization；　he　dwelt　with　much　emphasis　and　at　considerable　length　upon　instilling　into　the　mind　of　the　foreign…born　the　highest　respect　for　American　institutions。

After　the　Conference　he　asked　me　whether　he　could　see　me　that　afternoon　at　my　hotel；　he　wanted　to　talk　about　contributing　to　the　magazine。　When　he　came；　before　approaching　the　object　of　his　talk；　he　launched　out　on　a　tirade　against　the　President　of　the　United　States；　the　weakness　of　the　Cabinet；　the　inefficiency　of　the　Congress；　and　the　stupidity　of　the　Senate。　If　words　could　have　killed；　there　would　have　not　remained　a　single　living　member　of　the　Administration　at　Washington。

After　fifteen　minutes　of　this；　I　reminded　him　of　his　speech　and　the　emphasis　which　he　had　placed　upon　the　necessity　of　inculcating　in　the　foreign…born　respect　for　American　institutions。

Yet　this　man　was　a　power　in　his　community；　a　strong　influence　upon　others；　he　believed　he　could　Americanize　others；　when　he　himself；　according　to　his　own　statements；　lacked　the　fundamental　principle　of　Americanization。　What　is　true　of　this　man　is；　in　lesser　or　greater　degree；　true　of　hundreds　of　others。　Their　Americanization　consists　of　lip…service；　the　real　spirit；　the　only　factor　which　counts　in　the　successful　teaching　of　any　doctrine；　is　absolutely　missing。　We　certainly　cannot　teach　anything　approaching　a　true　Americanism　until　we　ourselves　feel　and　believe　and　practise　in　our　own　lives　what　we　are　teaching　to　others。　No　law；　no　lip…service；　no　effort；　however　well…intentioned；　will　amount　to　anything　worth　while　in　inculcating　the　true　American　spirit　in　our　foreign…born　citizens　until　we　are　sure　that　the　American　spirit　is　understood　by　ourselves　and　is　warp　and　woof　of　our　own　being。

To　the　American；　part　and　parcel　of　his　country；　these　particulars　in　which　his　country　falls　short　with　the　foreign…born　are；　perhaps；　not　so　evident；　they　may　even　seem　not　so　very　important。　But　to　the　foreign…born　they　seem　distinct　lacks；　they　loom　large；　they　form　serious　handicaps　which；　in　many　cases；　are　never　surmounted；　they　are　a　menace　to　that　Americanization　which　is；　to…day；　more　than　ever　our　fondest　dream；　and　which　we　now　realize　more　keenly　than　before　is　our　most　vital　need。

It　is　for　this　reason　that　I　have　put　them　down　here　as　a　concrete　instance　of　where　and　how　America　fell　short　in　my　own　Americanization；　and；　what　is　far　more　serious　to　me；　where　she　is　falling　short　in　her　Americanization　of　thousands　of　other　foreign…born。

〃Yet　you　succeeded；〃　it　will　be　argued。

That　may　be；　but　you；　on　the　other　hand；　must　admit　that　I　did　not　succeed　by　reason　of　these　shortcomings：　it　was　in　spite　of　them；　by　overcoming　thema　result　that　all　might　not　achieve。



XXXIX。　What　I　Owe　to　America

Whatever　shortcomings　I　may　have　found　during　my　fifty…year　period　of　Americanization；　however　America　may　have　failed　to　help　my　transition　from　a　foreigner　into　an　American；　I　owe　to　her　the　most　priceless　gift　that　any