Show x J r 1 r Foreign Children I i HONOR ONOR thy father and thy mother mo her th that t thy days may be long in the land which x t the Lord thy God thee e r i t This his was yas one of bf the commandments given 4 Lo Jo the children of Israel on their way va to the Promised Prom- Prom i Land It U did not mean to be indulgent to the V to foibles of the o old d folks The father and nd mother i 1 possess possessed d the tribal lore of the wandering people and md th the commandment meant to respect th the pr pre pre- I I I I I c pt anti r d traditions ons of the past which thc possessed pos pos- and pass passed d on The The Thene new generation was was' t to carry the old ways into the new country if it R it ith hoped h ped to t maintain maintain main main- tain lain itself there and make good against the na na- na- na tives The Hebrews went into the land as as conquerors conquerors con con- like Americans in Texas or or California they were a peculiar people not ilOr to be assimilated Jated and they maintained their traditions by a policy of and arid extirpation Amongst c civilized peoples I the days of ext extIrpation extirpation r pation are over foreigners do not come to AmerI America Amer Amer- ica lea as conquerors and the greaf majority of those wh who hive have streamed into the country are arc willing to assimilate t and desi desire c to become in inI every sense Americans y Yet t the race remembers its own honorable past and treasures its traditions Every foreign child carries to America notions of propriety a and ld right and wrong rong learned from his parents and it itis itis itis is a blow to self-respect self and a shock to conscience conscience conscience con con- science when his people and all they stood for arc despised by his is new comp companions and he must apologize f for r what seemed sacred or defend what ought never to have been questioned True Americanization builds upon the foundations foundations foundations alrea already alread laid You cannot make good Americans Americans Amer Amer- leans by making bad Poles and Italians and you cannot teach a a aboy boy to honor the flag by forcing him to dishonor his parents and his past |