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Show ASTOB LIBllTO BE IMMIGRANT SCHOOL Hebrew Society Purchases Property and Spends $100,-.000 $100,-.000 in Alterations NEW YORK, March 4. The Astor library on Lafayette street, one ot tluj show-places of the city a .quarter of a ctntury ago, is to be converted into a school for immigrants. The Hebrew! Sheltering and Immigrants' Aid Society So-ciety recently purchased the property, for $325,000 and is to spend another $1W,000 in alterations. The building recently has been used as a storehouse j for the disposal of surplus army foods.) Plans for establishing a thorough! sy&iem of. education for immigrants j nnrl lor rendering aid to them immediately imme-diately upon their arrival are now being be-ing made by the society. The upper floors will be used as dormitories for temporarily housing incoming immigrants immi-grants and the lower floors for class rooms. The plans, which meet with the approval of the immigration author!' auth-or!' ies at Ellis Island, contemplate a school for citizenship, where Immigrants Immi-grants may be taught the, fundamentals fundament-als of American history and government govern-ment and receive information as to how and where they can apply for citizenship. "There is a pleasing sentiment about making an immigrant school of the Astor building." John L. Bernstein, nreoiddnt of the society, declared to- jday. "John Jacob Astor, the founder I of the library, was himself an imm-j ; grant and in his gift of the library to jthe public he stated that he particular-, ly wanted it to perpetuate his grnti-f tude for what his adopted country had done for him. He expressed (he hope tha. the Astor library would render aid to all newcomers to the country. It seems like a prophecy that his building should now become a school exclusively exclusive-ly lor immigrants." |