Statement By Commissioner Of Education Earl McGrath at a Meeting of the Displaced Persons Commission, Education and Americanization of the Newly Arrived Immigrant
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OCR Page 1 of 8Education and Ameri canization of the Newly Arrived Immigrant*
One day in September 1946 I stood near the Austrian border and
watched groups of di splaced persons move westward into the American
Zone. They were a depressing sight. Their bodies had been beaten by
cruel oppressors and emaciated by lack of food, their minds confused
by the impact of conflicting doctrines, and their spiri ts depressed
by the loss of kith and kin, and home and country. No one could observe
this steadily flowing stream of humanity without wishing that something
could be done to help these fellow human beings whose plight was usu-
ally a result of no fault of their own.
It was with a great deal of satisfaction, therefore, that I
followed the developments which finally opened the gates of our country
to these unfortunate people. We should welcome them as they enter our
several communities, and gi ve them all possible assistance in adjusting
themselves to life in this country. Such assistance will involve the
varied activities of many persons and agencies, both public and private.
I should like now to talk only about some of the things education can do
to make their adjustments rapid, easy, and personally agreeable.
Now the most obvious type of education which these newcomers need
is concerned wi th Americanization, with our way of life, our mores, our
every-day habits and customs, our democrati c processes of living, working,
and playing together. In many respects we are different from other
nations and other cultural groups. Only those who have lived in foreign
By Earl J. McGrath, U. S. Commi S sioner of Education, April 6, 1949, Chicago,
Illinois, at meeting of the Di splaced Persons Commission ; published in
full in Proceedings of The National Resettlement Conference for Displaced
Persons, April 5, 6, 7, 1949.
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