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 today 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