6 GEN. R. H. PRATT : 



even under the heel of slavery, ended their gibberish and gave 

 them the richest language in the world, and made them a val- 

 uable part of our industrial population, and where there have 

 been wide individual opportunities they have risen to respect- 

 able place and prosperity. With all their limitations, they 

 are ten millions of rapidly increasing people, a nation in 

 numbers, saved by the brotherhood of contact to usefulness 

 and civilization. On the other hand, the very existence of 

 the tribesmen from whence they were taken hangs in a 

 balance because of the disabilities of their ignorance and 

 degeneracy, due solely to the lack of brotherhood and the 

 greed of civilized countries. 



Encouraging foreigners of all lands to come and settle 

 among us, in every instance where we have avoided segregat- 

 ing them in separate and large communities, has led them to 

 abandon their past and become thoroughly American. On 

 the contrary, where we have allowed foreigners to settle in 

 large communities, the process of Americanizing has been 

 hindered and in some instances almost entirely prevented. 



In some localities in Pennsylvania we have German com- 

 munities so compact that the third and fourth generation of 

 residence has not given them our language. On the other 

 hand, there are innumerable instances of matured Germans, 

 who having separated from their German surroundings and 

 immersed themselves in American surroundings, have lost all 

 German trace, even to the accent. 



The first great barrier to be thrown down in all work of 

 assimilating and unifying our diverse population, is the 

 barrier of language. 



The process of giving the American language to foreign- 

 ers who are willing to disperse among us, is so simple and 

 effective that it gives us no concern ; scarcely, in fact, attracts 

 attention. 



No school is needed, no special teacher or organized effort. 

 It simply does itself. 



Is there not a lesson in this ? 



