This book is included in the US Government: Educational, Informational & Motivational section.
Contents
THE COMMUNITY AND ITS INTERESTS
Chapter I. I AM AN AMERICAN
Chapter II. MANY IN ONE
Chapter III. IN THE GAME
Chapter IV. OUR COMMON INTERESTS
THE ELEMENTS OF COMMUNITY WELFARE
Chapter V. HEALTH
Chapter VI. HEALTH (CONTINUED)
Chapter VII. PROTECTION OF LIFE AND PROPERTY
Chapter VIII. PROTECTION OF LIFE AND PROPERTY (CONTINUED)
Chapter IX. EDUCATION
Chapter X. RECREATION
Chapter XL. Civic BEAUTY
Chapter XII. COMMUNICATION
Chapter XIII. TRANSPORTATION
Chapter XIV. WEALTH
Chapter XV. WEALTH (CONTINUED)
THE WARDS OF THE COMMUNITY
Chapter XVI. CHARITIES
A SELF-GOVERNING COMMUNITY
Chapter XVII. CORRECTION AND THE COURTS
Chapter XVIII. How THE LAWS ARE MADE
Chapter XIX. ENFORCING THE LAWS
Chapter XX. MEETING THE EXPENSES OF GOVERNMENT
Chapter XXL PARTY GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SERVICE THE LOYAL CITIZEN
Chapter XXII. AMERICAN IDEALS AND CITIZENSHIP
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
INDEX
THE COMMUNITY AND ITS INTERESTS
Chapter I. I AM AN AMERICAN
The flag was passing by. A group of schoolboys, standing
in the crowd on the sidewalk, had reverently removed
their hats and were gazing at the Stars and Stripes as they
floated at the head of a regiment of heroes who had just
returned. Then with quickened breath one of the boys
turned to the others and exclaimed, "Gee, fellows, I'm
glad I'm an American."
So were they all. You could tell it by the way their
eyes sparkled as the soldiers passed along. Deep in each
heart was the wish that he too might wear the uniform
and march proudly after that flag. And yet when you
looked at them you could tell beyond a doubt that one
had come from sunny Italy, another's father at least had
been a son of old Erin, and still a third had been driven
from Russia by religious persecution. Yet here they
were, each a loyal, true American.
What a wonderful country is ours ! Not alone because
of its great extent of territory, nor its wonderful wealth,
but because of the things for which it has ever stood.
Puritan and Cavalier, Catholic and Protestant, wearied
by the persecutions of the Old World, turned their eyes and
then tneir footsteps toward America, the land which held
out to them the promise of Liberty and Freedom. And
when in later years an unwise king oppressed them in
their new land, they arose and threw off the yoke of England
and gave us a new nation dedicated to the cause of
liberty which should forever be a refuge for the oppressed
of every land. Then came the seekers from all nations of
the earth, each throwing in their lot with the American
people. And to-day, America, made rich and fruitful
by the gifts and services of many nations, stands as the
champion of the rights and liberties of all peoples.
There was a time when the proudest man in all the
world was the one who could hold up his head and say,
"I am a Persian." Years rolled by and another great
people arose who conquered the Persians, and to be a
Greek was the greatest honor. Then came Rome, with
all its glory and world empire, and men were willing to
pay a fortune merely to have the honor of being called a
Roman. But to-day the proudest man or woman, boy
or girl, in all the world is the one who can hold his head
high and say with joy, "I am an American."
And why have we the right to be so proud of our great
country? Because it has stood before all the world as
the champion of the rights of every man. Because it has
rendered to the nations of the world the supreme service.
Not because of the success of our arms, but because of the
ideals for which our people have stood and for which so
many of our brave men have been willing to lay down
their lives.
Many of the men who fought for our country in the
Great War were not born in the United States. Many of
them had been brought in childhood to this country by
their parents as they sought in the land of opportunity
for the freedom denied them across the seas. Yet when
the call of duty came they were not found wanting. They
have won for themselves by their service the right to be
called Americans just as did the Revolutionary heroes.
We owe much to the men and women who have come
to us from other lands. If we go back far enough we find
that there is not one of us whose ancestors did not come
to America as immigrants. Each nation that has sent
its share of people to us has contributed something to the
greatness of America. We should not look down upon
the newcomer because of his ignorance of our language
and our ways. He too, if we but give him the chance
for which our country stands, will be a true American
and make his contribution to the greatness of our nation.
Our country is sometimes spoken of as the melting-pot
of the nations. The newcomer, if he intends to remain
and make this country his home, should willingly and
cheerfully adapt himself to the ways of the new land.
He will never become a real American until he throws
himself heart and soul in with the people of America,
adopts their language and customs, and respects their
institutions. There will still be much of the old which
he will want to retain and which, if used for the best interests
of the new group of which he is now a part, will
be a valuable contribution to the country of his adoption.
Our nation is one great family. America is our own
home. Stretching from ocean to ocean and under the
Stars and Stripes is a land which we love to call our own.
Bound together, more tightly now than ever before, we
are all to live and work together, serving not only ourselves
but the whole world. We are going to consider how we as
a great united people are to live and work together, and
what we are to do that each part may work by itself and
yet at the same time with every other part, and this without
friction.
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY AND DISCUSSION
1. What should we do when the flag is passing by? Read "The flag goes by," H. H. Bennett.
2. What is the national anthem? What should we do while it is being played or sung ? Every American should know the words of this song. Do you?
3. What do we mean when we say in the salute to the flag "I pledge allegiance?"
4. By whom was your state originally settled ? What nationalities now make up the population of your state? Why did these people come to America? to your state?
5. What nationalities are represented in your class in school?
6. Under what kind of government did these people live before they came to America? What were the living conditions? In what ways have they benefited by coming to America?
7. Why is America called "the melting-pot?"
8. Why should a foreigner, coming to America with the intention of making it his home, learn to speak the English language?
9. What are some of the things which other nations have contributed to America through the immigrant?
10. How may we help the newcomer to our country to become truly American?
11. Make a list of the names of some true Americans. Why do they deserve to be called "true Americans?" Does your name belong on the list? Resolve that it shall ever deserve to remain there.
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