Home Photo Gallery Classroom Documents My dear President: In answer to your letter, I first wish to congratulate you on the passing of the Social Security Law, which this country should never have been without, and upon your sincere effort, under showers of criticism and misunderstanding, to better conditions. In my opinion the following suggestions would better conditions in Yorkville, your community and mine: I think that government projects must come closer into the community life. Bridges, dams, forests, improved highways and byways are very necessary, but millions of New York East Siders can never afford to see or profit by them. In my community the government could help by the opening of work projects in repairing and renovating the run-down religious and educational non-profit making community buildings and centers: churches, schools, orphanages, hospitals and other institutions which are supported by volunteer contributions. These institutions are most hit by the depression as their supporters are in need or on home relief. This is very much so in the most needy communities where the foreign element lives. These institutions will surely become unusable and a disgrace to the community, and the people are turning away from them. Yet these are the basic foundations of the community and government as the spiritual and character standards are here upheld. If these institutions are neglected, with them will go our government also. Then at the end of every highway and bridge built we can erect a penitentiary or jail. The government should open this work project by giving laborers from the unemployed force and the institution should supply the needed material. In this way the government would help the community at very little cost and the good work would go on with children and adults for the welfare of future generations. Our community in Yorkville will sooner or later have to remove the outside front entrance stairs, which stretch out to more than half of the sidewalk and make the sidewalks so marrow that is two people went to pass by, they have to push the children into danger down into the street as there is no room for them. The taxpaying landlords are in financial difficulties today but if the government should offer free labor to them they would gladly furnish the material and tear down these long stairs. By this the taxpayer would profit and feel that he is not always pushed by the law but would appreciate the friendly offer of help from his government. The children and parents would appreciate this work project and benefit by it more than by any million dollar mountaintop road where besides a few exclusive people the New York East Side millions would never travel. To them the most beautiful highway is the sidewalk before their home. The educational need of our community would be the teaching of people who never had a chance to go to public school here, as they entered this country as adults and know nothing about our government. The newspapers and radio are not very helpful to them as they have not mastered the language. They only know about their own or some other extreme foreign country's methods. But they don't know, because there is no one to teach them, that our government is doing more to their interest than the whole world's countries together would do for them. Under the American flag, on the street corners and elsewhere, men are teaching about a very promising Russia, a very enthusiastic Hitlerism and a beautiful Mussolinism; but about America and its government, where their lives are protected and taken care of, they know nothing more than to criticize and be willing to overturn. Such foreign born communities, lead by strange teaching and thoughts are problems at present and will become more so because these ideals are bred into their children. The government could help here by employing the white collared or professional unemployed class. Give them lectures on our government good-will and plans. Then send them out as group educators to teach our government if necessary even in their native languages. All this could be done very successfully at special church or community center mass meetings, also where large groups of people are already working on government projects. Daily after dinner one hour should be taken off for education on government problems and goodwill. That one hour off the work, spent in teaching, would profit more to the government than that one hour spent in physical labor would bring. This came to me very strongly by an incident last summer in my Vacation Bible School, where I had about 100 children of nine nationalities, ages from 5-14. My program was teaching Bible, handwork, games and music. One day toward the end of the school term, on account of financial difficulties my material ran short and so I suggested was as a school have an open forum and each child be given an opportunity to express his talents. I honestly thought that some scripture, music, story or song would be recited by each child, but the following happened: A boy jumped up, carrying an orange crate with him out of which he planned to make something for himself, came to the front, stood on the box and began to shout, "Comrades, down with the capitalists, we want bread! We want a better social order, down with the government!" A big applause and laugh from the rest of the children and he sat down. Well, I thought I would go on and see where we ended. I called on the next pupil and he also jumped on the same box and raised his hands for the Hitler salute and began shouting, "Deutschland uber alles! Down with the darn Jews! Kill them all! Hail! Hitler!" Another applause, the third one stood up. He made the Mussolini salute, raised his chest, and began to yell, "We are the people of the Roman race, the future is ours! We will be the greatest nation in the world!" When I was overcome with shock, to my comfort a little girl stood up at the end and in her tiny little voice said, "And the flag was still there." My heart ached after this, because I learned that these American-born and public-school-educated children knew more about the Russian, Italian and German government than about their own United States government, whose children they are. I feel strongly that such education should take place for the adult immigrants who mislead their children about our purpose despite a public school education. May God's blessing be upon you and your every effort in behalf of the nation. Sincerely yours,
Rev. Joseph Matuskovits
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