Immigrants Convention-Part 2 by Pete Zizka 2-3-2024 |
As mentioned last week, while this article speaks
of the concerns and hopes of Willimantic’s Canadian community, they also
represent concerns of every immigrant group, especially their desire to
be good American citizens yet cling to their native country’s heritage.
The Canadian convention’s first order of business was “naturalization”.
The second was closely related to the first and was “education and
language”. The Conventions planners said, “There were stories that
showed how many obstacles the Franco-Canadian immigrant has to overcome
by coming to the home of the American Republic. First and foremost,
language difference delays progress in social life and politics.” Over
the course of the conventions, those in attendance decided that children
should be taught French as well as English but only in (parochial)
school and at home. They were adamant, however, in stating that English
be taught in the parochial schools as it would be a “foothold” in the
United States. Although the conventioneers stressed the importance of
learning the English language, they agonized over the fact that the use
of the French language could be lost. And so they suggested that French
be used in the home but that English would be used outside the home. For
French-Canadians in Connecticut, being b-lingual was the goal. "In
teaching the two languages we in no way delay the progress of the
instruction of one or the other. With us the two languages are on an
equal (footing) and that is what we want. The one who will speak French
and English will be doubly useful to their new country”
Well-known Willimantic businessman Theodore Potvin also suggested,
“''Let's consider reading our English newspapers and a great part of our
task (of learning English) will be accomplished." A resolution was then
passed that read, “be it resolved: That we recommend to every Canadian
and Canadian family, the receipt of a newspaper or newspapers from the
United States, and especially not to forget to pay the subscription.”
The Conventions took up the topic of education. Willimantic’s Doctor
David spoke eloquently. “: "The first and
most beautiful education is that drawn from the family. We must take
responsibility from an early age and let children grow in their faith.
Moral education, this is the supreme duty incumbent on parents who will
have to take good care of the little treasures that God has entrusted to
them”. Speakers then pointed out that formal education in the United
States and that all children should participate. Doctor David then
concluded, “I hope all of you have long understood the necessity of
education, and that all days you will strive to put your children in a
condition to win their lives honorably and later aspire to the highest
positions, higher in the political, industrial and commercial spheres.”
Next, the conventions took up the subject of the formation of benevolent
and fraternal societies. “Canadian-American charities have become the
center, the pivot around which our nationals are grouped. They are the
rallying point of our people, the beacon that should guide through the
material difficulties that sometimes encumber along their path.
Benevolent societies such as the
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Charitable Society of Willimantic
and environs which was founded May 30, 1880 and whose motto was, “To
help each other”, predated the formation of French Catholic parishes.
The conventions passed a resolution saying that since so much good
had already been accomplished by the societies, that each conventioneer
“strive to recruit new members, in order to establish these fraternal
institutions on stable and sustainable financial assets”. Their hope was
that the societies would then provide assistance in the event of
unemployment caused by strike or general depression, in addition to help
given to members who were sick or injured or to families of those who
had died. In many cases, the societies aid replaced the need for public
assistance “in a fraternal way”.
The coventions addressed several more issues and we’ll take a look at
them in a future article. It was said that,” the Willimantic convention
was a veritable success; men with hearts filled with fraternal devotion
and of a single idea: to make nationality great and prosperous while
subjecting it to laws of Uncle Sam.”
…..Todays photo is of Willimantic conventioneers Doctor David,
Doctor Girard, Theodore Potvin and Hormidas Dion.
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