As we pause on Citizenship Day to honor citizenship and figuratively view the vast expanse of our Nation, it seems a far cry from the time when a few men stood on a large rock at Jamestown, Virginia, on guard against hostile Indians, while others of their small band worshipped in a little church nearby. Since that day tens of millions have landed on our shores, the greatest population shift in recorded history.

Citizenship of the United States takes on a deeper meaning today than ever before. Never in the history of mankind has citizenship been so eagerly sought in any country as it has been of late years in the United States. Since 1940, when the dark clouds of war began to hover over our nation, about 2,700,000 persons have forsworn allegiance to their native lands and pledged their loyalty to America. Under the authority of the Second War Powers Act of 1942, approximately 144,000 noncitizens serving honorably in the armed forces of the United States were naturalized. Of this number over 21,000 were naturalized overseas through the administrative process. There were about 120 countries and their possessions represented in this number.

For the first time in the history of our country, its citizenship was granted on foreign soil. One of the representatives of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, who was specially designated by the commissioner to naturalize aliens in our armed services abroad, gives a graphic account of the circumstances and surroundings under which he held inductions, "in Nissen huts, amid howling blizzards, on lurching ships on the high seas, on hospital sick beds, in cork forests, and on the blazing deserts."

A contingent of Navy men became citizens in a remote fjord in Iceland. A Netherlander took the oath in a tiny cabin on a British ship in Icelandic waters. On the mainland of Italy, naturalization hearings had to be shifted from the headquarters offices to subterranean air-raid shelters because of an air-raid alarm. "In the happiest and proudest day of my life," as he described it to his buddies, a native of Italy became a citizen of the country he had learned to love. A few weeks later he was killed near the Italian village where he was born. In England, a tailgunner in a well-known fighting squadron, the son of a German father and a Filipino mother, became a citizen. He had shot down four German

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planes over the continent within a period of three months and had been awarded four decorations. He had been wounded several times and bore scars of battle received in defending the flag to which he was swearing allegiance. He, also, was later killed in action. Again in 1953 special legislation relating to aliens serving in our Armed Forces made it possible for representatives of the Attorney General to grant citizenship to our fighting men on foreign soil. During the time this law was in effect about 7900 of our military personnel were naturalized outside the borders of this country, as well as about 22,800 in the United States.

After witnessing some of these inspirational citizenship induction ceremonies, an officer back from the campaigns of North Africa and Italy said: "When you have seen men who have been decorated on the field of battle for defending the principles of liberty, and you realize that their wounds and decorations came before they raised their right hands to take the oath of allegiance; when you have seen them proudly leave the ceremony of induction as American citizens to continue to fight, and if necessary, to die, in defense of the rights and privileges of United States citizenship, you feel deeply and appreciate more fully the significance of that citizenship."

Not since the days when Paul proudly and significantly proclaimed, "I am a man of Tarsus”—a citizen of Rome has membership in a nation carried with it more meaning than lies in the simple statement, "I am a citizen of the United States." United States citizenship means far more in the world today than Roman citizenship or any other citizenship ever meant. Founded on deeper truths, surrounded by more lasting freedoms-more universal in their application, our citizenship has no equal.

The heritage of our citizenship is so rich, so full, so complete, that no one could possibly explore all its treasures. It carries with it as many shades of meaning as there are citizens of this great Nation. Limited only by the rights of all, it affords each an opportunity to follow his own particular bent, to seek and reach his own particular goal. Each citizen may interpret his citizenship in terms of his own ideals and all may find their ideals in the tenets of our noble country.

'8 U. S. C. 1440.

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Chapter 3

THE PROGRAM

O DETAILED OUTLINE or set of procedure for building the Citizenship Day program can be suggested. Observance of the day may take any one of a variety of forms, depending upon the local situation and the community's own peculiar needs. Sound planning is essential for the production of a timely and well-balanced program in any community regardless of whether that community is large or small, or has other characteristics.

ORGANIZATION OF COMMITTEES

It is usually desirable to organize an overall or General Committee with an Executive Committee, which in turn may set up appropriate subcommittees. The General Committee should be broadly inclusive of community interests. All organizations and agencies promoting better citizenship, especially those specifically related to the two major groups to be recognized, should be represented.

Because citizenship applies to all alike and Citizenship Day is an occasion that emphasizes fundamental loyalty to the American ideal-not to any group or individual cause, no sectarian, partisan, or any other interests of that nature should ever enter into the organization and planning of the program. The Committee should be a truly democratic one, and its chairman and committees should be selected with only the interest of our country in mind.

To keep the program in the hands of effective leadership and to maintain enthusiasm, the chairmanship of the General Committee and probably the membership of the Executive Committee should be rotated' every year or two. A continuing or interim committee,

'DAN PYLE, Judge, St. Joseph Circuit Court, South Bend, Ind.

"The leadership in arranging and carrying out programs is a very serious matter. Some men and women can lead and various groups are ready to follow them. To make a complete and successful program, leadership should not, however, be in the hands of the

or some other form of extended organization, should be formed to follow up on plans or decisions that carry over from year to year and to do a certain amount of work in preparation for the program of the succeeding year. Failure to establish such a committee has been a distinct weakness in many communities. Each year a completely new organization has to be set up, and a new start made on planning for the celebration.

The subcommittees, appointed by the chairman of the General Committee or named in some other way, need not necessarily be members of the General Committee. Emphasis should be upon obtaining people skilled and experienced in the area of the committee's responsibility.

For example, if it is decided to have a parade, an experienced parade committee should be appointed. To plan and supervise the parade, determine the route, arrange for marching units, approve the number and type of floats, and make the parade beautiful, dignified, and patriotic, require not only an enthusiastic committee but one well versed in such matters.

Likewise, if there is to be a pageant, it is essential that the planning and organization be in the hands of a trained person. Experienced people can discover and utilize many resources for pageant making in the average community.

A later chapter herein on programs lists suggested committees and their duties.

RELATION TO BROADER PROGRAMS

Although the desirability of making the Citizenship Day celebration an integral part of a long-time, larger citizenship program cannot be discussed fully here, consideration should be given to the possibility of developing this relationship, since it is a vital factor, perhaps even the basic factor, in the future growth of the same persons from year to year. Continuous leadership has a tendency to exhaust enthusiasm and lose the power to command cooperation to a successful conclusion. It is an unusual leader who can hold his position in a neighborhood for any length of time. Changing the appointments of persons who fill strategic positions on the programs gives everyone interested a chance. This is very important where there is a mixed population of nationalities, and religion, and of industrial activities. The selection of leaders should be made so as to create a growth in the movement and interest in the programs."