THE CZECHS OF CLEVELAND
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The Children’s Room in the Broadway Library
parentage, and its total circulation has gone up to 196,000 volumes in a year, with a daily reading room attendance, during the winter months, of over one thousand.
Other libraries in Czech centers are the Quincy Branch at Quincy avenue and East 79th street, and the Clark avenue Branch at 4620 Clark avenue, the Milford School Branch and the Rice School Branch. Many other library agencies circulate some Bohemian books, the total for the library system having been 44,423 in 1914. Since that time, owing to the lack of new titles and replacements on account of the war, there has been a slight drop in the Bohemian circulation, but every day now people ask if any new books have yet been received.
Americanization.
The Czech who comes to America comes with the determination to adjust himself to American conditions just as soon as possible and he knows what to expect better than the immigrants of races newer to this country. In Cleveland he seeks out the classes for beginners in English and soon, if he has any kind of a teacher, masters enough of the language for practical purposes at least. He brought his family with him when he came, burning all bridges behind him, and he buys a home at the earliest possible moment and identifies himself also as an American citizen. Some of the first names in the first record book of the Naturalization Office of the Federal Court are Czech names, those of the pioneers of the early 50’s, who set the example since followed almost universally.
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