od by boys the world over.
And with this language Edward decided to do some experimenting. After
a few days at school, he cast his eyes over the group of his
tormentors, picked out one who seemed to him the ringleader, and before
the boy was aware of what had happened, Edward Bok was in the full
swing of his first real experiment with Americanization. Of course the
American boy retaliated. But the boy from the Netherlands had not been
born and brought up in the muscle-building air of the Dutch dikes for
nothing, and after a few moments he found himself looking down on his
tormentor and into the eyes of a crowd of very respectful boys and
giggling girls, who readily made a passageway for his brother and
himself when they indicated a desire to leave the schoolyard and go
home.

Edward now felt that his Americanization had begun; but, always
believing that a thing begun must be carried to a finish, he took, or
gave--it depends upon the point of view--two or three more lessons in
this particular phase of Americanization before he convinced these
American schoolboys that it might be best for them to call a halt upon
further excursions in torment.

At the best, they were difficult days at school for a boy of seven who
could not speak English. Although the other children stopped teasing
Edward, they did not try to make the way easier for him. America is
essentially a land of fair play, but it is not fair play for American
boys and girls to take advantage of a foreign child's unfamiliarity
with the language or our customs to annoy that child or to place
difficulties in his way. When a foreign pupil with little knowledge of
the English language enters an American school the native-born boys and
girls in that school can accomplish a useful service in Americanization
by helping the newcomer, thus giving him a true idea of American
fairness at the start. No doubt many American boys and girls gladly do
this little kindness for the young foreigner, but Edward Bok and his
brother suffered tortures at the hands of those who should have helped
them.

Fortunately the linguistic gift inherent in the Dutch race came to
Edward's rescue in his attempt to master the English language. He soon
noted many points of similarity between English and his native tongue;
by changing a vowel here and there he could make a familiar Dutch word
into a correct English word. As both languages had developed from the
old Frisian tongue, the conque