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 conquest of English did not prove as difficult
as he had expected. At all events, he set out to master it.

[Illustration: Edward Bok at the age of six, upon his arrival in the
United States.]

Edward was now confronted by a three-cornered problem. Like all
healthy boys of his age he was fond of play and eager to join the boys
of his neighborhood in their pastimes after school hours. He also
wanted to help his mother, which meant the washing of dishes, cleaning
the rooms in which the family then lived, and running various errands
for the needed household supplies. Then, too, he was not progressing
as rapidly as he wished with his school studies, and he felt that he
ought to do everything in his power to take advantage of his
opportunity to get an education.