Permit me now to make four notes about President Bush's request. Two are celebratory. Two are, however, more cautionary. Humanists have sought such a funding increase for nearly a decade. For these three activities are as crucial to our work as statutes to a lawyer or a camera and film to a photographer.
Basic research provides the materials for humanistic inquiry, public programs, and classrooms.
Imagine scholarship and teaching about language without a dictionary. Its growth is bountiful. The humanities are exploring both old and new fields, established and emerging figures, all of which deserve scholarly scrutiny. As teachers and scholars concerned with communication, we are keenly aware of the economic, political, social, and cultural necessity of bridging differences among people. Dr. Cheney has drafted a set of new guidelines for foreign language teaching projects that embody a wise analysis of how foreign language teaching is best done.