New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-16
CITY ITEMS.


The large dimensions of Your editorial table
will, trust, admit of these hines and the enclosed
copy Of petition having FOR ts object .he intro.
ducton OF the German language into our public
schools or at least some Of them. The snb;sc,
will no doubt interest you, as well as me, who am
&. this moment the originator Of movement
which though it has failed on previous occasion.
now bids fair to succeed from its popularity among
the Germans, as well rs number Of Influential
American gentlemen.
But it will require strenuous Efforts to defeat
an enemy who will at once oppose the German
petitioners and their liberal American friends
this enemy is as old as the world, and has ever
been hostile to truth and justice. Being devoid
OF senses, feeling and reason, he is blind to the
best interests of mankind, deaf to the Iogdest APP
peals OF philanthropists, and not 10 be reasoned
with. Yet his authority with men is as great as
his imbecihty. He takes denloniac delight IN
defeating the noblest aims, In obstructlng the
amelioraton of the condition OF society; he is the
erbusy worker of evi! at the family tireslde,
and in the councils OF communities and nations;
he sewers the bonds of relationship, and checks
the intercourse between men and nations. Now
he stalks as bugbear to brighten the timorous
now he insnuates himself under the cloak ofpoicys
or sneaks under the mask OF philanthropy or re-
came his dupes. This monster name is-PRE.
JUDGE.
From prejudice emanate all the objections we
meet with for sensible men say that reasonable
objections could not be made. Prejudice re-
breaches the Germans with aiming at perpetua-
ting the German language at the expense OF the
English Let us see whether the Germans really
entertain such aview, alike condemnable and pre-
MYSTERIOUS The Germans maintain that every
German child in this city will be sure to learn
English and to imbibe American prnclplGs'--
They readily admit the preponderance oil the Eng
lish which now is and ever Will be the languages
of America; but they set forth good reasons why
some attention should DE paid to The German Ian
guage pleading its practical and scientific worth
on the one hand, and flial dates and domestic
considerations generally on the other.
Prejudice argues that il the German language
he introduced into our Free Schools, all other
European nations in this country might clalin the
same right with regard to their respective Ian.
rrRres To the contrary it might be said, that II
all the other European languages possessed the
same intrinsic merits and presented the same
practical advantages as the German, IL "oufo DC
time to teach them all in our Public Schools.
Prejudice would pcrvert the sublime spirit OF
the Constitution, which guarantees equal rights
to the adopted and native citizens Now the efer'
| mans, as q numerous class OF citizens and tax
PAYERS avail themselves OF the right of petltionin
a good cause, and DESIRE as matter OF common
/ Justice that darling interest OF theirs might be
respected.
PETITION TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
The undersigned, citizens and residents OF this
| Ward, beg to represent and petition as follows;
The number of German families in this Ward is
comparatively great and rapidly increasing. In
these families with very few exceptions, the Ger
man is the yernaCular tongue for this obvious rea-
son; that the parents having immgrated to this
country as adults for the sake of greater ease use
! their yernacuar tongue at their tiresldes.
! And though they are anxious to secure their
children thorough English education; yet hey
! are, ut the same time, jealous enough OF tneH
rights as parents to provide against their chlldren
neglecting entirely their native tongue, and thus
becoming estranged from their parents But
| apart from this serious apprehension, when Ger.
tainly claims the sympathy rather than censure OF
any man pretending to refined feelings the def.
mans consider a knowledge OF their language Ut
once an essential addition TO their children Seducd
| cation and desirable attainment with regard 70
their future actual pursuits in this country
Hence majority of Germans deny themselves
the privilege of the Public Schools and send their
children to such private Institutions in " hch some
attention is paid TO German. Or, II the poorer
class Of Germans from necessity, avail themselves
of the benefit of the Free Schools it is ever an
object of great regret to them that their children
should not enjoy any instruction at all III the iali"
guage OF their parents
Speaking of the importance Whchtne Germans
attach to a knowledge of their language, your pc
titionerg would allude to the fact of there being
quite considerable number OF Americana also,
who view this language III the same light In
deed, it may safely be asserted that IN this com
munty the German language Is becoming more
and more attractive both 10 the scholar and the
man of business. Hence, in the eyes OF the I'M
preiudced, the Partially OF the Germans Tor their
language cannot reflect unfayOrably upon them aB
adopted citizens of this country.
Your petitioners, therefore. would respectfully
! propose that some attention should be paid TO
German in the Public Schools of this Ward; that
an hour should be set apart every day when all
| the children whose parents wish them to study
| German should receive instruction in reading and
writing this language.
Your petitioners candidly believe that this al
diionalnanc Of study would not in the least in
terfere with the established american system Of
Education. Indeed the experiment of paying
some attention to other languages besides the
! American, has long since been tried in our Com
mon Schools with regard to french and Latin,
and in a National view Of the subject, our children
will not become the less patriotic Americans for
being educated on more expanding principle
with regard TO foreign languages. Beside it is en-
acknowledged fact that the cultivation of foreign
language only tends to ground the student in the
principles This own.
The introduction OF the German language into
some Of our Public Schools would be hailed with
delight by our German population, while It
would certainly meet with the appreciation Of all
liberal Americans, and the most immediate con-
| sequence would be more numerous attendance
in tie Free Schools. Hundreds of German chill
dren who ere now strangers 10 these Institutions,
would thus be brought under ther benign lnJR@.
ence.
Your petitioners beg also to represent in con-
nection with this subject, that there is quite
number Of German children in this Ward who,
either from having recently arrived in this coaR-
try, or from the above mentioned fact of the Ger
man being their venacular tongue, are not fit to
receive instruction conveyed in the English Ian
guage. Being cassed with children inferior TO
them in age, they find their situation unpleasant
and embarrassing and ultimately become diacour-
aged.