, 1873-06-22
GERMAN IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL s.


I s1R: In your issue Of last Thursday Won h,v.
An editorial article, headed s'Gernan in tho
! Public Schools, - in which the Committee On Ger
man, OF the Board Of Education, are reported =.
proposing to mako the study Of German coo.
pnisoTy. Based upon these premises you er.iye
N your deductions 1t conclusions which entira1g
mstepresent the Intentions Of said Committee
Aslonlsh1ng aa it Is to mo that paper 80 caro-
fully managed as Tue TRIBUNE should 90 rrarc1v
mlsapprehend the Intentions Of said COMMITTEES
while the report Of the Board Of Education ~
before the eyes OF tho editor, Jet trust sui
clently in lt1 fairness to believe that II u;,1
correct An erroneous statement. or a]low na IN
correct it.
Let me say, thon, that the whole foundation
| OF that article Is = fiction The Commit.
tee did never, nor any member Of
| It, try to make the German study compulsory
to all pupils Of the public schools. AL that thev
were ende:yozing to do Was to mako it more
| effective to those who had once voluntarily en-
braced it. It Is rule OF the Board, strictly ad-
hered to, that p:,rils must be regular in their
attendance to the several studies they are not
allowed to drop one or another st pleasure and
commence it again il they please. II that vas
permitted, no instruction would amount to
| much, nc general progress Of the class could be
expected Pupils, by the rules Of the Board.
are compelled to continue their studies or haya
to leave the school. The study Of Gernan
always has been, aud always ought to remain.
optional With the parents or guardians Of pupi1a.
But, II once voluntarily commenced, it ought
to be, at least for the current ysar.
made compulsory for pupils to continue it.
What ia considered night, even indispensa able, in
ono instance, cannot fairly be considered wrong
in another. To allow children to follow mo-
mentary notion, perhaps the result ct lazinesa,
and to let uaea decide as to whct they will learn
and What not, is hardly what any Board Of Edu-
cation should do; it Is triaing With natters OF
Importance. The city is e1pending about s., ,oo0
per annum in salary OF German teachera it il
the duty of tho Board to see that proportiouats
harvest is reaped. In your article alluded to
you cay: "It Is confessed that the result Of The
present system is q failure, and that the cost is
pretty nearly SO much money thrown away"
Mr. King, the President Of the Board, SAYS TO
the contrary 4 quote from memory: Tho in
6truction in German has, during tie last year
done very well and think it is better to let veil.
enough alone" The Superintendent OF Schools.
Mr. Pickard, has expressed considerable salts
faction with the German teachers now employed.
These are views directly in opposition to each
other. What, then, il the truth7
The truth, as usually, lies in the middle The
fact is, there are three parties in the Board Of
Education as to the study OF German: It has ita
few open friends. its few open foes; bet the
majority. while they cannot close tii5;r eyes to
the fact that nearly every larger city n tho
United States, especially in the West, is intro
ducing the German instruction, would gladly
throw it out, if they were men who obeyed their
notions rather than their conscionces; there
fore, Us it is, they simply tolerate tho study Of
German, but oppose every improvement in tbs
instruction. Not that they would ever advance
any reasons why the improvements proposed by
the Committee on German should not be adopted.
rT-a 1f
the sessions OF the Board we're published, the
public would know that thoy confne themselves
to ever complaining ct that vexatious quea-
tion," aud voting down every proposition. The
merits are never argued. "No,' or "fou csu-
not do it." is the only answer. and yet, What
the Committee on German propose to dois
easily obtainab1o, reasonable demand, and to
tho best interest Of the pupils as well as the city
at large. They want to make the present moda
Of instruction more oaect;ve,-a perfect success-
They want to Bee the money OF the .sxpaye1a
judicicusly and wisely expended. They want to
do away with - that vexatious question in the
only manner that the civilization Of the age will
approve Of. This can be done, they claim, frat,
BY Offering to all pupils the benefit OF tha
study OF German, leaving it optional with thu
parents to say, in the beginning OF the year,
whether or not their children shall engage in it.
but treating it, If once voluntarily begun, in tho
same manner as all other studies; that is, pro- ),
hibiting the dropping OF it during the year;
secondly, by having superintendent Of German
instruction, who would prescribe the most ap-
proved mode Of instruction for all his teachers,
be more regular; the scholars could pass e1-
animation in German as we'll as III other
branches; their ambition would be en1i7ened,
and the general result would be satisfactory to
which the city would pay guch Superintendent,
would greatly help to make the pupils reap
full harvest in knowledge for which the city now
pays 90, coo, part Of which is claimed to bs
wasted. Why, then, II we ask no more than
smallest progress?
The expression Of Mr.. King, to LET wou
enough alone," properly Interpreted, to ms
eeems to mean, Let bad enough alone; the
German study has been no perfect success it,
we want to keep it :; that's well enough until va
shall succeed in convincing the whole pubGo
thss it is = failure; meanwhile, prevent every
and we will come to the point"
he and the majority Of the Board will simply tol.
crate the instruction in German, and allow M
he would not even voto for ths
appointment Of q Superintendent Of German, It
TIE expense Waa Rad out OF pflvase purse
have no doubt but that Hr. Ring is honestly
governed by his best convictions, but SO are "a
aud others, his opponents in this quea,,
lion. You have, In your article, accused
Us er1oneously, TINT re deal1ed 20
Of go without instruction in English" You IL
1ignantly exclaim " Shall they be taught Eng
ish II You think it "a great violation OF duty
70 compel any child to leave the public schools,
or study, against the will Of his parents An5
language save his own /"
Well, sir, it is just for this reason, 60 forcbiy
~ you advanced, that We want the German
anguage well taught in our schools TO:
hose whose o,on language it is, and who largely
pay for the support OF the public schools.
here existed, on this continent, an American
oe, this question would not como up. But tAd
English language ia not more unirersal than tbs
ieIman or any Other. although it is the prerea.
n educational branches. Nevertheless, that
tate Of affairs is subject to changes IN
ONE localities the German population
1ceeds the English; in others, the French szs
'revaiing; in others, the scandinavians. Whist,
hen. should be our rule? 1t seems to mean
asy matter to Decide if We will adhere to your
Jews as above expressed, and not do injustice
0 others. ALI parents will be satisfied that sheis
hiIdren acquire d good knowledge Of tha
English, because that is generally the prevailing
anguage; and that they, besides, learn tfe1
non language. Where the noxt large portion q