The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-09-11
The German school Controversy
letter from q. GuttenburE 10
the Hnblic.

In each OF the morning papers Of this
city there appeared last Thuriday let.
ter which was headed "The German in
the Public Schools" but which would
have been much more appropriately pre-.
sented as "The German Editor Black.
guarded" because there was very little
said about the former, and very much
done Of the latter. The remarkable epis.
tie was perpetrated, or at least signed, by
Mr.. r. II. Cochran, and contained moth
ing else but series Of slanderOus attacks
against my persona. character The "a.
sailant descends this time so far below the
ground OF decent and gentlemauly con-
troverly, that | do not desire to follow
him into his new regions, and until he
rises again TO more respectable system
Of warfare, | shall not feel inclined TO
answer any Of his letters.
thought it even not necessary TO de.
fend myself before the public, for the
malignancy and contemptuousGes OF the
assault is too openly shown in his attack;
but "a my friends hint that silence on my
part could he taken a. acknowledgement
OF outlines, address To my friends and
all those who take s.ill interest in this
controversy the following line4; and beg
TO bear II IN mind that | DO not Conde.
scend to trickery, distortion Of sentences,
Misrepresentation Of words or facts or
any OF those unfair means to which my
assailant had TO resort in order 10 De.
fame me. j will stick to honesty and
truth.
l do not think i. necessary to reIute
agnin the false accusations: that cali
him and those who differ with me in
opinion infamous" that wrote, will
"klck" him, or anybody else as often as
can, that said "mark him or them" that
| advised the Germans to stop business
intercourse with him or any one else. All
this never wrote or said; these are all
his own inventions and that he repeated
them Notwithstanding my reiutation, and
notwithstanding my declaration, that
there is no vindictiyeness in my heart,
shows clearly that his object is slander
Mr.. Cochran abuses me for having said
that the Board OF Education in adopting
the resolutions Of the majority report
"toisted upon the public farce" This,
truly, have said, and I stand byi.. Let
the people judge.
The majority report, in order to show
how little could be accomplished in Ger.
man under the former systeui, said:
Each pupil is allowed thirty minutes
each day 10 German, or from eighteen to
twenty school days in each year. At this
rate he would get, in ten school years Of
regular attendance, little less than one
year in German"
At the conclusion Of the same report
the resolution is offered:
THAT until high school il establish.
ed, the German language shall be taught
only to pupils attending the A division
and grammar class"
While in the minds Of the authors Of |
this report ten years OF school attendance
would not be sufficient to give the chill.
ren a knowledge Of German they restrict !
It now to two years or forty Sehool day, in |
German Is not this mockery?
The Board Of Education, BY majority |
vote, expelled the German from the low.
er classes and put the Primary teachers
into the Grammar classes, at the came
time abolishing the Office Of Superintend.
ent without investing anybody else with
his duties; so that practically thcre-fSf
now no organization in the German de. |
partment. Is this the way 10 make the |
study a successful one, or does it maka |
farce out OF it?
Mr.. Cochran claimed tha. Geman De.
longs 10 the high branches oistudy, to he
ranged with Latin, Greek, Astronomy,
etc, and in the same speech he inserted |
that, the teachers OF this htgh branch are
paid too much, and moved that they be |
paid the lowest salary which English |
Primary teachers get. 70 his mortificl.
tion he was informed that a part Of the
German teachers we're paid less than the
English Primary teacEeEs. Did not this
give evidence Of the spirit in which he
treated the matter, and how much his
information on this question amounted 10?
Mr. Cochran emphatically exclaimed
that ne was prompted by the law and by
his oath to advocate the discontinuaBce
oil the study OF German in our public
schools, and at the same time helps TO
establish fraud in these same schools
which fraud is offered in his report "in a
spirit OF compromise"
The friends OF German instruction and
the friends Of the public schools are very
much obliged for such bone Of conten.
tion.
All the above are no inventions Of
mine, but facts which can prove By the
minutes OF the meeting and by dozen OF
witnesses; and having been myself wit
uaaa nj thaaa nroran1tpp5 opI ntban tp,i
dents significant OF the spirit Of the op.
poser TO German instruction, and having
at heart the popularity Of the public
schools with the Germans, who can won.
der that | went home and called these
men "know.nothings.'
The new charges made by Mr.. Coch.
ran are, thatin an article in my paper OF
August 25Ih, l committed breach Of
etiquette by bringing private interview
before the public, that 1taCitly admitted
to being IN 'enemy Of free schools, free
thought, free speech, ETC., and that
called our public schools degraded free
schools"
The article referred to appeared the
day after the first letter OF Nr. Cochran,
and advocates, in an inOffensiye way, the
discontinuance Of the German depart.
ment in the public schools, as nothing
could be accomplished in its present
form. Referring, at the conclusion, TO |
Mr.. Cochran's letter, it,says:
ave hold it unnecessary to answer
here, in this paper, the personal attack |
OF Mr.. Cochran. There will be 4 time
when liberal views will again gain the
victory over intolerance, and if Mr..
Cochran, as he assured US personally
some time ago, honestly and earnestly
will give his Better conviction the prefer.
ence over inherited prejudice, then We
hope 10 see him on the winning side.
All imputations that we we're aiming at
creating hostility. war Of classes, threats,
&C., we reject most emphSticalIy. Upon
the accusation that we are enemies Of
the free word, free acting, free thought
and free schools, we will only answer, we
are enemies OF the misrepresented word,
arbitrary actions, narrow.minded think.
ing and degraded free schools"
Here il the whole Of it, and again may
the people judge.
Where is the indiscretion and breach Of
etiquette? On my side, who not entering
into the abuses l got from him the day be.