Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-07
GERMAN IN THE SCHOOLS.

A special committee of the Board of
Education Of New York City, committee
admitted on all sides to be of high charac-
ter and unselfsh devotion to the schools,
has reported unanimously in favor of
abandoning the teaching of French and
German in the common schools. We be-
lieve that is wholesome and sound con-
clusion. If these languages are to be
taught in the free schools, will it not be
the part Of wisdom to confine them to the
| high schools? Is it not fact that the
German taught in the grammar grade or
below it, as is done in some parts, either
for culture, discipline or practical useful
ness, is resultless for good? Such instruc-
ton cannot be thorough it's results never
are lasting. The scholars are taught to
master, through the aid of much wrestling
with grammar, few phrases and some
| simple reading. But to how many does
this instruction open the rich store-houses
| of German literature? How many gram
mar school-taught children can, two years
after leaving the first grade, converse in
diligently in German? Take at random
any ten men of our city who studied Ger
man In the schools ten years ago, and fire
at them point blank in the German tongue
and wait for the game to come down. One
must wait long and with ultimate disap-
polntment. Our children may, by the
study of German in the schools, acquire a
limited vocabulary of the words of the
tongue, but it is not permanent one. If
the instruction is to be followed by an
academic course, then it will be an aid
but is it not early enough to begin with it
in the high school?
Let us be perfectly honest with our
selves in this matter and answer this uues-
ton: g Is it not true that German has
been retained below the high school be-
cause Of a sentiment of the need of con-
cession to citizens of German birth ?" But
is 1t any compliment to these Germans?
DO they really-when they think calmly
consider that it enhances their citizenship
or gives them any greater political promi-
nence? And if it can be said that it
does set them out distinctively in the
community, is that desirable? The title
of American citizenship is superior to all
others; the self-respecting citizen of Ger
man extraction does not wish to be fiat
tered because of his nativity. He is too
sensible man to believe for an instant
that his liberties are enlarged or their
guarantees made more secure by the teach
ing of German in the public schools. If
he favors the system at all, it is because he
believes knowledge of the tongue will be
useful to the child when in after lite it
engages in business or enters the walks of
literature.
We come down, therefore, to the simple
question of the practical, and no possible
issue of sentiment relative to nativity can
be projected into its consideration. We
have no idea whatever that any German
whose opinion is worthy of respect will
have his sensibilities ruffied by the sug-
gestion Of the committee of the New York
Board. We believe, in short, that the
people (ifwe could get back of ard free from
the demagcgy of the politicians, trucking
to classes and clans, the German and the
native-born alike, really favor the devo-
ton of the money and the energy now put
forth for instruction of children, below the
high school grade, in foreign tongues, to
the better and more thorough teaching of
English, that is to be the worlds language.