, 1893-03-08
THE AVIS
CArastiaasted. St. Creix
Wednesday, 9Th March 1898.

containing oil diLltlO ~ PNA - OOOANAA~
lor van Brake, formerly President Of this
island, on the language question in the Danish
West Indies. The article is an answer to a
previous article on the same subject by P stor
Lawaetz ,thath had been published in the Nation
nttidende of 7th December last year. Since
receiving Councillor van Brakes article we
have seen the article by Pastor Lawaetz, and
as the question cannot fail to have some in
terest for readers of the Avis, WI purpose CIV
ing a pretty full sketch with translations of
portions, where desirable) of both articles.
We shall commence, naturally, with Pastor
Law aetz'a article, which Is headed "a little
about the language question in the Danish
West Indies" The article opens with a
sketch Of an imaginary visit to St. Thomas paid
by an Englishman who learns by observation
without asking any questions. A boatman
calls out "this boat Sir, don't forget this bIat
SIR Hs lands, sees painted up Govern
ment Offices attends a meeting of the Colo
NAL Council and hears the speeches made iii
English, passes the "Post Office" and the
Police Office, and only discovers after go
ing on board that the island is Danish. This
he does when, breaking through his principle
of asking no questions, he says to the Captain
What is that red and white flag that seems
to be hoisted on the Fort ?" at is the Danish
lag aISW 0IkbIu6 OhpLdlu, JIG oAoh 10
Danish" Danish, indeedr' exclaims the Eng
lishman, showing the first look of surprise
which he has shewn for "a long time.
1t is not of st. Thomas, however, that the
writer of the article will speak. He admits
that, living on foreign commerce, it must bear
q foreign. stamp, even if some things possibly
go too far in that direction.
With ST.. Croix, however, it is otherwise,
1t is a sugar growing island, having little
connection with the outer world. For one 4.
hundred and fifty years the Danish flag has
waved over it, and yet very few, mainly the
families who have come from Denmark, speak,
Danish. The rest, even children of Danish
parents, speak English. Omitting a small
private school in Christiansted, the i%nstruc-
ton in all the schools is in English, except
that a little Danish, so little as to have no
importance, il taught in the public town
schools. The instruction, which in other
respects is good and is carefully conducted,
is throughout St. Croix systematically con-
Quoted in English,
1t may possibly be remarked. says our au-
thor, that it does not matter whether he Ian
guage of the island is Danish or English.
To him, however, it seems that it would IN
any case he the most reasonable to endeavour
to impress as far as possible an ancient
OanlSn COIOuy WIFI JI0 SbdHp " IL ~
Country. He would like to know whether
any other country wouldspend large sums of
money to teach its subjects a foreign tongue,
systematically to make foreigners of them.
ut might also be that practical advantages
would have accrued to st. Croix had it been
more Danish. If the language among the
general population were Danish there would
scarcely be so large an emigration to America,
especially among the better sort, as there is
now, since, on account of the common Ian
guags among other things. they look to
America as the promised land, the real father
land. how can they VIII are born out here,
also feel themselves to be Danish? In the
language there meets them a marked line of
separation, which often in a most regretta-
BILE manner divides the community. If the
country labourers had learned D lniSl, if they
could only speak Danish, who knows whether
ST. Uroix would have had the experiences of
1878; ct any rate it would not have been so
easy for the Bal badian negroes to have stirred
up the people. Hal the Ian guage been
Danish more d ,nish planters would possibly
In the course of time have come out here, the
Danes would have found it easier to feel them
selves at home out here; and who will main
tain that it would not have been for the fur
therance of the islands welfare, if there had
been fewer foreigners out here, who naturally
only think of sending the most money away