The sun., 1903-06-06
DOESN'T CUT GERMAN STUDIES
BUT THERE'S A FINE FUSS OVER
A REFORM ~ THE SCHOOLS.
II Really Gives Five Hours week TO Ter
man. Latin, French or stenosraphy. as
Chosen, Inst cad OF Two or Three Hours
10 German Alone Ridder Hurt.

Ought or ought not German to be taught
in the grammar schools of New York; Ihat
is the question which great many persons
in this town have been discussing since
the Board of Education decided to give tho
pupils of certain grammar schools the
option Of five hours week OF German
French, Latin or stenography. The Hon
Herman Rcder has been lambasting the
Board and City Superintendent MaSwell
for not giving the grammar schools more
German than has been provided for.
But like every other great question,
there are to be two sides to this great
many persons, among them many grammar
school teachers, hold that therc II aoso-
utely no reason why German should he
taught in the schools OF New York. Ana
any way. they say, Mr.. Ridder is talking
through his hat, because, according to the
new prov ision made by the Board OF Educa-
ton, pupils in the grammar grade VIII
be compelled to have five hours week oil
German, French. Latin or stenography'
instead of having one or two hours a week.
as under the old system. As if in answer
to some OF Mr.. Ridder's arguments, Banga-
lor" writes to The Sun:
There seems to be a lot of fuss among our
German fellow citizens about the alleged
abridgement Of the more or less compulsory
w-breaking Teutonsms. Why should not
good. plain unted states be sufficient ior
children instructed at the public expensey
M@ ond or hHSe G' o or @
or Choctaw? For the future prosperity OF OF
the children of some of us knowledge OF
one or other of these might prove very useiu 4
whereas German would be useless. except as'
an accomplishment
A teacher in one OF the schools writes
her views on the subject as follows;
As a class TEACHER Of many, years; ! have ,Ss
tSonsht e5fn fhsqe may be- Few capable Tsu
tonic podagogues. but have failed to dis
cover them The instructor in the Germanlo
of his time sitting in a high chair yawning
When not thus enga ged he employs The greater
part Of hi, hour sadns n Ind Enss xbst pray
revooably lost to his sighted English! To
thousand school teachers who look for the
taking out entirely OF German from our
schools.
A Sun reporter sought Yesterday, the
views of several teachers in schools OF
man. He found that the question has
a deep interest for the teachers. The
women, for the most part were unalterably
opposed to ringing German into the gram
mar school curriculum on any terms. one
of them, who confessed to having been
grammar school teacher for twenty years.
had this to say:
Lam opposed to the teaching Of German IN
our schools on principle, The public schools
are not finishing schools, They are main,
tanned to give our children common
English education, such an education as
will fit them for American citizenship.
They have enough to do If they make the
most of the English branches.
Il would not 30 much object to the teach
ing of German, though, if the children got
even smattering Of it. They do not and
cannot get even that, and so / contend
that the time spent in the study OF German
is time wasted
Some OF the men teachers held similar
views. but there were others who had
good word to say for German. One OF these
said:
1T seems to me that all this German
and anti-German talk is much ado about
nothing. The proposition OF the. Board
of Education isn't compulsory German.
Grammar school pupils who don't want
German can take French or Latin or short
hand