The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-12-17

LETTERS TO AMERICAN GIRLS AND BOYS
ia Of
Educahon at MeLo Purchase Erboshon

\ RGENTINA must be the Boston of South America
n That is is to judge by the style Of the school
boy letters in the Argentine educational exhibit at
the Louisiana Purchase exposition In corner Of the
Argentine there two little school desks equip
same DESKS two letters from Argentine schooboys
to their American cousins and all children who visited
and write to the little South Americans who greeted them
courteously.
The American letters the real child letters The
writing uphill and down dale the unruled
The grammar doubtful, the spelling was wonderful,
and punctuation and paragraphing noticeable for their
absence. The Argentine etters-weI, the English
decidedly Bostonesque There words of four and six
syabes strewn broadcast in them, Words by the way,
with which the average American does not often daily
The sentences rounded and very mature and the
thoughts And writer's of these letters were
only 10. Here is of them:
FRIEND did youf The which you find at the bottom
of it does not remind you of any person you know but
just the same I am an Argentine 1o-year old,
taking the fourth grade of an elementary school of
exposition going has increased the interest take in
your country Our teacher, dear young lady, this
easion read to the travelling Impressions of tourist
whose can It remember. They were very interest,"
in and what he says about the American boys appealed
to strongly He pictures you being openminded
e m
The second letter is as follows: "My dear little
friends always heard much of the United States
being such big great country that always imagined
that the girls and boys in the schools very good
earnest and Industrious You must not laugh at this for
washington, great
that you have had in your country, good boys
before being great I have felt keen desire to
correspond with of you in order to know how
you enjoy your time how you work. what you think Of
doing when you become older, what your teachers tell
you, etc. But language is different from yours and
unless kindly translates this letter write
fear that this attempt to communicate with is going
to be failure. Therefore, will only add yet my best
wishes and cordial greetings
Perhaps that word "translates'' explains it all Per.
haps the translator from Boston, and instead Of
translating them ''pain: boy'' made them what the
how he irSt
imagine American boy of ten saying anything 'ap
pealed him strongly that he felt keen desire
communicate - with another.
Of course, there is the difference in the Of
expression in American, English and Spanish We
shoulder and there is beside much slang accepted
proper in American talk that Spanish French
sions translated literally would sound more or less
stance We say ''Come to my house." The Frenchman,
If translated exactly he spoke would say, I wish
that you would to house, if you please" And
much anything else.
Very different the impression left by the exhibit
Of work done by Japanese students There, in the neat
est of English handwriting were dozens and dozens of all
kinds of exercises in English just the students them
into English, harder STILL there Japanese
fables told in Engsha language that by its very
ture express the finest shades of meaning