The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1905-04-20


a class Of ten will realize any appreci-
able amount of mental discipline from
the study Of German, for the following
reasons
IA The multiplicity Of English studies
in the curriculum renders II practically
impossible for any save few earnest
thoughtful students in the schools in
question, to get any disciplinary value
whatever from the study Of German OnJ
The average grammar school pupil
when required 70 take up the study Of
German, approaches the subject with a
spirit Of hostility; tg This hostility
manifests itself in spirit Of levlty and
frivolty Cthe mere pronunciation Of a
certain class Of words, tn utterance OF
a universally used, expressive phrase
etc, give rise to "A ripple Of merrimrnr'
and ID many teachers when taking
charge Of German classes acl AZ though
there were something TO conceal or exc
out with English woId- aud phrases,
/ Indeed the spirit Of many teachers j.
| hostile to the German language. The
/ English American, or Scotch American
or Irish American is far more friendly
toward the German language than many
native born American school teachers
that are Of German extraction The
writer has met many Of the last men
toned class who net AZ though it were "a
disqualification to speak and write
German nuently and who pride them
selves on their inability pretended i'm
ability Of 5ourse 70 understand q Gcr.
man expression Ovcrdrawnf no wo
have not Oyerstated the truth Of the
matter under consideration. Everyone
Of the foregoing statements Is susceptible
Of demonstration German ca" not
be knocked into the pate of an unwlll.
ing learner. A grammar school puWi
may by dint of continuous effort ON
the part Of his teacher finally get ~
-mattering Of German; but not one IN a
hundred will get the .nrre-t penumbra
Of mental discipline from the -tndy in
question While American boys and
Urls. of German extraction, are, ~ rule,
more unwilling than pupils Of amy other
nationality to take a genuine interest IN
the study Of German, it is an umdeuiablc
fact that the young people Of all nation
aitir- approach the study of German. If
at All, only in Il spirit Of lcyity and
frivolity This certainly renders i i'm.
possible for them TO get mental di-
ciplinp from the study referred To. What
ha- been said above applies also. IN u
large measure, to the study of German
in the high school IT is rare that y
high school pupil realizes any dl-cI-
Iphnary value from the study If trrr
man His work in German is largely
periunctoIy He rarely acquire more
than u mere 4mattering of the language
But if German il to be- added To thc
curriculum Of the grammar school
course. IT must come III ~ an additional
study. or confusion will he worse con.
founded
Bat to eliminate arithmetic from the
seventh and eighth grades for the pur
pose Of giving time for German would
be uumitigatcd folly The study Of
arithmetic is not only Of great practical
value IN every walk Of life hut il also
affords superior mental discipline It
appeals to II set Of faculties that can mot
be equally well reached and DEVELOPED
by the study Vt any other branch
We ARE fully aware Of the fact That
many there are whoclaim that but very
little arithmetic is needed by the average
citizen in his every day life Thi- H. in
effect. an cgrcgiou- niscoucrption A
person that has not Il fair knowledge Of
arithmetic and a fairly we'll disciplined
mind can not he irtru-tod with the
worko adding long columns Of numbers.
when hrrccciye- no hint aud when the
figures arc not neatly arranged IN tine
form of blackboard lesson This
statement can not he successfully con.
tradictrd If any school teacher reading
this should doubt the truth Of the state
Ilnrnt lct him put it To- the scyetn~t test
hy having ono of hi upi- that hav,
not acquired fairly good knowlcdg,
..l s.trf lao "a Ht.lI ftrqrr tf