Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-11-01
GERMANS PLACE
IN COMMUNITY
Albert Huber Explains It in an
Address Before Alliance at
Turner Hall.
HOLDS FATHERLAND LOVE
But That Does Not Make Him Less
American-Otller Talks,
Music, Etc.


hall last evening under the auspices
of the local branch of the German
American Alliance. recently launched.
Phillip Wolfe, editor of the Peoria
Some, was on the program for the
main address, which was TO have been
delivered in the German tongue Mr..
Wolfe sent word that owing to a sud
den attack of illness he would not be
able to be here, but he has promised
to come at a later date. AThe chief
place on the program theAefore fell
to Albert Huber of this City, who
spoke in English
Mr.. Huber expressed his pleasure in
seeing q close union forming among
the German people of the community.
The meeting together OF the various
organizations had brought about a bet
ter understanding of one another and
in helping the large number of Ger
mans here to form a better acquaint-
ance with each other.
Not Special AmerIcanism.
1.-THE German people" he said, 'have
no intention to hold themselves separ-
ated from the rest of the American
kind of Americanism for themselves.
The German immigrant who left his
native country and renowned his al
legiance to his king or emperor did
so of his own free will and he has now
no flag but the stars and stripes and
no country but the United States. We
do continue to speak the mother
tongue and to sing German songs and
pay our tribute to the poets and great
men of Germany, but we hold that no
kind of loyalty to the union requires
that we forget what is great and good
in the thought and work and achieve
mert o. the fatherland
not to keep his children
from becoming Americanized that the
German provides for them an educa-
ton in the mother tongue, but that |
they may have the benefit of that Ian
guage in addition to the English, which |
they learn in this country as a matter |
of course.
Other Language Helpful.
at goes without saying that English /
is the language of this country and If /
anyone had to choose between that |
and any other language English would !
be chosen. No one, however, viii suf- |
fer in his knowledge of English by |
the study of another language. Many /
teachers say that most pupils do not
obtain a thorough understanding of
English grammar until they have stud
led the grammar of some other Ian
guage, and as an aid to the study Of
English, Latin is taught In most
schools. So the study of German, far
from being a hindrance to the mastery
Of English, is a valuable aid to it."
He referred to the wealth of German
in philosophy, natural sci
ence, philosophy and history, and also
he work of the great German musl-
clans.
Is Worth Preserving.
Quoting the statement of Longfellow
hat it was worth while to learn the
Spanish language to be able to read
Don QuixOte in the original, he said:
Is it not worth at least the effort IF
'etaining a language that has a great
literature of the best that man has pro
luced? Is it not worth some effort TO
1e able TO read Goethe in the Original?
Carlyle says that he would rather De
he author of Goethers Wilhelm Meis-
er than to have written all the books
hat were written since Carlyle was
BORN. And Schiller. who should be
well known to the American people
whose Wilhelm Tell is the greatest
of mans desire for free
ION that was ever printed, and Helm
md Koener and Arndtl Is not the
ON I
hese men gave their message to the
yorld?"
Not Political Organization.
In closing Mr.. Huber said: ours
S not a political organization. The
German as a rule is not a noisy poll
ician, and as long as you let him run
llong in his good old way and give
lin credit for so much honesty and
'obriety and intelligence, and good
viii as the average man possesses,
lie does not demand very much in the
way of political preferment, and up
% this time has been getting less of
t than any other nationality of any
hing near his strength in numbers
N most men a truly American spirit
prevails and a mans ancestry in no
way affects his standing as a citizen.
n some quarters, however, a sort of
ingoism, so-oalled. prevails which
Ieeks to brand as false and inferior
that has a foreign tone 20
t, and as reasonable, every good
word that is said about any other
but ours and when it is neces-
airy for us to oppose in the political
leld narrow policy Of this kind we
hall do so. We believe this country
5 great enough to be magnanimous;
hat it can give to every nation its
ues and still be the best country on
arth. and we believe the way to co 1
onor to the name of American citizen
5 to be broad and liberal and to give
nto every one his dues"
MaenncrchOr Sings.
The other features of the program
7ere very interesting. The Rock ISL
nd and Moline Maennenchor societies