Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-10-04

books and form a class. You need
not wait until next year. Most Ger
man and Scandinavian teachers car
teach elementary classes without
preparation, yet colleges and Normal
schools should prepare teachers, es-
pecially teachers for high schools
In New Ulm met prominent Scan
dinavians. They and their children
speak German correctly and are
proud Of it. =.
Public libraries and reading rooms
are in touch with the public schools
and will serve this cause, if they have
in English a good selection of works
on the Germans and Scandinavians-
their country, people and history
and standard collection of books
and papers in their respective langu-
ages. German and Scandinavian
must be introduced into the libraries
if successful in the school. Here also
our people may have what they want
and what is reasonable.
All editors of English local papers
we met, except one, expressed them
selves as sympathetic with the move
ment and ready to publish Informal
ton on the subject if sent to them.
Some remarked they were themselves
often handicapped by not under
standing more languages. Next to
the school officials the English press
can do the most for the cause, but
the papers must be helped to the
right kind of literature. The inter-
view with the German editor at Man.
kato and the editors of the three
ably edited German papers in New
Ulm were instructive and pleasant.
While they keep up the German, they
do not neglect the English. They
are as patriotic Americans as if they
never knew German.
One newspaper editor in a CONVEX
sation remarked that when he was in
Seattle last summer he met an AM
erican living there, who took pride in
the fact that he had one son in Ger
many studying German and another
son was learning Japanese and Chin
csc in view of the prospective bust
ness with Europe and Asia the Pan
ANA Canal will develop on the west
ern coast. This casual remark op-
ened my eyes that I had to take a
broader American oriental view of
our general theme. But, why 60 to
Europe to learn German or Scandin-
avian? Have we not money and
brains to secure as good textbooks
and teachers and compete? We
ought to be able to teach our own
children languages better than for
eigners can abroad.
At Winthrop we found the Swedes
interested in both the high school and
country school movement. At Glib
bon we met German pastors who
were holding a conference six miles
in the country. A hearty invitation
to come out and discuss the cause
before the conference was accepted.
They were pleased to hear of the
work in the public schools and fav-
ored it, being sure it will not inter-
fere with. their parochial schools,
which are permanently established in
many settlements. There is need and
a field for both, and one should not
be advanced at the expense of the
other.
One Scandinavian professor we
met emphasized the necessity of
sending several men out to continu-
|ally travel in the interest of the
cause. Some patriotic and benevol-
ent societies in Sweden, Denmark,
and Norway have branches in Am
erica and many have been organized
here that would, no doubt, help the
cause in this way. When Pastor F,
Brun of Levsing, Denmark, pleading
the cause Of the Schleswig Danes,
was in Minneapolis I had the honor
Of an interview with him. He prom
ised to do what he could for the
cause We plead while travelling in
America and when he returned home
The Schleswig Danes, like the Finn
Swedes, and the Icelandic Norweg-
ians, hold a mediating position TO,
spreading the Scandinavian culture
and languages into distant lands
They are a Wartburg also against
foreign influence. They have, and
are, and will make valuable contri-
buttons in developing Scandinavia al
home and abroad. More men like
Pastor Brun are needed to travel FOL
this common cause.
J. n. LENKER.
Minneapolis, Mimi, Oct. 2, 1911.
N. E. Ladies' Aid Meets.
| Tho NJ r. Ta1;oc, Aid hold +hoi