Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-09-20
SC elDletAvlAN l.A1Gu AeES
lN OUR OlSTRlC
COUNTRY SCHOOLS
(By J. N. Lenker, D. d.
vi.


one will doubt that this can be done,
and ought to be done, and it is the
wise thing to do, and SO on. But it
costs labor, sacrifice and money to
develop sentiment in a settlement to
persevere in having it done and to
stir individuals to see that it is done.
We wish to emphasize in various
ways that the German and Scandin-
avian tongues embody distinctive
types Of civilization, most closely re-
lated to the English, and they should
be studied for other reasons than
that next to English they are spoken
the most in the United States. Ger
man, doubtless, will hold its own, but
it is not SO certain about Scandin-
avian. If it does, a special effort
must be made without further DELAY.
TEACHING SCANDINAVIAN IN
MINNEAPOLIS HIGH SCHOOLS
A SUCCESS.
This movement, only year old,
has already excellent results, con-
sidering the small effort made. The
teaching Of Scandinavian languages
in state high schools is success
where they had qualified teachers. I
just learn that the south high school
of Minneapolis opens with IS pupils
in Norwegian Danish and As in Swed-
ish, total 10. Last year the former
were 80 and the latter %, total 81.
The Swedes more than doubled and
the others nearly SO. At present in
this school 70 study French, 10
Scandinavian and 1874 German. Both
the East and Central high schools re-
port an increase and prospects are
good for it being introduced into the
North high school. The North side
high school district is planning to
hold a mass meeting for the cause.
East side high school had 16 pupils
in Norwegian in the fall of 1910 and
% in 1911; and Is in Swedish in 1910
and % in 1911; Central high school
had 4 in Norwegian in 1910 and 8 in
1911; and IL in Swedish in 1910 and
Is in 1911. There is great need of
efficient language teachers, and the
need, it seems, will grow. Where are
they to be had? Universities and
high schools, however, will never
solve the problem. That must be
done by the secondary and country
schools.
Successfully and proftably has
America introduced from Germany
Kindergarten and University meth
DDS, the highest and lowest grades
Of school work, and since Prof. Jas.
E. Russell, Of Columbia University,
issued in 1899 his excellent work on
"Secondary Education in Germany"
the missing link has been found, and
there has been an increased interest
in learning how to teach Americans
modern languages.
| SCANDINAVIAN CULTURE AND
LANGUAGES INSEPARABLE.
After considering the country and
people of Scandinavia, it is in place
to notice the distinctive type of cul-
ture, or civilization, they produced in
the north and is offered to the world
by means of their languages It is
necessary to carefully study the geo.
graphy and history of a nation if it's
culture and language are to be right
ly understood. Michelet remarked
the whole Of English history could be
summed up in the single sentence :
E'England is an island" The last
number Of 'The Living Age" Of Sept.
9th adds in the same line that con-
tinental Europe is in reality the wes-
tern promontory Of Asia, and France
is merely an isthmus, all but convert
ing that promontory into a peninsula,
an isthmus linking the Mediterran-
can to the Atlantic and the North
Sea. French soil is the central his
toric road of civilization during at
least the last three thousand years
It is because France is located at
this particular spot Of the planet that
French ideals, problems and history
differ from those Of other nations"
What We wrote about Scandinavia is
thus confirmed by this leading Am
erican literary magazine. When Am
orleans thus study Scandinavia and
Germany in their geographical and
historical relations, they will better
understand them and the need of
learning their languages. Favored
France tried to force European
countries to learn it's language by moi
learning theirs. It practically ig-
nored other tongues and became a
one language nation. Scandinavia
and Germany take the opposite
course. They respect and learn 9th
er tongues. Hence the difference
Which will Americans follow in their
continental culture? Scandinavian
culture and languages are INSOFAR
able and in America they are helping
to answer this question.
Real heart interest in a country
and people, their life and culture
without sincere interest in their
language, as the only means by which