Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-12-27

year opened. The Scandinavian Ian
guages will not only live in our high
schools, where they receive fair cons
sideration, but they have already
gained an honored place and are re-
ceiving digni6ed treatment.
Living near the south high school
I have had ample opportunity to
closely follow the work and know Of
the progress. Last week Miss Mich
elet, the teacher Of Morse, remarked
she had 66 scholars and the many
applicants to take up Morse after:
New Years made it necessary to or
ganize the fourth class. A young
Norwegian taking the Latin course
said he wanted to enter the class, as
an extra study, not for the sake Of
the credit, but to brush up his know
ledge Of Morse, which to him would
be only play work. By very little
work many Scandinavians could take
up the language SO dear to their par.
ents in addition to Latin or German.
If the science Of modern languages
| is to be developed in the American
school system, the Scandinavians
and Germans must take the lead.
Small contributions by friends for
these departments 60 far in conserv-.
ing the languages and culture our
parents brought from the father
lands. u
The Swedish classes in the south
high school, taught by Mr.. Carlson,
are also growing. It's first teacher Of
Swedish, as Of Morse, was woman,
Miss Johnson. She had been a teach
er of German and was chosen to
| teach Swedish and German. She was
a noble character, talented ingu-
list and teacher, mastering Swedish,
English and German. She looked
forward to devoting all her time to
teaching Swedish the second year, as
, the pioneer and most able teacher of
Swedish in the city, but death claim
/, ed her in her best years. It was
, touching and instructive for the COM
munity and friends to learn that in
her last will the first teacher of
Swedish in the public schools of
Minneapolis gave Of her earnings in
teaching German and Swedish five
hundred dollars to the Swedish work
in the south high~school. She felt it
, was natural, and not a manufac-
/ tured, need in our public schools.
Are there not scores Of Scandinav-
} ians teaching German in the north
west, who will, like Miss Johnson
come to the immediate help Of teach
; ing their Scandinavian language in
the public schools in it's present great
emergency Of securing competent
teachers to establish the work in this
the critical period Of introduction 2
t A vast and promising field is opening
to experienced Scandinavian teach
ers of modern languages. One has
truthfully said, 'The great bane OF
language-teaching in this country is
still the ill-trained teacher" Gu,
t American teachers are weakest In
Il phonetic training and in the powe,
E to handle the spoken language. Fo,
teachers weak here the only allow.
able method is a strict "readine
e method" Had the Scandinavian Ian
|guages been given a four year course
like Latin, in the Minneapolis higf
$ schools, the success would have beer
b greater. I know scholars who wan
S to take Scandinavian the first yea.
e but cannot. Why not discriminate il
f favor of modern languages, if ancien
: and modern languages cannot b,
placed on an equality. High schools
: introducing Scandinavian should no
d make the mistake Of Minneapolis b,
; emitting it in the first year. Ele
mentary instruction in modern Ian
n guages should be given in the grade.
. schools and continued in advance
o work through the four years Of tn
+ high school,. ..@.., ..s
3 Minneapolis, Mimi, Dec. &c, 1911
1 It l.