Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-11-22

CndC=Ss.ln a large auumO6E OIL SCHOOLS
the introduction of. Algebra, more adj
vanced natural sciences, Latin, and
one or more modern languages, IS be-
ing tried with good results both to
the child who finishes his education
in the grammar grade and the one
who goes on to high school. There
are public schools in the cities in
which no less than five languages are
spoken. In Public School No. in
New York City there are 1000 child
rem, fully 80 per cent Of whom are
foreigners. Yet by the excellent sys-
TEN Of instruction provided, even the
children who never hear word Of
English at home are able to speak it
correctly before the first school year
expires. This is one Of the largest
and best Immigrant schools in the
country. Besides it's principal and
supervisor, it has fiftyone regular
and six special teachers"
A special committee including the
United States Commissioner Of edu-
cation, the superintendent of schools
Of several cities and other prominent
educators, recently published their
report. This report divides the Is
hours of the school week into regular
periods for each study and these diff
fer as the grades advance. The re-
port suggests that elementary alge-
bra and geometry receive from one to
three hours a week during the sew
enth and eighth grades and four
hours week may be given to some
foreign language in the last three
years. Many of the suggestions are
| already in operation with good re-
| suits. The report deals with both
| rural and city schools, and, while it's
suggestions will be modified to meet
local conditions, the report will be
regarded at least as suggestive au-
thority on the subject Of the time to
be devoted to each branch Of study.
OUR SCHOOLS AND PEOPLE
STRIVING FOR THE SAME
THING AND WILL MEET.
The above quotations are enough
to prove that the tendency in the de-
velopment Of the American public
school system is in line with the ef-
forts Of intelligent and public spirit
ed Scandinavians and Germans to
have their languages taught in the
secondary and high schools to their
children, and all who so desire. Edu-
Gators begin to see the advantages of
paying more attention to modern Ian
guages, and as the descendants Of
immigrants gain respect for the heri-
Ltage of their race they grow more
emphatic in their demands to have
their mother tongue taught in the dis
trict schools, wherever eight or
twelve pupils are found to form a
class. Nothing gives more hope Of
final and grand success in the agita-
ton of the introduction Of German
and Scandinavian into our graded
and country schools than the intelli-
gent consciousness that the American
school system and our people are
both striving for the same thing, a
two or three modern language stand
ard. Some day they will meet, and
that day will mark on epoch in the
history of Education in the New
World. The day is not so distant.
Come, it will. If in an Immigrant"
school in New York City children
who never hear a word Of English at
home are able to speak. it correctly
before their first school year expires"
why cannot the same public school
teach children Of the same national
tiles in one year the language which
they hear at home? Or why cannot
the same school teach American chill
dren, who are just as apt to learn,
the language Of the immigrant chill
dren? The Immigrant" schools give
us the best solution of the problem
of modern language instruction. No
better is needed. We plead for the
American child, who acquires only
one language, while the immigrant
child. has the advantage Of two Ian
guages. Let us be fair. If it pays
wealthy children to visit Europe to
learn a modern language, why will it
not pay the State to open the door for
bright poor children to do the same
at home? If the two or three langu-
|age standard is good for one class,
nationality or country, why is it not
good for all? The cry zone langu-
age' is narrow and unpatriotic. It
does harm.
CHILDREN OF AMERICANS AND
i FOREIGNERS SHOULD HAVE
i SAME CHANCE.
The American people are what they
are, nothing more, and nothing less.
Some try to represent them and make
: them different than they really are.
Strange these Industrious people do
not seem to realize how miserably
they fail. Americans cannot change
their spots nor forget their origin and