Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-04-24
MODERN LANGUAGES IN
GRADED SCHOOLS
By Prof. j. N. Lenker, D. D.
HOW CHICAGO SECURES PAR
ENTS WISHES.

HOW CHICAGO SECURES PAR
: ENTS WISHES.
The study Of modern languages is
making great progress in the large
cities. A year ago fifty-tive grammar
schools in Chicago taught German,
now seventy-one. A supervisor Of
German has just been appointed for
the city, which means much for the
future of the work in Chicago and the
central west. The Minnesota law
says a unanimous vote of the men,
bers Of the school board must be
secured to introduce a language into
the course Of study Of the public
schools. The law of South Dakota
puts the question to a vote Of the
school district. The Indiana law
says, if a school has twenty-five pu-
pills whose parents and guardians de-
sire them to take German the school
authorities must promise a teacher.
The Minnesota and South Dakota
laws thus throw the question into
politics, the Indiana law is the best
in that it makes it matter solely of
the parents and guardians. We are
pleased to see the Chicago schools
do the same, in way that should
be followed throughout the United
States, by sending blank cards to the
parents for them to fill out and in the
most convenient manner thus express
their wishes. In the new pamphlet
"Rules of the Board of Education of
the City Of Chicago" Article 7, Ger
man, Section 200 reads:
"NOTICE TO BE GIVEN.
"The Superintendent shall cause to
be printed and distributed to all the
schools a sufficient supply of the fol-
lowing notices, together with the &C.
companying request, the latter to be
printed in such form as to be readily
detached therefrom.
"OPTIONAL STUDY OF GERMAN
"OAice Of the Board of Education
Chicago. ...... .l9l..
"To Parents and Guardians Of Pupils
in the Public Schools Of the City
Of Chicago:
"The study Of German beginsin the
fifth grade, and is continued as a
graded course thruout the remaining
elementary grades. The study is op-
tional, that is, no pupil is obliged tc
study this language unless the parent
SO desires 4 n you are respectfully
requested to Indicate your desire il
this matter by filling out the attached
blank, and sending it promptly to the
principal of the school in which you,
child or ward is enrolled 4 . Prin.
cipal."
PARENTS WISH is LAW.
The blank reply reads:
Chicago. .......... .l9l..
'To the Principal Of the. -. School
81 desire that. ..... shall study
German. l will not ask that the pu.
| pill named be permitted to withdraw
from the class before the end of the
regular term, unless for reasons that
shall be satisfactory to the Superin-
tendent Of Schools.
Name Of Parent Of Guardian.
Residence -. ........
ut shall be the duty Of every prin-
cipal Of an elementary school to give
a copy of the above notice to each
pupil entering the fifth grade. In the
schools in which German has not be-
fore been taught this notice shall be
given to all pupils Of the higher
grades of the course as we'll. The
principal Of the school shall file and
preserve all such requests sent tc
them for said study" Seven and
eight grade classes may be organ
lied in September with minimum OF
rs pupils and in February with q
minimum Of Is pupils.
The Daily Republican, Springfield
Mass, one Of the strongest dailies
in New England, published the fol-
lowing able editorial, Feb. "a. Il
proves the language question is moi
mere local and national, but a worlc
problem. The title is:
|*'NATIONALISM AND LANGUAGE
"One of the most interesting and il
some ways paradoxical, Of socia
symptoms of the day is the strenuous
revival Of little languages. For years
the prophets have been telling US thu
dialects are doomed along with small
independent nationalities. In EUROPE
H. G.. Wells allows a place only 70,
French, German and English, will
perhaps Russian as an outlying bar
barian tongue. The Scandinavian
languages, along with Spanish, Por
Ituguese and Italian he sees yielding
to the naughty domination Of tn
three great idioms of central Europe
Precisely the contrary Of this ten
dency is what we now see. The re-
cent resignation Of a large part O.
the cabinet of Norway over a lin
guistic issue is but one Of man,
IsymntOms. Last wear the minister O.