Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-05-01
URGES THREE.LANGUAGE STANDARD

whose boys and girls developed to be
the best men and women. The school
systems chat will compete for the
worlds educational laurels will be those
Of America and Of Germany. We have
advantages in our vast territory and
natural resources. Germany, being
surrounded by the languages Of Russia,
Bohemia, italy. France. England and
Scandinavia its schools encourage the
learning Of modern languages in the
elementary grades, while our system is
Indifferent to three language educa-
ton. though our nation is permeated
by the languages that surround Ger
many. !
America is practical, Europe theoreti-
cal. But Europe is developing fast also
practically and is being balanced.
America, however, is facing q danger
in its extreme emphasis as a practical
people on practical education and it's
neglect. of the theoretical. and language
study, especially in the elementary
grades: Americas national talent is
mathematics rather than languages.
The racial talent of the Scandinavians
is languages and they ought to have
the best opportunity to develop 1t, for
that is just what America needs at pres
ent to balance it's extreme tendency to
mathematical, practical education.
Why Am 1nterestsd In . Thrse Ian
guags Education.
I have often been asked, what inter-
|ested you, an American, in this ques-
tion?" Many things. My father was
Ia grandson of the "Pennsylvania Ger
man Pilgrim Fathers and my mother
Scotch-Irish, a descendent Of Harris,
who gave the capital Of the keystone
state its name. When young man
my father spoke only German while I
when young man spoke only English.
Please do not, therefore, accuse me Of
being un-American~ or IMMERSED in "the
rapid transition going on" One of the
earliest memories I have, is quarrel
with another boy when he called me
Dutch. may have called him by
worse names, but cannot remember
them. I distinctly remember what he
called me, and that he called me
Dutch and 1 felt that was the worst
name he could use. I did not know then
"Duetschland" meant 1.-The peoples land.
Under no circumstances should children
be allowed to SANDER one another's
nationality. That experience made me
only the more Dutch. A second les
son was when I went to the country
and played with boys who talked Ger
man and English and I knew only
English. I wished then to speak two
languages. A third lesson was in see
ing my father read his German books,
when I resolved some day to learn his
language. He sent me to school at
Selinsgrove, Pa, now Susquehanna Uni
Versity, founded by Germans who out
Englished the English in avoiding Ger
man. They Of course pressed Latin and
Greek. With considerable difficulty a
few Of us students succeeded in organic
ing German class one year. Later I
attended Wittenberg College, Spring.
field; O., another school founded by
Pennsylvania Germans, who were over
English and neglected the German.
There I met DR.. J. H. w. Stuckenberg
and his accomplished wife, American
Germans. Having studied in Germany,
they awakened in me the desire to
take second year in German and then
study in Germany. I visited also Dem
mark, Norway, Sweden and Finland and
returned with two instead Of one new
language. experienced that he who
learns a second language will easily
learn third. AS my life work has
been reading foreign literature and pub
fishing English books, no one can &C
cuse me of neglecting English.
Very few persons ever regret having
learned a Soonn6
now prefer a different one than that
they learned many lament never having
learned the language they had the
chance to acquire.
Our subject appeals differently to,
and divides people into, two classes
those who speak only one language and
those who speak two or more tongues
Ardent advocates of a three-language
education are found among people OF
one language, while many two tongued
persons are Indifferent about teaching
! more than one language. Often people
you expect to favor, oppose it, while the
| reverse is frequently the case. Amer.
leans may favor three-language schools
while foreign-born people oppose them
Opinion is divided and fair discussion
| is in order.
| In our discussion we will conside,
| four thoughts: six objections to teach.
ing a second language, four arguments
in its favor. the best time to do the
work and the relation to the subject OF
the Scandinavian languages in oul
northern states.
! The objections to three language
education are largely traditional inlter
tied from colonial times and do not re-
present the, America of today: Time:
have changed and some of these objec
items have also changed,-some into ar
guments favoring what they once op
posed.
More American Than Un-Amsrioan.
The first objection, we notice, is tina
it is un-American, clannish, narrow, un
patriotic. American patriotism ha.
changed at different periods Of our Am
erican development. When Lief Erick
son discovered America Germans, on,
named Tyrker, were with him. Scandin
avian and German were therefore tn,
first civilized languages spoken in Am
erica. It was not unpatriotic then t,
speak two languages. At the same tim,
both these languages were spoken in tn
British Isles and united to form tn,
English tongue. Later the Dutch, Ger
mans) settled on the Hudson at New
York city and Scandinavians (Swedes
settled on the Delaware at Philadelphia
when some 16 languages and dialects
were in daily use in the east. The chill
dren Of these same races soon arrive,
from England with a new language, an,
the patriotism changed to colonial Eng
lish. After the revolutionary war, i
changed to that of an independent ma