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

the best 1inguists instead 81 the poor
est Americans take pride. 10 : rule. III
being first. here. they are Indifferent
about being lest. They seem to rejoice
to publish they have no talent for
work before being tested why. Is this?
In Germany nine years are devoted to
French and six years to English, and ii
pays there. Americans are disheartan-
ed when they do not get like results In
s and years. Patience, time and work
with little talent are better than on
" talent.
Demand 1noEsasss 90 humanity Ds-
vslops. SIS
The fourth argument we notice
against learning the home language is
that when the children enter active life
It will have been forgotten. This ar
gument Is also as old a. our nation. We
heard It when children. In Pennsyl-
van1a from earliest days the children
were told. with characteristic emphasis,
that In q few years no one would speak
German. Only English would be used.
These advocates all proved to be false
prophets. The fact is other languages
are being spoken more in America every
year. The daily press of late has fur
nished the foreign-born figures Of the
various states according to the United
States census Of 1910, which have set
many to thinking more favorably on
this question lE.E
II the figures for the German coun-
tries o Europe Austria, Holland,
Switzerland, Belgium, Lux emburg and
Germany with the German Russians,
are added, we have 178,016 foreign-born
Germans in Minnesota in 1910 (162,s11
in 1900; 448,517 foreign-born Germans
Scandinavians and Films, Of the total
foreign-born population Of $4,000 (504,-
935 in 1909 In North Dakota 67,918
Germans (32,265 in 1900; 122,54S for
etgn-born Germans and Scandinavians
(75.494 in 1900 Of total foreign born
population Of 156.15S ,(112,690 in 1900.
South Dakota has 1904 foreign-born
Germans, and S1.6S5 Germans. Scandin-
avians and Firms of a total foreign-born
population of 100.62s (SS,S29 in 1900.
The Irish foreign-born population in the
northern states is decreasing, tn e
Scotch and English are merely holding
their own, while the German, zScandin-
avian and Finn are rapidly increasing.
From the census figures Of 1910 and the
immigration reports we Judge German
and Scandinavian boys and girls will
have abundant opportunity to use their
languages in daily conversation thru
their entire lives The argument that
their languages in America will soon be
no, longer spoken is false. The oppos-
lite is true, for the foreign-born popu1a-
ton in the United States in 1900 was
10.213,71S and 13,342,500 in 1910, an
increase of 3,12S,6S3 the last 10 years.
The other day upon being introduced
to man I saw at once his face was
German, accent and name proved it. He
remarked + am sorry Icannot speak Ger
man, but I will see to it that my little
here learns it. He represented large
class. who are determined their children
shall recover the treasure they lost.
Why not begin in the elementary grades
of our schools? The best chance can
be given them there, not in the Univer-
s1ty or high school. If one generation
forget their language, that language
should be the first for their children to
learn, so as to know their grandparents
and themselves better.
Professor David F. Swenson of our
state university, a Scandinavian and an
honored member Of the Minneapolis
School Board, recently remarked to me
1.-The grown children Of foreign-born
parents are more anxious to have two
Languages taught than the new arrivals
from Europe. They are the ones that
are agitating it." They often seek oc-
casions to speak. rarner than Shun a
second language. ..,,>S. -. 4
German and Scandinavian are studied
more than ever in our American univer-
stiles, high schools, graded schools and
kindergartens by the children of these
|nationalities and by Americans The
press. schools. churches and societies
in foreign languages, like the foreign
population, are on the increase. More
Americans travel abroad and do bust
ness in other languages. German and
| Scandinavian countries are prospecting
and gaining their true cultural place
among the nations, and there is no rea-
son why their sons and daughters should
not be as proud to speak the tongue of
their parents as the French are to speak
French. Their nations are growing while
France is not. There will be no lack
of opportunity to speak these languages,
If once acquired. -
Pupils ana Teachers 0vsrcro&dsd."
! A fifth objection, of recent date and
frequently heard, is that the grade pu-
pills and teachers are already over
crowded with work. This is doubtless
true in many cases. We would be the
last to increase their burdens. We want
to Tighten them. The cry of being ov-
ercrowded and that the results secured
from our teaching are unsatisfactory.
justify the efforts to introduce. not
more new studies, but better and tried
methods of teaching the old standard
studies Of the modern languages the pu-
pills can easily learn and thus make sure
Of securing satisfactory results.
Mr.. S. L. Heeter, late Superintendent
Of Schools in st. Paul, and now Of the
Pittsburg schools, wrote for the "Edu-
cational Review" Of last December an
able article on "The School Of Tomor-
row." in which are these timely words;
I'VE are not breaking down the health
of our children, not IN the modern day
school. We are not sverworking our
boys. Not these days You can't over.
work boys any more If anything, the
schools are getting easier every day. II
is not the pupil these days that is over.