The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-07
INTRODUCING MIR. ALLEN G. LOEFIR, WHO WILL TEACH LANGUAGES AT SHERWOOD SCHOOL
By DOLLY DALRyMPLE

and teacher, who has recently assumed the chair of languages in the Sherwood Music School, is personality to be reck- oned with.
 Beautifully educated widely travelled. man of keen intellect and broad compre- hension, MT. Loehr is ably fitted to oc- cupy this important position and Bir- mingham is to be congratulated upon the advent here of a gentleman so cultured, and scholar so erudite.
 With all this
 MT. Loehr is far from the proverbial idea of the learned professor
 To begin with he is young.
 Also
 He is very human
 Not high brow in the generally ac- cepted term.
 But
 Sane. conservative, interested in peo- pie and things-never pedantic, Haunting his knowledge in the face of everyday eircumstances-and above all, lenient and most companionable-a man whom to know is to like
 MT Loehr, although born in China, is an American and better still south erner.
 He is a grandson of the late pr. Young J. Allen, the noted missionary the church universal acknowledged as one of her foremost emissaries-and to whom memory Methodsm, in particular, pays homage-sincere. and reverential
 Of distinguished lineage, and coming from family lfeted for it's enviable place in the world of literature and educa- tional progress. MT. Loehr has inherited and cultivated the talent that is his by divine right. for the mastery of languages and his knowledge of seven different tongues, not only the knowledge but the practical application of these, Is some- thing scarcely encountered in these days, when commercialism has taken the place to large extent. of the more beautiful art of the linguist.
 MT. Loehr has taught in the great uni versailles abroad and has acted as secre- tary at Vienna to the English consul
 His residence in Poland covers a most interesting period of his life occupying as he did the position of house master in a private school for the son of wealthy Polish nobeman, at the same time serving as foreign correspondent for the London Daily Mirror and also Local Art Critic. In this capacity he familiar ized himself with Polish art, contributing from time to time to the English papers. His life in the capital city of old Po- land was filled with many delightful epi- sodes. The summer months were spent in travel through Europe with continued study; also the acceptance of invitations to lecture on English literature in the old University of Cracow. one of the old est and largest in Europe.
 Henry w. Sienkiewicz, the great Polish writer was a close personal friend of hn toll xxrft ,oh charm of many visits to the home of this distinguished man in Cracow, where the most noted scholars and men of let ters throughout Europe gathered.
 Mir Loehr declares the Polish language to be the most difficult of all the Ian guages to master-but he accomplished the marvellous feat within two months something that has not been done within the past 20 years by any foreigner It was done on a bet" through his collab- oration with the professor of languages in the great university there. while making a translation of Oscar Wilde's clever com edW, Lady Windemeres Fan" which. by the way, Miss Margaret Anglin has recently revived with such tremendous success on Broadway.
 MT. Loehr has practically been an American citizen only eight years-and then you might say intermittently, spend- ing much of this time in Europe, but definitely making this country his home sthree years ago.
 In speaking with Mir Loehr a few days ago regarding the mastery of languages and the difficulty of learning so many, I asked him just how he kept them separate and apart, to which he replied: That is a very easy question to answer In the first place, when I learned a lan- guage I learned immediately to think in hat 1oy1 md ,,.I. | one language into another. In the sec d1fd place, my ear is my most accurate guide; few language students care to make the effort of digging a language out but I always experienced a thrill of adventure in tackling the mysteries of an unknown tongue. I took care also never to have my interest dulled by the use of a grammar, but learned always direct from the instructor, beginning with the sim plest conversation and at each lesson in- vading msore and more territory until I was davjna' enough to risk chance con versation Ayith stranger. or fellow guest at the, coffee house. What grammar