Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-01-20

| Editor Of the Journal.
That the most vital question de-
mnnding speedy and correct solution,
faclng the educators Of New Mexico
today. Is the teaching OF English TO
the Spanish-American children OF the
state, will not easily he eainsayed--
the most vital question and the
most neglected Recently there has
been considerable discussion, revolv-
ing largely around an address deliv-
cred by Dr. IT, H. H. Roberts before
the educational council relntive TO
what is claimed viii be a proper So
luton.
While ! have seen only brief ex-
cerpis from Or. Roberts address, vet
! fancy his commentators must have
imisquoted or misunderstood him. The
idea commonly accepted appears to
be that Dr. Roberts IS advocating the
teaching of Spanish American chill
dren In the Spanish language for the
first four years Of their school course,
paying the while little or no atten-
tion TO the teaching OF English A
recent comment from DR.. q. Stanley
Hall approving Or. Roberts plan has
been going the rounds of the press.
Or. Hall clearly takes that view when
he calls attention to what he claims
Is similar method to Dr. Roberts in
vogue among the Kaffirs. and says
that three or four years ar spent in
teaching the Kaffirs their own lam
guage with little or no attention to
English on the theory that good
Kaffir is better than a pnchbacked
Englishman.
Or. Hall is a great educator--lilSe-
wise one of our most invincible fad
dists. But he is not qualified to speak
Of our problems In New Mexico as he
knows nothing Of our conditions. We
have 10 deal not with savage tribes,
but with among the best of our Amer
ican citizens.
Our Spanish American people are
all Americans with all an Am
erican's privileges---but denied their
very birthright, because those in hu-
thority first in the nation, now in the
state have failed to furnish proper OPP
portunity to learn the language of
the country. TO spend four years
teaching Spanish to the exclusion OF
English would keep the present gener-
alton in bondage as complete as that
of their fathers, There is no chance
for the American of today who does
not speak the English language. and
80 woefully inadequate is our eduea-
tional system that less than one-half
Of our Spanlsh-American boys and
girls ever get through the first grade
Of the public schools.
Recurring again to DR. Roberts adj
dress. | feel sure from the fact that
he quoted the Nova Scotia method
that he advocates bi-lingual system
That such a system has proven high
ly successful among the Acadiah
French recent reports which | have
received from Or, Mckay, superinten-
dent of education Of Nova Scotia,
leaves no room to doubt. But ac-
oording TO that method, while the
French speaking children are for a
part of each day taught to read and
write In French for the first four
years Of their course, yet a consider
able portion OF every day is set aside
to lessons In eolloqulal English. Where
the pupil can remain in school for
four years. satisfactory. perhaps. on
the average. the best results may be
achieved by this method--but let no
one believe that there can be any vir-
tue in teaching the mother tongue in
our schools with ''little or no English"
as DIR. Hall says.
Tho spanish American child Is a.
natural lingdist, Gle can and will
learn English by auy rational method
IL given opportunity, lie has never
had the opportunity. In tho rural
districts for from three 20 five months
a Year he has heen given merely
meaningless forms Of English words
In reading ana writing. If he gets
back To the school for second year
after seven months of idleness, he
has forgotten what little he has learn-
ed. II is evident that the crying need
is for longer school terms. better
teachers and constant and deter
mined effort to teach the English
language by some rational method ev-
cry day In the school year. That the
blllngual method has proven success
full in Nova Scotia is not wholly due
10 the particular method employed
The truth is that helated decision
was reached 10 the effect that every
Acadian child should learn the Eng
lsh tongue.
The Nova Seotian schools offer
.... r.. r. A