The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-10-11

AVSSCA SuS AitC10lv W0Ilu ~ Any sC0n-
siderable degree. The literary output
does not stand comparison with that Of
France during the same time. AS for
the older German genetation Heine Is
the most enjoyable. but people know
how Prussia was dear to sshis,l tesrtxf
| Goethe's works though important. have !.
been PrOmoted ny, the minister Or edu-
cation of Prussia and his lierren PRO-
| fessoren, and pro- Germans or innocent
victims of Prlssian propaganda. They
want to make out Of him German
Shakespeare. universal intellectual
| light. a demi god. the essence of Ger
manism. They have succeeded m part.
and yet Goethe's influence on the world
may be questioned. - =! -. !;
| .. IA +fA $50 = .a-. ..a;..s>
Should German be taught for the
sake Of German music? Italy, France.
Russia have excellent music aiso.,;.
Ought then the languages of theseA.
countries to be ignored? DO not the
| songs Of Italy, Spaill-and France sound.
as sweetly as those OF Gerlnanya Or G CT :.
| man music apparently holds full sway
| on some of our musicians. An az
/ suming local singer endowed with
more sbookish lore, than experience. Yves
, asked lately whether Wagner was not.
overestimated He replied by explain
ing to a nicely the unsurpassed ,ad-
vantages of !. the Bayreuth divinity.
When asked. however, about Italian
and French music, his face became "a
blank. Latin music was, too easy, too
simple; 1t was good for the crowd aud
not for the select few. Such is the In
fluence Of German music on undis-
x.tr, .f.rs.~
love for Tristan and Isolde should not
make anyone blind to the pure beauties
in Aida Carmen. Faust. Pasliacc and
Louise. t4
Gcrmany's fine arts have but a slight
chance to be considered q guiding light
when compared with the masterpieces
OF Italy. Spain and modern France. To
insist would be cruel.
German philosophers are profound
but who reads Kant. Hegel Fichte In
the original? Their language is SO cum
, bersomc that translations are found
far more convenient Other nations
have produced philosophers endowed
with clarity Of thought. Ought we not
!, to study Chinese. Sanskrit, Hebrew,
/, Greek for the sake of Confucius, the
Nedas. the Old Testament, Plato?
r In the applied sciences Germany's
. share has, indeed, been considerable
, and here young Americans who select
$ any of the sciences for their life
/: studies should have a thorough under
S standing of scientific German To keep
h up with new German methods and
/: ideas SO as to profit by them, Yet at
g this time every nation in all lines and
/; fields is adding its part in the sacred
q workshop for the betterment Of the
10 world, and it is very difficult to BAY
= now which nation stands supreme in
d scientific discoveries.
n The popularity of German in our see
n ondary schools has been chiefly due to
n the aggressive and militant attitude of
Is citizens of German parentage in our
+, country At times they were directly
/ connected with the school administra-
" ton and at other times they were in
IN fluential enough in the community to
g. make their demand for the teaching of
3 German to their children of great
" weight with the school boards, Ii is a
ir product of the often, boosted affec.
l. ton of the Germans for their language.
N As II strikes the most casual observer.
" the spread of German III the United
@, States comes to be a part of the Prus-
*. sian propaganda and dream, to impart
Id to the whole world German ideals
I'd which we have found to be !, mere de
t. ception since the beginning of the war
i Such dream lay dormant within the
4 breast of most Germans high and low
The almost unbelievable hold of Ger
rs man III our schools and colleges is also
,e partly due to some Of our educators
lc and teachers who have become mes
lie merizcd by Trussan educational meth
es DDS and thus became strong apostles of
Is. German academic Forschungen. Some
g. people have come to look upon Ger
le many as the fountain head Of every
ne progress and Improvement in educa-
IS, ton and as the only model to be fol-
~ lowed i'll school matters. \ short time
l. ago the eminent educator, Dr. Sisaon of
l. the state University, made this con
4 fession in an address before The cham
IS. Der of commerce: of Mssonla: We
IS. have long admired and patterned after.
is German universities; we have inclined
is to ignore or even dcsnise the less ylia-
vs. lnond -clcar and stcci-cut culture of
l. England and France. 1t. is time to re-
I'd wise and reform 1t is folly to claim
DC that the aristocratic caste alone is to
es be blamed. The German educational
" system Is at fault for doing away with
~ our heart and soul and emphasizing the
u mania for efficiency. The Prussian-
st, izinS of our schools and colleges is not
st vain word This fact was noticed
SIS long ago 190S) by an earnest OBJ
4 server Prof. Guerard Of the Rice Iii
ar stitute. when he wrote for an educa-
he tfonal paper: THE teaching of the
rtl French language In the United States
e. is given by personnel and in n spirit
Of which are not American and still less
e. French"
y The banefui influence OF German
81 kultur ought to be uprooted. 1t is not
an irreparable loss ii German Is de.
= throned from its former position of
l. supremacy in our secondary schools to
VI De placed on an equal footing with tho
y other foreign languages. This decline
~ Will work for the ultimate good of
l. l,Amerlcanisn. 1913
q "a 5 E ~ ~ LIE rss