The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-10-11
Foreign Language COffSeS "
in Our Secondary Schools

L .
high schools OF our country. Patriotic
school boards question the advisability
of offering German in their schools.
and ask the following questions:
should the language of people whose
Ideals every loyal American dislikes
be forced on ; our, children" win
Americans whose beloved Sons may fall
on the battfefields under German shells
be expe3ted to- pay willingly for the
teaching OF such language quite
a few answer ip the negative. Mon
tana school boards are no exception.
German Is being partly eliminated from
the high school curriculum and re
placed by either Spanish or French.
This move causes CONSERVATION and
dismay among the friends. of German
culture who, gepnlnd us Of the intel
lectual loss that will be incurred by
this elimination for our country III the
near future. y : z,4s
This stRoye Of cuftaiiing the fine
monopolized, by the teaching OF Ger
man should be looked upon as a most
natural one and one that will ulti-
mately add to the general welfare OF
our country. 1T is an awakening from
the fatal spellNof Prussianism cast upon
us and which held us enthralled AMI
shackled for several generations.
German which used to be the for
eign language most frequently offered
in our secondary schools, is now given
a more modest place. It is no injus-
tice done TO German. but. on the con-
trary, it was years ago an injustice
done to other foreign languages the
| iT mt I., ~ IN ~ ~ n ~
respects.
To any one not acquainted with the
teaching of foreign languages in our
state it may be said. that up to this
year German. was given whenever 1t
was possible for school board to Of
fer foreign language. Spanish and
French were sorely neglected and re-
ccived hardly any recognition whatever
except in two or three towns. This
year has seen a noted change. French
courses are now being given in such
progressive towns as Judith Gap, Ro-
nan. Billings and others and meet with
public approval and favor Spanish
fares well also. The attendance in the
Elementary courses of Modern Ian
guaSc at the State University of Mon.
tana at Missoula also indicates tn,
present tendency of the public. Las
year there were 80 students registered
for French, - for Spanish. 43 for Ger
Z man. while this year so enrolled TO
French, 20 for Spanish 16 for German
ii Golfers in one of it's last issue
again voices the popular demand
For young Americans the language
> which they ought to master in speec
: as well as In the printed form are two
l. Spanish and French; Spanish, as tn
y tongue of South and Central America
French. as the language of ideas. til
u world language" Russian might ais
J have been added. Russian may be ex
: pected to be taught in our schools an
universities In. the very lnearn .futur
invaluable opportunities will be throw
n open to active American business me
u who know the Russian language. Frol
: cultural standpoint. Russian holds II
: own with such writer's as Turgenief
II Dostoevsky. Cork and Tolstoi.
) Spanish is justified educational
r because 1t is the only language
i America that has any market valu
A knowledge Of Spanish will be indis
pensable to our business men if the
+ wish to keep up and Increase the
6 trade in the Spanish speaking cour
j. tries and be prepared for the kee
" competition that will surely folio
: after the war. A S for the cultural sid
p Spain with authors like Cervante
It Lope de Vega, Calderon, Valera AT
If Echegaray can easily vie with the lar
n of Goethe, Schiller, Heine and Haup
ID mann.
l. The study of French ought to be Ell
ID couraged for various reasons. For
le tpractical reason: Some Of our DO!
lie and girls may have to go to Fran.
IS and a knowledge Of French may con
d in very conveniently. For patriot
d reason: France and the United Stat
= have the same democratic ideal
g Eonds of friendship have existed b,
IL tween the two nations since the tin
70 OF Lafayette and Washington, u
Il great brothers in arms. Nevertheless
il these facts alone would not justi
I'd French edueationally. French civiliz;
n ton history. literature arts and SC
il enceS have been. however. the admir-;
he ton of the whole world for centurie
" French literature for it's ciearnes
!epth is Just as remarkable as i
ID variety of contents. its aim has alwa!
Is been To render man more humane. gel
n tie and sociablc. French thought ha
* long made its influence felt in EuroI
.. when Germany was still in the thro,
" of barbarism. Ought we not to pa
J. our debt OF gratitude to France l
10 asking our children to learn the Ian
rs guagc of our nearest and hcartie
IN supporters in time of the create
st stress and by studying their matehle!
) literature Unfortunately the teacl
~ ing of French and Spanish in o,
: schools has suffered greatly from Il
4. want of proper training on the pa
# OF teachers who at times have d,
s. fectiNe pronunciation and lack
h literary and historical knowledg
IA Thus they misunderstood and misreI
81 resent the French and Spanish spirit
le
~ How about the supremacy of Ge
: man in our high schools? The inva
a liable things that are found In Germa
n literature. music. philosophy. and sc
n ences ought not to be deprecated. Z
~ do so, indeed would appear nonsens
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