New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1918-04-05

'' 1850
public the following litter:
March IL, 1918.
DR.. Robert l.. Slagle.
President University of South
Dakota. Vermill;on. S Oak.
My Dear DR.. Slagle; In reply 70
your letter Of February 26. must say
that ! can not agree with those who
would ,eleminate German from the
high school and colleges Of the
United States at this time. II is OF
course, desirable now and always
is, that nothing should be taught in
any language in chr schools or else
where that wor'd tend to CT ate n
spirit of d~isloyalty to our country
or to the American ideals Of freedom
and democracy. Bot the feet III It
we are now at war with Germany
should not. I believe. affect in any
way our policies in regard to the
teaching Of the German language in
our schools.
mot At War With Language"
The United States is II war with
the imperiol Government Of Ger
many and not with the German Ian
glamc or litcr7turc. The President
has tried TO make i plain TO I'll ~"
people that we ar not at war with
the people Of Germany as a rcnple-
that we have in or hearts no hatred
or bitterness toward them For or
own SAX, and for the sake Of the
future of the world let us hone TINT
we NAV finish this task for the cs-
Enlistment Of freedom and the safe
ty Of smocracv without learning TO
chant any hymn of hate. After tn
war is over intercourse with the Ger.
mar peop'e will be restab'ished,
probably not Immediately and fully
but our relations with them will no
doubt be more important as the years
90 by. Germany NAV e vet be
come one Of the leading nations for
the preservation Of the peace Of the
world.
Need I'd For Practical Purposes
For practical. industrial. and com
mercial purposes We shall need a
knowledge Of the Germon language
more than we have needed Il in tn
past. We should remember also that
there are manv millions of German
speaking people outside of GERMANY.
and the number of such persons vii
probably 'rcrc1s" rapidly after the
war regardless Of the way in which
the war may end Some years ago
we were at war with Spain and more
recently we were almost It war W tn
Mexico. whose people speak the Span
ish language, and the need Of the
knowledge for commercial and indus
trial uses has been greatly enhanced
a result.
Culture Value OF German"
The culture value of the German
language and literature and the
writings Of leasing. Goethe, Schiller,
and a host Of other poets and of
1ovclists, historians, and %essayists
-emain the same as they were
the war. and it is too
great for us to lose ont of our life
rational and individual. The value
f the scientific and technical writing.
IF the German people will no doubt
TO increase. To rob our
selves of the ability to profit BY them
would be very foolish. The kinship
the English and the Ger
nan language is the same as
t was before the war. and
he value Of a knowledge of the
and philologv of the German
language for an understanding Of
remains the same.
Last Of all, we can not as a peo-
lie afford to put ourselves in the
lttitude of regarding as evil every
hing about any people with whom
We may happen to be at war. We
al not afford TO assume this attitude
oward the German people simply
'ecause they happen now to be under
he control Of an autocratic militar-
site government with purposes and
liCt with it. The fewer hatreds an
l~ntagonisms that get themselves en-
in institutions and policies
h. better it will be for us when the
of peace return. We can easily
ee how this has been true of our
lines of war with England. Mexico.
and among ourselves.
Urged to Take Broad View
7 sincerely hope that srhool Off
.ers and teachers everywhere will
axe the broad and sane view Of this
ubirct. To do so can. I believe.
n no way be interpreted as a lack
# LOYALTY to the United States. nor
an failure to do so in anv wav
trengthen our position in the war
IT enable us to bring it to a sue
end more quickly.
I have reason to believe that the
Jews and sentiment expressed in
his letter are fully in harmonv with
hose OF the administration at Wash
ngtOn.