The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-04-01
DISCUSS DECLINE
| Of GERMAN HERE
Iowa School superintendents Furnish
Some Interesting Data As
sembIed by Literary
Digest.
SCHOOLS ACT FIRST
keokuk pupils and Others in State
Pass up German Glasses for
Something Else This
Year.
SCHOOLS
=. ACT

Twenty-three superintendent o!
public schools in as many cities and
towns Of Iowa have responded in a
nationwide poll made by the Literary
Digest new York, in an effort to as
certain the status of the teaching OF
German in the schools and popular
opinion on the subject.
In the nation, as we'll as in Iowa,
the poll disclosed the fact that Ameri-
can students are boycotting German
that French and Spanish are crowd
ing out the enemy tongue"
Empty benches are confronting
the teachers of German all over the
| United States, despite the insistance
of school boards and school superin-
tendents that the scholars ought to
learn the beauties of Teutnic 'litera-
ture. war or no war" says the Lit
erary Digest; and continues, "the pu-
pills simply won't do it, it seems. A
thousand replies from every part OF
the United States in response to an in
quiry show that the German classes
are dwindling in various parts Of the
country-10 per cent here. SO per cent
there, 100 per cent in many places.
mo educational question is agitat-
ing the public mind like that concern
ing the teaching of German. So con-
trary must be the opinions on this
question in territory Of such extent
as the United States that it has seem
ed wise to take poll Of each state to
determine. If possible, where we stand
as a nation in regard to the language
of our enemy.
Traversing Ground Already Trod.
1--WE are only traversing the ground
already trod by Germany's nearer en-
emies, and if we arrive at different
conclusions it will not be strange, be
cause at our distance the same prob
lens do not confront us. Hence it
probably is that while France and
England feel impelled all the stronger
to continue their study Of German, in
order to miss no point in the enemy
Psychology, or no fact in the enemy
procedure our own necessities are diff
ferent. Nevertheless, there are many
who urge upon us a greater need to
become familiar with the German
language now that we have Germany
as an enemy that there was incentive
bait of the German-language study
while that nation presented herself to
US in the guise of friend. A writer
to the New York Globe, for example,
points out the fact that they who
tnink they are helping their country
by scorning knowledge of the German
language are really missing the divid-
ing line between patriotism and mar
-mindedness. For, as he asserts.
Ignorance Of the language and Gus
toms Of our enemies harms us, not
them He reminds us that at present
there are at least $4,000 more persons
in France and England studying Ger
man than before the war, and this
with the purpose of meeting the en-
envy on his own ground. With such
facts before us, the writer asks why
the United States should assume what
he calls "a provincial attitude toward
the German language, and he cites
several instances where a knowledge
of German has saved many lives In
answer to him might be used the
words of the Manufacturers Record, |
OF Baltimore, that there can be no
reasonable question as to the deSir- !
ability Of teaching foreign languages, !
German included, in our high schools, |
colleges and universities. provided !
there is no Interior motive behind their |
teaching And this brings out the !
fact which will be exemplified in many |
details in the course Of the survey |
we are here making, that, as the Balti- !
more paper puts it, the German lang
uage has not been emphasized so much |
because of its intrinsic value, but
rather as part of a persistent polit-
ical propaganda intended to wean the
people of this country away from the
and Anglo-Celtic origins
and ideals and divide the national in
terest and national sympathy