Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-05-08
BOARD vOTESTO
DROP ALLSTUDY
OF TEUT TONGUE
narcrport school Authorities Unan-
imously Strike German From
Curriculum.
ureE BONFIRE Is STAGED
when announcement Is Made Pu-
nils Put ON Pep War Dance
with Lots Of Thrills.

caruan is no longer a part of
.ba curriculum OF the Davenport
city schools,
The language, once recognized
an essential factor in the educa-
,son Of the average Davenporter
80, tbe time he or she entered
~ ward school until they gradu-
e+o4 from high school, was strick-
= from the course Of study by the
F.oa~d Of education at special
,,saripg held late Monday after
noon.
without a dissenting voice the
hcard voted to abolish the Ian
euage Immediately from all ward
Z srtCoIs ard from the high school
courses as well.
Twentv-seven teachers employed
N +he ward aud high schools as
;-strrctors in the language re-
no-red to CITY superintendent F.
smart and We're assigned TO 9TH
u duties. They will be paid their
customary salaries until the end Of
the school year.
In taking steps to eliminate the
study Immediately the board was
rrompted by requests received re-
ranfIv from the state council OF
defense. state superintendent OF
ech9oIs. and by the fact that
classes had dwindleG to a mere
handful of scholars.
The board at a meeting in Jan
nary voted to eliminate the Ian
ruage from all ward schools at the
End of the school year and to teach
the language in the high schoo,
onIv upon request and where a suf-
fcient number of pupils would
warrant the employment of a teach
er OF German
State Conditions.
we decided TO drop the study
Immediately due to the genera
situation throughout the state,
said President Dahms in discuss
ing the boards action There wa'
no longer demand for the teach
ing OF the language in the cit!
schools and the bard decided to fol
low the recommendations of tn
state council Of defense and abol
ish the study Immediately"
From the date Of Americas en-
try into the world war over a yea
ago the language of the fatherlant
began to fall into disfavOr witt
parents and pupils. Hundreds o
requests from the former were file
with the board at every meeting 70
period OF several months, request
ing that their children be Above
10 discontinue the study. Thes
requests were granted.
Classes that counted as high a
50 pupils Of German before the dec
laration Of war on April 8. 1917, ha
dwindIed down to two or three
or possibly a half dozen before tn
year ended,
In the rural schools of Scot
county the language was eliminat
ed from the course of study befor
the war, according to County Su
perintendent Henry E. ROnge.
Burn Hun Books.
When Principal George Edwar
Marshall of the Davenport hig
school announced the decision {
the school board directors to dii
continue the teaching of the Gel
man language in the Davenpol
public schools, some 1900 student
Of the high school arose and cheer
ed the decision until the builGin
fairly rang yesterday afternoon.
We had enough of that stu
here" shouted out one lad durin
the demonstration, while anotht
cried nobody will speak German
another year anyway, not even II
kaiser"
The pupils then gathered up a
German text books and made
bonfire Of them on the campu
singing patriotic songs as Il
flames leaned into the air.