New Britain herald., 1918-05-04
COMMUNICATED.
REPLY TO REV. MIR. STE,EGE,
Joseph &. Mann Believes Enemy
Language Should Not BE Taught.


New Britain, Conn
May 4th 1913.
To the Editor Of the New Britain
Herald;
In spite of Rev. MIR. Steege's plausi-
bic, and admittedly sincere explana-
ton as to the American Lutheran
church's teaching Of German. l be-
leve that the time has come in Am
erica, for us not to compromise in the
least not even in appearance: and
until time and righteousness shall have
redeemed our worst enemy from the
curse of Germany's present guilt, it
seems to me not too radical, as a
war measure, at least, should our
Government even, put the German
language under the ban of prohibi-
tiOn.
True Am cricans will at this crucial
period, spent no time explaining the
good use intended by their more or
less sympathetically clinging to the
language of the German Fathers"
because every ounce of true Ameri-
canism Is today needed to circum-
vent the treachery in America. OF the
German traitors, who might be the
sooner apprehended if every heart
wore true to the single American
standard upheld by the one language
Certain it is that If q church wishes
to teach patriotism, American chill
dren can never become true blue
Americans by the least degree of
compromise. In other words, teaching
children German at least contributes
not to their becoming Americans.
The poetry Of Goethe and Schiller
is not helping us to win the war!
oh Id
at the present time, under whatever
preteXt, but perpetuatcs sympathy
for or gives comfort to, the enemy.
Germans in this country, even if in
nocent of any wrong intention, can
afford to suffer gladly any finger of
suspicion pointed at them because Of
the stigma now attached to the very
names. German and Germany. True
Americans should not only gladly
suffer, in so far as birth or any an
tecedent relationship has identified
them with Germany or anything Ger
man. but they should most gladly
give every proof of their present
whole hearted loyalty by timely words
and positive activities on the side of
America not only, but of our brave
allies, who are daily giving their lives
by the thousands to defeat the con-
scienceless and brutal enemy, who
will listen to no reason but that Of
the sword and the bullet: and who,
according to Scripture, shall have
Judgment without mercy, because he
has shown no mercy.
Discriminating between the old, So
called peace-loving Germany, and
present German military despotism
is fatuous; it is but the camouf1age
of the enemy within our gates, to
conceal for a while longer the hide
Gus monster, born and bred and
trained by that old, so-called peace
loving nation. Americans should be
too proud of their own language,
which has declared to the world the
standard of Principle upon which is
based our unfolding dem ocracy, to be
willing to honor the language of our
enemy: whose future, to say the least,
must be very doubtful indeed, when
history records that the most despised
"Kultur' of the ages was taught In
the German language-the language
of the Kaiser an autocratic despot
beyond compare.
Children of German parents in
America, who from native or for
sym pathetic or sentimental reasons
are taught the German language, are
Just that much handicapped in their
race toward whole hearted Amerl-
canism LAS the twig is bent, the
trees inclined". Americans have but
one language, the English. Native
children of foreign born parents be-
come Americans only through the
English language. To teach children
the language of our enemy Is the last
thing this nation can afford to en-
courage: and all churches OF what
ever denomination. can hardly afford
to aim at a less radical determination
than that set forth by the Scripture
of DUR Master, of whom it is written,
He loved righteousness and hated
iniuuity". We cannot hate lnlqulty as
11ncon1promisingly as Christians
should. while, as Americans, we give
plausible reasons for German music,
and the German language, whether
American improved, or made in
Germany.
JOSEPH G. MANN.