The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-05-10
Answer to The
Times Question


priately asks. "Why is the German
language taught in the Pennington
High School?" and insists on the
question being answered. The UNDER
signed will undertake to comply with
the request.
/. DR.. P. P. Claxton, United States
Commissioner of Education, after an
exhaustive investigation and mature
deliberation on this same proposition,
with regard to the High Schools and
Colleges of the United States, issued
his City School Circular No. 4, in
which he formulated the following:
Suggestive Policy"
"There is general agreement among
educators and public men, both in this
country and abroad, that there should
be no interference with the existing
high school and college provision for
the teaching of German; that q knowl-
edge of the German language is more
important now than it was before the
war. The. upper elementary grades,
especially where organized as junior
high schools, may quite properly offer
foreign languages, including German,
but educators generally look upon the
teaching Of foreign languages in the
lower elementary grades as of very
questionable value"
A reissue of this circular has re-
Gently been received by school Off
cials from the Commissioner of Ed
ucation, showing that he still holds to
his views expressed last autumn.
Though the Board of Education
and the management of the Farming
ton High School have never fully sane
toned the above Suggestive Policy,
it is given here to show that the teach
ing of the German language in the
High School is in harmony with the
great number of such schools through
out the United States, and has the
sanction of the Commissioner of Ed
ucation--the highest educational au-
thority in the United States,
2. The plans for this school year
were necessarily made about this
time last year by the election of teach
ers and the consequent arrangement
of the course of study. Though
state of war was declared to exist be-
tween the United States and Germany
but a few, weeks previously, it was
recommended to the Board Of Educa-
ton that either Spanish or French be
substituted for German in the High
School course-"if the necessary ar
rangements could be made in the
teaching staff" The board was III
hearty accord with that recommenda-
] tion and made an honest effort to
make the adjustment recommended,
but were, at that time, unable to sue
ceed. Had the German language been
!, dropped from the course at the be-
I ginning Of this school year there were
at least three pupils that would have
been unable to graduate from the
high school at the end of the year.
They had finished one years work in
German and without an additional
year, credit could not have been count
ed in the years work already COM
pleted. The fact is true of all for
eign languages. This would have ne
cessitated their remaining in school an
additional half-year in order to COM
plcte the required amount of foreign
| language work to secure their six
teen credits necessary to graduate.
! The work in first year German was
discontinued several weeks ago, on
the suggestion of the German teach
er, and other work substituted in its
place. This was done, however, be-
fore The Times had become uneasy
about the German propaganda that
might be spread through the teaching
of German in the High School, and in
spite of the fact that the United
States Commissioner Of Education
had advised to the contrary.
The Board of Education of Farming
ton has unanimously agreed to dis
continue the teaching of German af-
ter this year, and not a protest has
come from any source. 1t might be
of interest to know that the St. Louis
schools will teach second year Ger
man next year for the very reason
that we did this, but will not begin
any new classes in first year German.
That plan is the one recently adopted
by many of the leading schools of the
United States. Consequently the
Pennington Board of Education is
just one year ahead of such schools
in it's adjustment.
| Very respectfully,