The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1918-03-23
SCHOOLS should
TEACH GERMAN,
SAYS CLAYTON
US. Commissioner Of Education
Points Out Scientific Value of
Knowing Language.

WASHINGTON, March 21.-Hish-
ly praising the value Of a knowledge
OF the German language P. P. Claxton.
united States commissioner of educa-
ton, writes as follows to The New
Republic:
Il do not think our present rela-
lions with the German empire should
affect In any way the policy of the
schools in the United States in regard
to teaching the German languase.
THE United States is now at war
with the imperial government of Ger
many and not with the German Ian
guage or Literature. The president
has tried to make it plain to all the
people that we are not at war with
the people of Germany as a people.
and that we have in our hearts no
hatred or bitterness toward them.
When the war is over we expect to be
friends again and our commercial and
political relations will be re-estab-
liShed.
Is Business Need.
Indeed, we shall probably have
much more intercourse with the Ger
| man people then than ever before, as
we shall have with most of the ma
tons of the world. Tie great Ger
man republic may become one of the
leading nations for the preservation
o. the peace Of the world. For prac-
teal, industrial and commercial pur-
poses we shall need knowledge of
the German language more than we
have needed it in the past We should
remember also that there are many
millions of German speaking people
outside of Germany, and,.the number
of such persons Will probably increase
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 al
most at war with Mexico, whose peo-
pie speak the Spanish language. The
need ofea knowledge of the Spanish
language for commercial and indus
trial uses have been greatly in
creased.
!: 1.-The cultures~.Xalue of the German
language and literature and the writ
ings Of Lessing, Goethe, Schiller and
a. host Of other poets a1rd Of novelists,
historians and essayists remain the
same as they. were before the war,
and It is too great for us to lose out
Of our life, national and Individual.
'"DOn't Rob Yourselves"
); 1.-THE value Of the scientific and
technical writings of the German peo-
pie will no doubt continue to increase.
To rob ourselves of the ability to
profit: by them would he very fool
ish. The kinship between the Eng
lish and the German languages is the
same as 1t was before the war and the
value of knowledge of the history
and anthology Of, the German Ian
guage for an understanding of Eng
nsh remains the same.
Last of all, we can not as a people
afford to put ourselves IN the attitude
Of regarding as evil everything about
any people, with whom we may hap
pen to be at war. We can not afford
to assume this attitude toward the
German people simply because they
happen now to. be under the control
Of an autocratic militaristic govern
1nent with purposes and aims that
have brought US into conflict with it.
The. fewer hatreds and antagonisms
that get themselves embodied in in
stitutions and policies the better it
will be for us when the days of peace
return. We can easily see how this
has been true Of our times Of war with
England, Mexico and Spain, and
among ourselves. -;
II sincerely hope that school Off
GERS and teachers everywhere will
take the broad view of this subject.
TO do so can I believe in no way be
interpreted as a lack Of loyalty to
the United States, nor can failure to
do 90 in any way strengthen our pos
itior in the war or enable us to bring
it to a successful end more quickly