Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-02-08
GERMAN N OUR
SCHOOLS !.
Show Where, II aANeEts5
canizeds't Children OF AlienG

According to statistics rscsntly
complied by the bureau Of education
OF the department OF the inte.tor
after numerous inquiries had asceu
sent to the superintendents OF many
Of the elementary schools instae tIni.
ted States. there are only ni1etssn
cities out of 1s3 Of $4,000 population
or over reporting to the department
OF education that teach foreign Ian.
guages below the seventh grade.
In twelve of these cities German. 10
the foreign languages taught: In .hsee
cities German, French, and Sp.ntsli
are all taught in the elementary
grades; in onc city German, Italian,
and Polish while III the three re.
naming cities the languages taught
to the elementary school children
combination. In a few cities the for.
eign language is taught in ali grades.
from the first to the eighth; In others
the instruction does lot begin sEntM
the fifth or sixth grade. The number
of elementary school children taking
German ranges from 20 In one city
to $4,000 in another.
Few Of the superintendents who 70.
piled to the bureaus inquiry avor
the teaching Of German or any othss
foreign language in the lower ole:
oSA4OVAs- SAOu6Al AAA4A s& VI
them believe thoroughly in forsiEa
language study for students In tn.
i h,sasl sen says: 4 4 a.'t IN doubt stR be-
fore the war. I am becoming COM
WINGED nov that, U public schools
should teach one nation. one Ian.
guage, n flag" s5x
An Illinois superintendent says:
The public schools should not sst1.
in perpetuating a foreign language in
the home n foreign viewpoints IL.
tendent ID careful to. explain that
German is taught in the elementary
grades in his schools because Ger.
man-American grandparents ana
many parents demand it" y
A typical condition lis that in Bal.
timore, Nd, where the introduction
Of German as a subject Of Instructors
in elementary schools in 1874 va.
partly due to the fact that there wern
a large number Of German pr,vats
schools in which the atmosphere VA
entirely German. BY the introduction
OF German into the public schools ths
private schools were eliminated and
h children gradually came under
the influence Of American ideas.
In this city the superintendent res
ports that the number Of pupils TAX y
ing German mas Deen educe0 30 th9H
now German is taught only in aasfeW
instances in the seventh and eighth
grades" In st. Louis instruction: in
German in elementary schools wa
discontinued in the SOS. In Ctnciu-
natl agitation against the continue
ton Of German in the schools has .
suited in the reduction OF. the number
Of, children studying German from
1900 in l916-17 to 1900 in 1917.
49,. German has been taught IN. all
the grades o. the elementary schools
of Cincinnati for seventy-six years.
In the statement regarding the 3D..
uation. the bureau makes the fellow.
ing suggestions: There is a general
agreement among the educators and
public men. both in this country am
abroad, that there should be no inter.
ference with the existing high school
and college provision for the teaching
of German; that a knowledge OF the
German language is more important
now than it was before the war. The
upper elementary grades. especially
where organized in the junior high
school. may properly offer. foretEc
languages. including German, blu:
educators generally look Upon the
teaching of foreign languages ir h
lower elementary grades as Of very
questionable value."-New York