New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-05
Patriotic Teaching at Columbia


The authorities at Columbia University
have invited DR.. Philander P. Claxton
as a speaker before the Teachers Col
lege series of meetings. The American
Defence Society has protested against
this selection.
The matter is Of some Importance. The
particular opinions of DR.. Claxton might
be of small consequence were it not for
these considerations:
He is, as United States Commissioner
of Education, practically at the head of
the whole school system of the country.
He is the especial proponent for main
tanning the teaching of German in our
public schools and colleges throughout
the war.
He has specifically laid claim to repre-.
senting views of the Administration at
Washington.
Substantiation of this claim is derived
from the fact that remarkable letter
written by DR.. Claxton to the president
of the University of South Dakota, a
month ago, was published in "The Of
fetal bulletin" Of the government Some
of the statements contained in this let
ter were these:
"The fact that we are now at war with
Germany should not, l believe. affect in
any way our policies in regard 10 the
teaching of the German language in our
schools.
'The President has tried to make it
plain to all the people that we are not
wa WI &c
people-that we have in our hearts no
hatred or bitterness toward them.
After the war is over intercourse with
the German people will be reGstablished.
probably not Immediately and fully, but
our relations with them will no doubt be
more important the years 90 Bly,
The cultural value Of the German lam
guage and literature and the writings
of LEASING, Gothic, Schiller and a host
of other poets and of noveists, histo-
rlans and essayists remain the same as
they were before the war.
We cannot as people afford to put
ourselves in the attitude of regarding as
evil everything about any people with
whom we may happen to be at war.
Il sincerely hope that school officers
and teachers everywhere will take the
broad and sane view of this subject
Il haze reason to believe that the
vae7cs and sentiment expressed in this
letter are fMlp M harmony avith those
OF the ADMINISTRATION at WashinQton."
SO far as we are aware, there has been
no Reputation of DR.. Claxtons claim to
represent the views Of the Administra
ton. We think they are not the views
OF the American people nor the senti-
ments of a patriotic citizen.
1t is, as rule, not very difficult to
trace the provenance of such sentiments.
In DR.. Claxton's case they are as fol-
lows:
His educational training was completed
IN Germany
He was afterward a professor of ped
agogy and German
He is vice-president of the American
School Peace League, the particular net
organization of DR.. David Starr Jordan.
his antagonism to the war was shown
in an address at the Morris High School.
in this city, last December, when he ex-
pressed such sentiments as these:
"Two good scientists in the laboratory
discovering things arc better than ten
thousand men at the front.
urge upon college men to remain at
their studies instead of enlisting"
Surely this is not the brand of patriot
ism which DR.. Nicholas Murray Butler
and the authorities at Columbia wish To
have taught to the students at Teachers
College.
1t will be interesting to know how
much longer man holding such views is
to be retained as United States Commits
sioner of Education