New-York tribune., 1918-02-08
New Teuton Intrigue Ex-
posed by State Education
Commissioner
Pupils Persuaded
To Forego Study
Surprising Preference for
Spanish Gives Clew to
Latest Propaganda
[Staf Correspondence

ALBANY, Feb. 7.--Disloyal teachers
of German in the public schools of the
state have beeen secretly at work for
propaganda, according to reports made
to the State Department of Education
The latest MADE in Germany in
trieue consists of drive against the
study of French. These German teach
ers, when they saw that public senti-
ment would put quietus on the teach
ing of German in the schools. began
TO spread among their impressionable
pupils that if they had to give up the
study of German it would be to their
hest interest to take up the study of
Spanish instead.
This had q twofold purpose-the
prevention of the youth of the state
from becoming familiar with French
history and literature and lnsurlng
the teachers OF German-some of them
agents of the Kaiser-continuance IN
their Jobs, for many of them can teach
Spanish
Senator George A. Slater, who has q
bill before the Legislature prohibiting
the use in the public schools of any
textbooks containing statements either
seditious in character or disloyal to
the United States, or favorable to Ger
many. said there was every reason tor
believing many of the teachers of Ger
man in the public schools were secret
agents of the Kaiser, ordered by the
Wilhelmstrasse to obtain employment
in our educational system.
Kultur in Books
70 bove Cur owes
opened to the insidious campaign car
RED on in our public schools by
teachers of German and writer's of
textbooks on economic, clvlcs anu
history" said Senator Slater. II sus-
pect that many Of these teachers and
writer's are paid agents of the Kaiser.
MANY textbooks used in teaching Ger
man in New York City, as The Tribune
pointed out, contain sentences II not
seditious. at least aimed at teaching
our youth that Potsdam princes and
German kulture are superior 10 amer
can men and republican ideals We
reed to have our textbooks censored,
and my bill provides for that. There
is crying need of it, for the teaching
in our public schools lays the founda-
tion for our belief and faith in our
government and its ideals"
The drive of the German teachers
against the study of French has been
so successful in some schools that there
has been falling off in the study of
that language. A school typical of
this is the Eastern District High
School, in Brooklyn, where there has
been an annual falling off in the num-
Der of students who took up French in
the last four school terms.
This school is described in report
to John Finley, State Commissioner of
Education, as typical of the big switch
from German to Spanish. In two
years the number of students of Span
ism jumped from 1O2 to 1906 and Ger
man fell Of in the same period from
1895 to 6s8
The following table shows how the
teaching of German fell and Spanish
mounted in the Eastern District High
School:
Term beginmng- German: Spanish:
September, 1915 .......... 1896 102
February, 1917 .......... 1,701 231
September, 1917 ........ 1,16O 492
February, 1918 ....... 688 1906
A survey of large number of high
schools upstate shows that very few
of them boasted a beginning German
class this year. In the East High
School, of Rochester, there are but
thirteen pupils tbs year selecting Ger
man out OF schod population of / 500.
Usually there are more than $50 stu
dents of German. A circular letter TO
the city superintsndents and prin-
cipals throughout he state was re-
Gently sent out by DR.. Finley's de-
partment These principals and super
lntendents wrote badz that German is
disappearing. Superintendent Eldred.
OF Troy, wrote:
"lf the war continu,s year or two
longer German will die natural
Gaa+l