New-York tribune., 1918-02-17
Education Board
Admits Textbooks
Glorify Kaiser
German Grammar Used
Here Chronicles Teuton
Greatness

Members Of the Board of Education
confirmed yesterday the statement
made by State Senator George A.
Slater, author of a proposed amend
ment to the education law relative to
school textbooks, that the "Deutschcr
Lehrgang,' or German grammar and
reader, by Z. Prokosch and c. M. Purin,
was used in New York schools. 1t was
high school textbook, they said. Pro-
kosch is on the faculty of the Univer-
sity of Texas and Purin on that of the
State Normal School, in Milwaukee.
The book was written in 1916.
The article on the German constitu-
ton, of which Senator Slater said in
his letter to John l.. Tildslcy, Associate
Superintendent of Schools. at gives
you the impression that the German
people have representation and liberty,
which is quite contrary to the truth"
contains the following:
"Thc German Empire is federation of
states. like the United States of America
But the individual states have not the same
constitution. Twenty-Five of them are
ruled by monarchs. three are republics and
the imperial territory is governed by the
empire just the territories in America
"The German Kaiser is not the monarch
Of the empire, but only the president Of
the federation. He has the supreme COM
matd of the army; through him war is de-
cleared and peace made; but he can declare
war only with the consent of the Federal
Council: the credit is voted by the
Reichstag. The people are represented by
the Reichstag, just as the American people
are represented by Congress.
"Secret, Universal Ballot"
''The Rechstag is elected by all German
citizens by secret, universal. direct ballot.
The Federal Council is similar to the SEN
ate of the United States. 1t is composed
of the representatives of the individual
states. The president of the Federal Coun-
Gil is the Chancellor, who is appointed by
the Kaiser. Laws are made by the Federal
Council and the Reichstag and signed by
the Kaiser and the Chancellor. But the
Kaiser has no right Of vetoing a bill"
The book also contains a version of
the old legend concerning Barbarossa
and a similar one concerning Charles
the Great, which might be considered
be ok was compiled when the United
States was on the brink of war with
| Germany.
Legends Of Greatness
Of these legends the "Deutscher
Lehrgang" says:
'rhe dwarf once led boy into the
mountain tkyffheuser Mountan). When
the Emperor (Barbarossa) saw the boy he
asked him: Are the ravens still flying
around the mountain? p The boy answered:
| Il have seen hundreds of ravens in front
OF the mountain The Emperor sighed
and said: so l must sleep one hundred
more years.
For the ravens meant that the Ger
| mani empire was not yet united, and the
Kaiser had to stay within the mountain up
! to the uniting.
"a similar legend is also told of En-
peror Charles the Great He sits in the
Unterberg. near Salzburg, the golden
crown on his head and the scepter in his
hand. On the nearby Walser Plain there
is q dry tree. Once upon a time this dry
tree will again become green and bear
fruit Then the Emperor will awake, and
there will be gigantic battle to which ali
the peoples OF the earth will hurry. The
Emperor's (the Germany nation will be
/ victorious, and strong and united forever
The committee on legislation and
taxation of the Brooklyn Board of Real
Estate Brokers passed the following
resolution relative to Senate bill 1919,
which aims at the prohibition Of anti
American textbooks in the public
schools:
For patriotic reasons we favor this
bill, with the suggestion to the Legis-
lature that it be amended, if possible,
to include all textbooks, and certainly
those of the German language rather
than merely the four subjects to which
the bill restricts them"