Omaha daily bee., 1918-06-15
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| Omana. June l5.-To the Editor o.
The Bee: Referring to tests of 10y
atty for the nations Representatives
let me say this: look with profount
suspicion on the loyalty of that maj
who, well informed and of good ordi
nary Judgment, took the part of tn,
kaiser, even so far back as the Incl
dent Of the scrap >of paper;" much
more on him who even remotely con,
doned the sinking of the Lusitania
and the hundred other acts of wal
that Germany handed US before the
war.
To be 100 per cent loyal to America
a man must be not only loyal to the
mandates Of the government, but to
the principles, the spirit and the In
stitutions upon which, it is founded
and Of which 1t is built.
And the man who took IAN attitude
favorable to Germany at any time
since Germanfc crimes became known
can have no vote, no support of mine
in any way for any off1ce-not even
for dog catcher. A. B. BROWN.
Reasons For English Language.
Omaha, June 13. To the Editor of
The Bee: The urgence that the Eng
lish language be the only language
taught in public schools or even en-
couraged in America has its justifica-
tion in very important fact.
Did you ever note that it is I'M
possible to think anything except in
terms Of language !? This is the founda-
tion fact to be borne in mind in this
discussion. Upon this foundation
rests the fact that there such a.
thing as an English mind, an Ameri-
can mind, German mind, and SO on.
The English and the American minds
are the p1ost intimately united be-
cause they have thought in terms of
a common language. The German
mind Is such because Of its languag ge.
and the language is the growth of
centuries.
In modern times the democratic
idea Is peculiarly Anglo Saxon. I saw
modern times, for there was little
resemblance to genuine democracy as
moderns think it in any Of the ancient
states. The Teutonic races have never
felt the impulses Of democracy as
We understand it. The small ex-
ception to this was seen only in the
Angles, Saxons and Jutes, whose ideas
or democracy were so at variance
with the Teutonic races in general that
they emigrated westward to Britain
and there laid the foundation of
modern democracy. America is the
inheritor of this democracy. might
include in this mingling of races, also
the Celtic, as pointing the direction
OF democracy. but the emotional
Celtic ts too disposed to make an ex-
treme OF his democracy, extending it
70 the very limit of individualism.
This fact has justified the joke on the
lrlshman that he considers himself
as good as any man and damn sight
better.
The fact that language is the ve-
h1cle Of thought, and that a language
expresses only the ideas and forms of
institutions that prevail among the
people who speak II, should make us
considerate of their different attitude.
For they have no words expressing
ideas not entertained by them, or ex-
pressive Of institutions not common
among them. 1t is plain that a peo-
pie, such, for instance as the ancient
Peruvians, who had never seen a horse
nor had any idea of the existence of
such an animal, had no word indicat-
ing horse. So should you speak to
them OF horse they would have no
conception of what you were speaking.
So 1t Is with institutions. You cannot
make a people understand an idea in
a language containing no words ex-
pressive Of that idea. A realization
of this fact, while making US patient
with their difference Of opinion,
should emphasize the Importance of
the use of languages
whose words express ideas and insti- J
.utions entirely different from our
own.
America will never be truly Ameri-
,an until 1t realizes fully this fact |
apd carries 1t into effect Therefore !
he teaching of all foreign languages
n public institutions Of learning
should be entirely eliminated. Those
who might wish still to become pro-
icient in them, either for intellectual
,r commercial reasons, should pay for
hem from their own private funds.
L. ]. QUINBY.