Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-04-15
GERMAN TONGUE IS
DYING NATURAL DEATH
CONTINUED from First Page.l


erty Bond industries when a Tele-
graph reporter inquired what effect
the war would have on German
speaking here. Significant, but not
surprising, for although Mr.. Noes
lein speaks English indifferently he
is recognized now as the soul of pa
triotism, taking part in every activity
lea ding 20 the overthrow of his ma
tive land. He has swung with the
great mass of Americans to the onlX
! logical conclusion, that Kaiserism
| must not prevail.
when the German American AL
lance recently declared itself dissolv-
ed and gave its treasury to the Red
| Cross, the local organization auto
| mattcally disappeared" said he, al
though we have not broke up formal
| ly the Maennerchor Society. However.
/ that does not amount to much. It
/ has been dwindling away for years
until now there are only twenty
members. old fellows like myself who
! are not skillful in speaking English.
! The younger generation does not join
I US, and so I know the society will die
| a natural death very soon.
Plan For Democracy
Mr.. Moeslein has received the COM
munication of the Friends of Ger
! man Democracy, the purpose Of
/ which is to further democracy by
/ aiding the people to establish in Ger
many a government responsible TO
/ the people, but he has not signed the
petition and is not greatly interested
( in IL. He hardly thinks II necessa ~
to identify himself with this organlza-
tion which calls on American citizens
| of German stock to assert manhood
, by refuting this statement of the
. Kaiser:
Even now I rule supreme in the
United States. where almost one-half
/ of the population is either of Ger
man birth or German descent, and
where 100000 voters do my bid
ding at the presidential elections. No
! American administration could re-
, main in power against the will OF
the German voters who through that
admirable organization, the German
American National League of the
United States of America, control the
destinies of the vast republic be-
! yond the sea. If a man was ever
worthy Of n high decoration at my
hands it was Herr DIR. HeXamer, the
president of the league, who may
justly be termed to be, by my grace
the acting ruler of all the Germans
in the United States"
German speaking will go very
rapidly now" predicted the veteran
pioneer. Nothing can he done fol
it. My three boys speak it some. but
my grandchildren who live with me
cannot speak a word of it. They
used 10 teach II in the schools bu
now the children prefer French oil
Spanish. I, too, must learn 1t better
ialthough I a mold. | can understand
it pretty well, the English. except
when they use such high words.
could understand everything that Pat
O'Rrien said the other night. I
was fine. But DR. Bagnell-he was
hard for me; he used so many higf
words"
As to the change in German Ian
guage in churches he also foretoit
that 1t would presently disappear
At present sermons in German are
preached Sunday morning in thu
German Catholic Churches and th'
German Lutheran; English sermons
in ..he evening. But the younl
folks are against this" added Mr.
Moeslein, with a suggestion of re
cret, "and it won't be long before the
German is no longer heard in a Har
risburg church"