The Redwood gazette., 1919-11-19

TEACHING GERMAN IN PUBLIC
SCHOOLS AND GERMAN PHIL
OSOPHY GIVEN ATTENTION

Teaching of the German language
in the Minnesota public schools and
the German philosophy of education
figured prominently in the annual
meeting Of the Minnesota Education
al association in Minneapolis Friday
and Saturday.
o. T. Corson, editor of the Ohio
Educational monthly, Columbus, O..
assailed the German efficiency" sys-
tenn Of education. He declared, how
ever, that he expected no more criti-
cism from the pros German educators,
now that the war is over.
"For the last 20 years." said Mr..
criticism from p. III. Diets, made
in Germany, and now we are thor
oughly convinced that they were alb
solutely wrong.
"Effeminate Americans"
"They said," he continued, that
our boys had associated with girls so
much in the schools that they had be-
come effeminate, had no courage or
manhood. But they are the same boys,
with little military training, who de-
feated the Prussian efficiency product
in Europe. They had courage and
manhood.
"The prof. German critics prated of
efficiency, bearing heavily upon mate
rial efficiency. It was Prussian eff
cheney that brought on the World war.
1t was efficiency that sunk the Lu-
sitania. We want none of it."
German Is Coming Back.
Study OF the German language is
coming back into Minnesota schools,
and it should come back, teachers of
German asserted at meeting of the
Modern Language division. And the
assertion met with no opposition from
the teachers of French, Spanish and
the Scandinavian languages who make
up the division.
But if German is to come back it
will not come back on the old terms,
it will come back only on the grounds
fulness, and if it is to come back this
is not the time for it's advocates to
urge the matter, members of the divi-
sion who met at the German round
table discussion agreed.
Time Not Now Ripe.
"Change of public sentiment toward
the German language is going to
come large as a result of the new
peace conditions Prof. Carl Schlen-
tker of the University Of Minnesota,
newly elected president Of the Divi-
sion of Romances, languages, said.
But 1T will not come strong at first.
TO go out with any propaganda for
the return of German language teach
ing would do more harm than good.
The time hasn't come, 1t is for US
to go1on with our task to teach the
language as true patriots.
"The trouble with our teaching
formerly was that we taught German
as thing apart from American life.
That was big mistake. ! sometimes
think that the same mistake is be-
ing made now in the teaching of Ro-
nance languages"
Loyalty, First Need.
Loyalty to American ideals should
be the first consideration in the en-
ployment of foreign language teach
ers in American schools. Professor
Schlenker said. Further, he added,
their selection should rest noe en- ma
tionality, but on scholarship
II. j. Hoff, new head of the mod
ern language department of Gusta-
vus Adolphus college said, "The atti-
tude Of the public toward the Ger
man language will depend on the IN
tegrity. virtue, citizenship and loyal
ty of the men and women teaching it.
If the community trusts us, they will
let US teach German.
aSome of those fellows who once
taught it came over to laud the kaIs-
er and other German institutions. and
you know it, some of the textbooks
we have used were .written with the
same purpose. .Americanism is the
only keynote that will be counten-
anced by the American people now"