The New York herald., 1921-02-20
COLBY URGES STUDY
OF SOUTH AMERICA
Mutual Confidence Can Only
Be Brought by Revising
Approach, He Says.
LANGUAGE A BARRIER
Secretary Suggests Schools
Open Door by Teaching
Spanish.

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 19.-Secretary OF
State Colby. speaking before the Amer
lean ACADEMY of Political and Socia,
Science here tonight on his recent trip
to South Aaeyica. a3id he saw enough
TO realize tAa. oae Of the first duties
incumbent upon the people of the United
States Is to reexaInine every postulate
with which they approach the contem-
plation or the study of the great repub-
lies of Latin America. DR.. L. S. Rowe.
Director-General of the Pan American
Union. introduced the Secretary.
I'VE can never bring our relations 10
the peoples of Latin America to the
point of intimacy. confidence and re-
spect." he said, until we realize that We
must find the right psychological ap-
proach TO Latin America. That means
the correction of most of our assump-
tions and the studious and open minded
appreciation of life in South America.
intelligently considered"
'"The great barrier to American prog
ress abroad Is language" Secretary
Colby continued THE people of the
United States are not linguists. You can
hold no converse with a man except in
the terms of a common vocabulary.
Until the utterly unfounded fallacy that
English will carry you around the world
is exploded, and until the men whom we
send as representatives, either diplo-
matte. consular or commercial. to the
countries of Latin America speak the
beautiful tongue of the Spaniard or the
Portuguese our progress will be halting
and disappointing.
SchooIed in Languages.
Il wish our schools woulu clean out
the rubbish from their curricula with
which they agitate the youthful mind
without improving. Better than a smat-
tering of botany. biology. zoology. as
tronomy, trigonometry, plane, spherical,
or anything else, the youth of America
should be schooed in languages. Lam
guage is the key which not only opens
the riches Of the stores of great litera-
lures but opens the doors OF influential.
profitable human contacts with great
peoples The ordinary graduate of an
American academy or college knows
nothing to do with his smatterings OF
science except to forget them. We must
indeed and without delay master the
languages OF the friendly nations who
are our neighbors. BY so doing only
can we succeed In cultivating genuine
and vital relations with them"
After saying the primary purpose Of
his trip to South America was to repay
official visits of state made to the
United States by President Brum or
Uruguay and President Pessoa of Brazil.
Secretary Colby added:
II may say for the President and
my countrymen that the return OF
these notable pigrimages from our
friendly neighbors to the South was
inspired by the same kindness and
sponaneity as characterized the original
visits. The President had INDUCED the
hope that the way might open for him
personally TO return these visits, such
was his appreciation of them. But that
was not to be, for melancholy reasons
with which you are all familiar. IL was
my happy fortune to. receive the Presi-
dents designation to so In his place
They DO Not Envy Us.
"It was delightful and indeed touch
ing to see how the opportunity was
welcomed, both officially and by the
people, to express their desire for an
increased intimacy of relationship and
intercourse with our country"
The countries Of South America. said
the Secretary are not at all what the
generality OF people in the United
States suppose them to be. They are
quite as ready 10 give profitable in
struction as they are In need Of any
and to give that instruction to us"
he said. Instead of being staggered
by our economic strength, our rapidly
expanding population, our unmistakable
economic and financial authority In the
world, they feel quite able to hold their
own. Instead of envying US. | think
IL quite as true TO say that there are
many developments which they behold
in this country which are unattractive
and even repellent, from which they
hope in some way or other to protect
themselves"
The American who succeeds In the
Iatin-American countries, said Mr..
Colby. will be the man who assists them
in the solution OF the problems.