Omaha daily bee., 1921-02-11
Halt Hearing to
Prevent Fight
Over Silnan Law
Seward School Teacher of
German Descent Tells Com
mittee the Almighty Can
Understand English.

LlHGOHl, FcD. -(SpeCldl lele'
gram. )-Hearings on S. F. 100, te
repeal the Sinan law were summari
ly suspended by the senate commit.
! tee on education after Representative
Henry Behrens of Cunning county
had insisted on taking to task r. d
Moritz, city superintendent of the
| Seward schools for what he took to
be a reflection on the Germans and
their parochial schools.
Il want to answer that man,
Behrens started to say. Chairman
Sturm of the committee made mo-
ton to interrupt.
"He cast reflection on, the Ger
mans. A man who is so familiar with
schools as he seems to be, ought to
know better"
you're out of order" shouted
Chairman Sturin. This isn't per-
sonal matter we're tilreshing out.
The meeting is adjourned"
No More Hearings.
Chairman Sturm said later that no
more hearings would be held, be-
cause these hearings were only in
flaming the people and the committee
had pretty definitely in mind what it
intended to do. tits understood that
the committee is prepared to
strengthen the Siman law instead of
weakening it, as the Norval bill is
said to- do.
To accomplish this, it is under
stood that the committee may amend
the Norval. bill or introduce SUBJ
stitute bill in its place. Senator Nor
val, after the meeting, told Chairman
Sturm that he had amendments to
offer for his bill.
The hearing was cut short after
number of speakers, mostly those
who sought to preserve the right to
give religious education in German.
had spoken.
Speaks Of Experience.
Superintendent Moritz, who drew
the FIRE of Representative Behrens,
said IRON his experience as state.
school Inspector and county and city
superintendent Of schools that his
own Americanism did not coincide
with that he found taught i'll paro-
chial schools.
Mr.. Moritz said he was not only
born in Germany, but he learned
German from his parents and learned
to worship in the German language.
He said he attended the public
schools and was convinced that the
Almighty could understand English
in religious services.
P. Matuschka of Lincoln, an Of
fcer of the German parochial s.aool
system of Nebraska, said tiiSe II was
Misrepresentation to claim that those
OF German descent were trying to,
install secular education in German.
He, said German was taught only
in religious way, enough to enable
the children to worship with their
elders who did not understand Eng
iish.
German Must Die.
German must die and will die,
he said. The teaching of German
is only to bridge the religious gar"
The necessity from religious view
point of German being taught re-
ligiously was only urged by c. F.
Brommer, pastor OF German church
north of Hampton. and ex-senator
Tom Lahners of Thayer county.
The last speaker before Represen-
tative Behrens attempted to talk was
John 6. Maher,. who declared that
language does not make patriotism"
and that some of the leaders of the
revolutionary and the civil war were |
Germans. He also called attention
to the patriotism of the foreign !!
elements of the American popula- !;
ton in the late war. He pointed out |
that there was no American Ian
yuage, that the national language was
English, the language OF our one
ime enemy. American histories were
low being expurgated and certain
acts minimized so as not to offend
he English people, he said.
Chairman Sturm interrupted IN
some heat to declare that common
anguage was the greatest harmon
ger of people and would have to
,e so recognized. y