Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-04-04

report which the United States Blu
reau of Education has obtained.
nave FOUND 1t necessary to continue
the teaching of the mother tongues,
the original native languages of the
children. An effort was made TO
start by teaching a single language
or perhaps only two, but this was
found to be too long a step and a
law was enacted providing an ed
ucatlon IN Its own tongue for each
child.
When the subdivisions of minori-
ties have become even smaller in
certain sections than the govern
ment could handle, private organi-
cations have seen to it that native
tongue schools were provided thus
perpetuating the ancient languages
and dialects. 1t is thought, how
ever, that by gradually introducing
INTO all the schools in addition to the
mother tongue, a single extra Ian
guage, n tongue will be taught
which will become general and,
possibly, ultimately supplant the
minority dialects.
Five Racial Groups
There are five racial groups COM
prising the majority of the popu-
latiol. These are the Czecho-Slo-
YAK, the German, the Magyar, the
Polish and the R%uthenian. In a CITY
like Prague, the capital, where
there will be representatives of these
racial groups. it will be seen that
each school must have at least these
hve parallel teachings going on.
The duplication of teachers will be
obvious at a glance. In some OF
the rural regions, one of the groups
wlll be predominant so only that
language need be taught there.
There have been many conferences
of Czecho- Sloyikian educators on
the subject of school development
and a program of reform has been
worked out. In general the line Of
education which will be followed
VIII include tile study of the mother
tongue, domestic history and civics;
more time will be devoted to sci
ence and practical laboratory work;
Manual training and domestic sci
ence will be introduced more gen
orally into the school curriculum;
more attention will be given 20
physical training; there will be a
tendency to get. away from study OF
Latin and Latin-root languages so
az to consolidate the native Ian
suages ana intensity their develop
ment.
A curious fact ~sprineinS out of
this babel of languages in this part
OF Europe is that English is IT.
ting TO be the universal language.
1t is quite possible that its teach
ing in the schools as we'll as its
almost involuntary and automatic
introduction into commercial life
will make il the real medium Of
communication for the diverse RAJ
cia groups. Each group will learn
its W language and English thas
producing a general tongue. Amer
leans and Bnglishmen have noted
with surprise that most servants
and business people in the county
already speak English that hottl
and restaurant menus are printed
in a native language and English
and that road signs. advertisements
and 9TH similar writings appear
in English.
The higher education Is progress
ing rapidly in this new country
which for centuries has been a cen
ter of learning, largely restricted to
the upper classes. There are four
universities, four separate faculties,
one academy of law. four higher
technical schools of veterinary sur
gerry, a school Of mines, an agricul-
tural college, a school of commerce
and an academy of the arts and sci .
ences.
Is Education is absolutely compul-
tory for all children in the state.
1lliteracy is very low in the Czech
part of the land, that in old Bohe-
mia, Moravia and Silesia being only
81 per cent. Slovakia it runs as
high as u per cent.
What Czecho-Slovakia can do with
it's melting pot through education
will be we'll worth the attention of
American educators who have a
similar problem, but in much less
aggravated form. If Czecho-Slo-
vakia a succeed under such heavy
handicaps, perhaps some lessons car
be learned BY American teachers,