Evening star., 1924-07-03
MODERN LANGUAGE
PROBLEM IN SCHOOL
Survey Proposed to Determine
Fitness of Students and Other
Questions.

serious problem in modern lam
guage instruction has been created
by the enormous increase in second
ary school and college REGISTRATION
during the last five years, together
with growing emphasis on oral in
struction. it was asserted by DIR. G.
n. Mann director of the American
Council of Education. in a speech
today before the National Federation
of Modern Language Teachers at the
George Washington University Law
School.
DIR: Mann declared committee
had been formed to make a thorough
ern languages in the United States
and Canada. The committee" he
declared, hopes to determine by sci
entlhc tests which groups Of students
are best htted to pursue the study of
modern languages, the best methods
and materials of instruction for each
group and the best means of secur-
ing close correlation between the
study of modern languages and other
subjects in the curriculum"
Furin Says Survey Needed,
In speaking on the proposed survey
by the committee, Charles NJ. Furin
of Hunter College, New York City,
declared:
1T stands to reason that a report
of such magnitude and scope sh6uld
have weight with the admin strative
officers in the organization of classes
for modern language students The
report Will likewise be a dependa bl
guide to the modern language teach
ers themselves in planning their
work SO as to attain the chief objec-
possible expenditure of time, energy
and public funds.
That this survey has been made
posi- Bile of execution is due to the
efforts of the American Council on
Education and to the munificence of
the Carnegie Corporation. The vast
BODY OF students engaged in the study
of modern languages and the teach
ing profession owe to both agencies
debt of sincere gratitude"
If the United States expects to deal
with foreign buyers on their own
ground. it must send representatives
who can meet them culturally, Charles
J.. Chandler of the Corn Exchange
National Bank of Philadelphia de-
clared
The man who rushes into a Latin
American business house and yells
out at the top of his lungs, Say, I've
got the finest ice cream freezer tha t
ever came out of Detroit. and I want
some of you guys to know it is do
ing his country a serious injury since
we are judged by the types of people
whom we send abroad" said Charles
Lyon Chandler, manager of the for
eign department of the Corn Ex-
change National Bank before the Ma
tional Federation of Modern Lam
guage Teachers this afternoon
We must only export the best
there is in human material as well
as in our manufactures. This applies
to every phase of our foreign con-
tacts-to missionaries, to travelling
statesmen, to our consular and diplo-
matte representatives and others who
go abroad representing our govern
ment in any capacity. The standard
. of many of our official representa- :
tives abroad will be greatly helped
by the passage of the Rogers bill
which was signed by President Cool
idge on May 81 last, and which is a
great step forward in the improve
ment of our foreign service The
Department of Commerce uses the
utmost care in the selection of their
appointees, and deserves great credit
for what it has done in this con-
nection.
1--WE are now in an age of intense
specialization, but no amount of spe-
cialization should ever blind us to
neglect the general cultural fields
which are sometimes, it seems to me
in danger of being crowded out of
our modern scheme of things"