Evening star., 1926-04-11
POPULARITY OF SPANISH
in SCHOOLS is EXPLAINED
Language Has Great Commercial and
Cultural Value-Experts Urge
More General Study.
BY HENRY GRATTAN DOYLE,
Professor of Romance Languages. George
Washington University.

| Professor of Romance Languages. George
! Washington University.
UR men are not interested
- in the study of languages.
j 1t is only by compulsion
that we hold them to the
study of any language ex-
! cept Spanish" writes +. Ruge in the
Educational Review for February.
1926.
I'VE must take particular care to
see that the study of Spanish. if not
| made compulsory, is at least made
possible In all our secondary schools,
declared Herbert Hoover, Secretary
! of Commerce. several years ago.
Similar expressions of the natural
| interest of American youth in the
study of Spanish and of the demand
from leaders in civic, business, artistic.
literary and official life that the beau
! ties of the Spanish language and lit
erature be made available to all our
| boys and girls who care to study them
| are heard on every side.
Spanish painting, Spanish sculpture,
Spanish applied arts. Spanish architec-
ture and interior decoration, Spanish
| furniture, Spanish costumes, Spanish
| laceS and shawls and combs and fans
/ Spanish and Spanish American music
| Spanish dancing delight our eyes and
/ ears and souls in newspapers and
magazines, in shops and hotels, at the
| opera house and in the theater, over
the radio and in the chance converse
tions of street. Office and club. in New
York, in Florida, in California, in the
Nations Capital, in small town and
big city alike
Spaniards Always i'm News.
The newspapers carry accounts one
day of the experiments of the Span
lard, Cierva, with his helicopter; the
| following week they vie in editoria
praise of the gallant Ramon Franco
and his "Plus Ultra" Alonzo rise:
to first position on the sports page:
only to yield to his countrywoman
Senorita de Alvarez. DE Fialla's
Spanish opera, La Vida Breve," ha:
it's premiere at the Metropolitan il
| New York, with a Spanish singer
LucreZia Bori. in the chief role.
What of our trade with Latin Amer
lea? In 1925 our combined impor
and export trade with Latin America
this includes Brazil. of course. which
is Portuguese-speaking) aggregated
more than $1,000, 900. 900.
Americans now are travelling Il
Spain in much greater numbers thar
ever before. In 1923 there were som'
5000 American visitors to Spain; IL
1925 more than 10000, With th'
steady improvement in accommoda
tions, it is not unlikely that this figut,
will be much exceeded during thu
present year.
Despite this general popular inter
! est in Spanish and Spanish-AmericaI
life and culture. we find in some in
| stances that efforts are being made
| fn frin %I,ov
teaching of Spanish. 1t may be o
interest in this connection to heaI
some recent testimony on the subject
Cultural Value Great.
DIR. Leo S. Rowe, director genera
of the Pan-American Union, says:
The cultural value of the Spanisl
language has long been recognize
by competent scholars. The wonder
full literature. art and architecture o
Spain have been described by man
famous writers, and the production
OF Spanish-American culture. Will
not yet as we'll known, are worthy O
the most careful study. In the fiel
Of international law and arbitration
Spain and Spanish-America hav
made notable contributions to- worl
progress. The disciplinary value o
|
demonstrated in recent years. Fo
these reasons it should be given
place in the curriculum on a pa
with the other modern languages
Another aspect of the matter. how
ever, deserves especial emphasis, tn
preponderant Importance to Amer
leans of Spanish as a medium of con-
munication with IS other countrie
of this hemisphere. which not onl
are connected with the United State
by reason of proximity, Commercial
intercourse and common political an
social ideals, but are destined to pla
a. part of vast importance and powe
in world affairs.
Spanish is the native tongue O
these republics, with a population O
over $1,000, 900. and also the languag
of Porto Rico, whose population nun
bers nearly a million and a half TIL
Importance of Spanish in the fol
eign service Of the United States |
shown by the fact that one-third o
the diplomatic posts and one-fourt
of the consular are in Spanish-speal
ing countries.
Friendship Is Warm.
"Pan-American friendship and CT
operation in commercial, flnancia
humanitarian and intellectual inter
ests, in the establishment of tn
principle of arbitration of disputes an
in the constant effort toward peac
among nations is an example to a.
the world.
Enormously greater progress Il
these directions will be made, how
ever. when the American people a
a whole understand and appreciat
their Latin American neighbors. an
for this purpose a much more wide
spread knowledge of Spanish-as we
as of Portuguese. the language of tn
great Brazilian republics indisper
sable.
Although there has been a CRAFTY
ing increase in recent years in tn
number of students in high school
and universities who are studying tn
Spanish language and the history an
development Of Latin America. thes
subjects need still greater emphasi
in order that they may receive tn
attention they deserve.
1.-The great social, commercial an
political importance Of Spanish fo
the United States has been repeatedly
: brought out by men whose opinion
are worthy of respect, such as Elih'
Root, Theodore Roosevelt, Herber
Hoover and quite recently in the nc
table address delivered by Secretar.
kellogg at the University of Penn