Evening star., 1941-02-02
Students of Spanish Profit
From Mrs. briggs Visit
Lessons Given
AS q Gift to
College Associates
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

nent member of the American AS
sociation of University Women, de-
cided to spend a winter in WASH
ington at the club headquarters at
1884 I street NV, several groups
of the District of Columbia branch
of this affiliation of college and
university women are making real
progress in learning Spanish.
Their objective is the specific one
of becoming so fluent in Spanish
that members not only will be able
to speak this language to visitors
from Mexico, Central and South
America and the island groups of
Spanish background, but be con-
versant in it in literature and art.
Beginning as tiny section of
the educational section of the club,
this undertaking under Mrs. briggs
tutelage has developed quickly into
five regular classes and special
"catch-up class" organized for the
benefit of latecomers.
Teachers Paradise"
MI D. 1(LlSSo, wiz lldo SPCli0 hidilJ
years in those portions of this coun-
try where Spanish is definite in
fluence, and has specialized in both
Spanish and Portuguese from a for
NAL. as well as an informal educa-
tional angle, is giving these Spanish
lessons as a free-will gift to her
college associates.
She considers her pupils "a veri-
table teachers paradise" because
each has trained mind, no mat
ter how widely different has been
her field of specialization.
Verb tests, ordinarily the buga-
boo of language students, hold no
terrors for them" says Mrs. briggs.
"ThoSe, who do not make perfect
papers range from 98 to 92."
Harking back to her own language
obstacles in high school and college,
the interviewer queried, Aren't
there any seekers after Spanish in
your classes who won't eventually be
stars?"
ooh, no. confidently replied Mrs.
briggs. They will all do very well
indeed. They not only know how to
study, but they have the will to
learn, two tremendous factors in
any educational process"
Must Write in Spanish.
One of the weekly stints in these
classes. we discovered, is for each
member to write an original 100
word paragraph in Spanish within
a given time.
"A stint" Mrs. briggs reminded
us, ''presupposes definite task pre-
scribed within a scant allowance of
time"
With the necessarily taxing rou-
tine of this labor of love in mind,
we asked Mrs. briggs. What she
could possibly be getting out of it?"
"Sheer enjoyment" was her an
swer. I'D rather teach Spanish,
you see, than play bridge, with no
aSpersionS upon bridge"
This Spanish study group is one
of many projects foStered by the
educational section of the District
of Columbia branch of the A. A.
U w. under the Craftsmanship of
Mrs. Willard E. Givens.
Students in the various Spanish
classes taught by Mrs. briggs in
clude those of such divergent in
terests as Mrs. William c. Van
Week, president of the District Of
Columbia branch; DR.. Alice Evans,
recipient of an honorary degree in
medicine for her outstanding work
in medical science; DR.. Eloise Ellery,
former teacher of history at Vassar;
Mrs. Frank E. Eddington, star in
the recent quiz contest between the
A. A. U. w. and the Mems Universe
ty Club; Miss Margaret Lunn. die
tetic expert and manager of the
club house, and Mrs. Nina Bokyin,
specialist in Office management.
Librarian by Profession.
Mrs. briggs, who is trained Ii
brariaa by profession. came'to spend
winter in Washington because she
considers its research facilities for
language students the greatest in
the country.
THE Spanish and Portuguese
facilities in the Library Of Congress
alone are worth crossing the con-
tinent to use" she says.
Missouri born and bred, her maid
en- name was Lydia Stefanski. Hers
was a bi-lingual family, her father
being Polish and her mother Ger
man, and both parents spoke French
f1uently.
From her childhood, Spanish in
trigued her because it was not will
known to her family circle. She
began her study of it at the Uni
versity of Missouri, but received
her A. B. at the University of Colo
RADIO when the family moved because
of her fathers i'll health to home
stead on the Continental Divide
near Rand in Jackson County.
At the University of Colorado her
Spanish professor was DR.. Edwin
B. Place.
Her M. A. was obtained at the
University of Chicago. under DIR,