"Star-spangled Banner" and all of "America." Minnesota provides that on one day each week time not to exceed a half hour shall be devoted to patriotic exercises in all public schools.

Nebraska provides that all public, private, denominational, and parochial schools shall give in the proper grades such courses in American history and in civil government, both state and national, as will give the pupils a thorough knowledge of the history of our country and its institutions and of our form of government, and shall conduct such patriotic exercises as may be prescribed from time to time by the state superintendent. Nevada provides for civic training in the high schools.

New Jersey requires that there shall be given in each high school a course of study in community civics and a course of study in American democracy, and in the elementary grades a course of study in the history, geography, and civics of New Jersey, such courses to be prescribed by the Commissioner of Education and given together with instructions as to the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship as they relate to community and national welfare, with the object of producing the highest type of patriotic citizenship. The state of New York requires "instruction in patriotism" in all schools, both public and private. Ohio requires study of American government and citizenship in seventh and eighth grades of all schools, public, private, and parochial. Pennsylvania requires in every public elementary school such instruction conducive to

the spirit of loyalty and devotion to the state and national governments as the board of school directors in any district, with the approval of the proper superintendent of schools, may prescribe.

South Dakota provides that in all educational institutions in the state, whether public or private, one hour each week in the aggregate shall be devoted to the "teaching of patriotism” and the singing of patriotic songs, reading of patriotic addresses, and study of the lives of our great American patriots. Texas requires in its public schools instruction in the history of Texas, and also requires every public-school teacher to devote at least ten minutes each school day to instruction designed to inculcate "intelligent patriotism." The state of Washington requires in its public schools, at least once a week, appropriate flag exercises, at which pupils shall salute the flag and recite the pledge of allegiance, and prescribes a course of study in American history and American government as a prerequisite to graduation from its high schools.

War conditions have likewise given impetus to laws requiring the display of the United States flag on or near school buildings, and patriotic exercises and instruction as part of school curriculums. There are less than a dozen states which do not legally require display of the flag on or near school buildings,1 and recent enactments would indicate that all states will soon require such display. Local communities have nearly everywhere, during the stress of war, em

1 United States Bureau of Education Bulletin No. 13 (1919), p. 31.

phasized and made special provisions for fostering patriotism-a striking example of local initiative in this direction is the Lawrence plan, discussed in Chapter III.

ENGLISH THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION

A

Another example of the impulse given to school legislation by war conditions is the enactment of laws designed to make English the language of astruction in elementary subjects. While it is true that in many states English had been designated by law as the language of instruction, it is

so true that in numerous instances no attempt was made to enforce this requirement. It is true, likewise, that in many states no such laws had been enacted and that in certain states the laws requiring that English be used as the basic language of instruction either did not include instruction given in private, parochial, and denominational schools or were disregarded with impunity. The enactments of 1918-19 reflect an aroused sentiment crystallized by legislatures in laws specifying that English shall be the basic language of instruction in all elementary schools, public and private. Such laws were passed in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia.

Delaware requires that English shall be the only language employed and taught in the first

six grades of the elementary schools of and in the state, and provides that in case this provision is violated by individuals or by private educational associations, corporations, or institutions the state Board of Education shall take such legal action as will enjoin such violation.

Certain states prohibit the teaching of a foreign language in the elementary grades of all schools. Others permit the use of a foreign language as a subject of instruction. Some states require the exclusive use of English at all times in grades below the high school; others require that English shall be the language of instruction in subjects placed in the curriculum by legal requirement. Certain states specifically exclude German from all schools. New Hampshire provides that English shall be the language of instruction in required subjects and the language of general administration, but permits the conduct of devotional exercises in private schools in a language other than English.

COERCION CARRIED TO EXTREME

It must be apparent from the trend of recent legislation that there can henceforth be no question that it is the will of the people that no child in America shall be deprived of the opportunity of learning the language of America. There is, however, a serious question as to whether certain states have not manifested a tendency to go too far in this direction. The absolute prohibition of the teaching of German

in any school-elementary or high school or college is an instance of mistaken patriotic zeal. It must be remembered that many of the recent enactments were the progeny of war legislatures, acting under the stress of war conditions and keenly responsive to war-inflamed public opinion. War conditions are rarely likely to call forth the best type of permanent legislation, and it is quite probable that future legislatures will face the task of repealing or modifying enactments which have sprung from the mistaken zeal of present lawmakers and which violate the spirit of American democracy.

The laws enacted in certain states prohibiting instruction in a foreign language in any grade below the high school are in direct contradiction of the judgment of educators, who are generally agreed that instruction in modern foreign languages should begin not later than the seventh grade. One of the greatest advances made in school organization in recent years is the introduction of the intermediate or junior high school, and one of the strongest arguments in favor of its curriculum is that children should be taught to use a foreign tongue while they are still in a formative period of their development, and before it is too late for them to master the finer shades of correct pronunciation and inflection. Laws prohibiting the use of a foreign language in grades below the high school not only violate all the canons of modern pedagogy but are also in a certain sense undemocratic, un-American. In addition to depriving native-born children