A Spanish Conversation Course Needed.

To the Editors of the Crimson:

The demand for Spanish 1 and Spanish 5 at Harvard College is now greater than in any year before. This proves the fact that the Spanish language is rapidly becoming one of the most useful and necessary modern languages to possess, especially for commercial purposes.

These two courses are skillfully given by Dr. J. D. M. Ford whose literary and speaking knowledge of Spanish is unquestionable. But, as both these courses are conducted entirely in English, the student of Spanish, in the end, finds that, though he has a thorough understanding of the Spanish language as it is written, he is unable even to make himself understood in case he goes to any Spanish speaking land.

French and German students at Harvard University have an elementary half course in conversation, which affords them sufficient practice in speaking these two languages to appreciate better their literature and to make themselves understood in case of need. Therefore, if a speaking knowledge of French and German is important, much more so is such a knowledge of Spanish, in order that students may acquire an ability to speak the Spanish language, which is every day becoming more indispensable.

Furthermore, once this course was established and students had received the benefits from it, they would doubtless desire to take up higher courses of the same nature, so that they could inter-come the difficulties and perfect themselves in the language. In French and German they have such courses, which enable them to write and speak those languages in the most satisfactory manner; hence Spanish students, who find a speaking knowledge of the language of as much, if not of more value than French, should enjoy the same privileges as those in the French Department.  A. A. CAPOTOSTO '02,  A. F. WHITTEN '02,  O. G. MONTROSS '02,  P. L. WHITING '02,  G. H. RICHARDSON '02,  E. F. NEVENS '02,  T. W. SNOW,  E. FREEDMAN,  D. D. CHASE '03,  J. E. TOMLINSON '03,  W. P. SAWYER,  V. A. TSANOFF '04