OVER 100 STUDENTS POLLED ON COLLEGE LANGUAGE RULES

A squad of CRIMSON reporters, instructed to investigate the linguistic attainments of Harvard Seniors, yesterday invaded the Yard dormitories. Over 100 men were visited and interrogated on their abilities to read French and German and their opinions of the value of the existing Harvard language requirements. When the reporters gathered later in the day to tabulate their results and to compare the expressions of opinion they had, heard striking varieties of attainment and of sentiment were revealed. Former travellers in Europe, concentrators in modern languages, Latin scholars, and the like were factors in a complexity which made definite conclusions as to the efficacy of the Harvard language requirements difficult.

Forty Satisfied

Upwards of 40 men felt that they had an advanced knowledge of at least one foreign language and a fairly good knowledge of another. Many of these admitted that they were either concentrating in modern languages or that they were honor students. About an equal number were willing to stake themselves on an adequate knowledge of one language but confessed to ignorance of a second. A few said that they knew both French and German slightly but neither well enough to read them with ease or pleasure. At least a dozen of the Seniors interviewed declared that their linguistic capacities were limited to a smattering of one language, in several cases not event that much knowledge being professed. All of these men had passed their language requirements.

While the difficulty of obtaining conclusive figures was manifest, the expression of varied opinions was often both clear and emphatic. A few Seniors felt that the present requirements were on the whole beneficial--that even if a student coming to Harvard had no particular interest in languages the requirement of an elementary knowledge was stimulating and broadening, while the man who passed the reading requirement in a language was generally fitted to use that language in his further college work. Some of the men who held this general opinion advocated the raising of the reading knowledge requirement to a higher standard as well as the retention of the present elementary requirement. A some-what larger number were in favor of dropping one language from the requirements and concentrating attention on the other. Many of these looked back with little pleasure on an elementary French or German course in their Freshman year from which they believed themselves to have derived little profit.

Some of the views set forth can be best expressed in the terms of the reports compiled by the CRIMSON investigators. The following may be taken as typical of three important sections of opinion: "Can read French adequately and feels that his slight familiarity with the mechanics of the German language, while not sufficient to make reading easy, is worth while. Feels that even an elementary knowledge of a language adds not a little to one's culture."

"Can read Lavisse and Rambaud's "Historie Generale" at the rate of 20 pages an hour. Doesn't know any German to speak of but insists that his French is adequate."

"Has been on language probation: knows nothing cannot read French at all. When asked about German he replied, "Good God, that was four years age. Of course I remember nothing.