It is generally believed that after the war, commerce and industry will witness a new boom, not only in this country but all over the world. The peaceful competition of nations in world trade will become keener than ever before. Consequently, it cannot be pointed out often enough that our nation, and especially the younger generation, should bend every effort to enter into this struggle fully prepared. To gain thorough experience is the primary condition for all success in business. And since our future trade will, more than ever before, reach into the farthest corner of the globe, the mastery of foreign languages is imperative for our young and ambitious people, regardless of whether they are already engaged in business or are still attending high schools, commercial schools, or colleges.

In one of the latest editions of the Commerce Reports, issued daily by the 2Department of Commerce, the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Commerce, C. D. Snow, calls attention to this necessity. In his article he makes reference to the report submitted by a committee which was appointed by the British Prime Minister to ascertain the part played by foreign languages in the British system of education. The material for this report was compiled by the committee from information supplied by trade organizations and prominent business firms. According to the committee, the great majority of those interviewed are of the opinion that the ignorance of English merchants regarding foreign languages is seriously impeding business. The well-known fact that, during the last years before the war, British trade with South America was declining rapidly, is taken as the best proof. Others have argued that the disinclination of the English to learn foreign languages caused many British firms to employ foreigners in great numbers to conduct their foreign correspondence, especially Germans, Scandinavians, and Dutch, who proved to be better Linguists.

The report goes even further. After emphasizing the necessity for the study 3of foreign languages, the order of importance of various languages for the British businessman was investigated, with the result that French, German, Spanish, and Russian were found to be the languages that would probably be of importance for world trade after the war. Especially recommended is the study of the German language, although in certain circles the reaction would be unfavorable. But it would be impossible to do trade without it. This could not even be done within the British Isles, to say nothing of foreign trade. Common sense demands that the study of the German language be given a wider scope in the future than even before the war.

This report speaks for itself, and C. D. Snow an official of the American Department of Commerce, shows good judgment by publishing it in the Commerce Reports for the benefit of the American business world. The study of foreign languages here in America has not been nearly as intense as would seem desirable. It is true that in the high schools, colleges, and business schools all sorts of foreign languages are taught, but in most cases the knowledge which the students of these institutions absorb, after years of study, does not even 4enable them to ask a native of a foreign country for a drink of water. Theory and grammar are emphasized, but practice is more or less lacking. The most important thing in learning a foreign language is to learn how to talk. He who can speak a language will soon be able to read and write it, also; but a person's ability to read it does not, in the least, mean that he can write it, to say nothing of talking it. The Department of Commerce itself has had some experiences with its employees in this regard, and so have hundreds and thousands of our business and industrial firms which have sent young people to foreign countries who were poorly trained. A person in a foreign country who has not mastered the language cannot be as much of an asset to his business as one who can converse fluently with the natives, for he will not get a clear conception of the needs of the people and the conditions prevailing in the foreign country. In the same way, the man who can just manage to stammer in a foreign tongue, but can't read the daily papers, and is unable to maintain a correspondence with his new friends, is at an equal disadvantage.

If the American businessman expects, therefore, to get his share of world trade 5he will have to see to it that American schools give even more time to the study of foreign languages than they did before the war. During the last thirty years great improvements have been made in foreign-language study. But the system of instruction employed seems more of an introduction into the literature of the language than a means for a practical mastery of it. Foreign languages should be taught in such a way that the pupil, after he has completed the course, will be able not only to speak fluently and correctly but also to conduct an effective correspondence. This goes for French, Spanish, Italian, and Russian as well as for German.

The German language will maintain its place in the world even after the war, as the quoted report of the English committee so justly emphasizes. To be unwilling to see the truth of this statement would be like cutting off your nose to spite your face. The study of the German language will have to be continued, after the war, with increased intensity in our high schools, colleges, and business schools.