1781

45

German language is taught in all institutions of learning
of any standing.

German institutions for professional studies do not exist
here, which may be easily explained, as, without exception,
the pupils after passing through the elementary and prepar-
tory classes, are sufficiently acquainted with the English
idiom to pursue any course of higher studies in this lan-
guage.

It would be interesting to enter upon a parallel between
the schools of about equal standing in this and the old coun-
try, but it would consume too much time and space; suffice it
to say here is less stress laid upon the study of the ancient
languages and more upon natural sciences and practical
branches than in Germany, and the period of school attend-
ance is generally much shorter. This has its natural influ-
ence upon all phases of life, and especially upon our next
subject of consideration, the

GERMAN LITERATURE.

The American born German, if he devotes himself to lit-
erary pursuits, but seldom uses the language of his parents ;
hence whatever Baltimore produces in this line comes from
the pen of men who have received iheir training across the
Atlantic. It is difficult to touch this delicate subject, yet, as
no reasonable man will expect that among from 30,000 to
40,000 immigrants cast together from all the regions of Ger-
many, of vastly different intellectual and educational advan-
tages, should emanate authors of sufficient magnitude to
compete with the coryphies of their native land, we do not
hesitate to say what may be said within the boundaries of
truth. The literary career, as an avenue of support, is sel-
dom smooth and scarcely ever lucrative for Germans in this
country; hence, not many select it as a profession, and the
greater part of literary productions emanate from amateurs.
However, Baltimore can show some valuable publications of
didactic character, as school books, law books and essays, and
some neat productions in Belles Lettres, as poems, novels and
dramatic efforts of more or less promise, although their fame
has not yet reached beyond the ocean. The most developed
and most conspicuously cultivated part of German literature
here is the political and newspaper press. This is rep-
resented in two weeklies of religious character, one Catholic
and the other Protestant, and two daily papers, the Balti-
more Wecker and the Deutsche Correspondent. Both are of
political tendencies, and as such the organs of the two most
powerful political parties. To speak of their relative merits
would be going beyond the promised impartiality. They
have each a liberal circulation and patronage, and they are
praised or abused by their political friends or antagonists,