A NOTE TO THE UNIVERSITIES OF THE UNITED STATES SUBMITTING FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION SOME PROJECTS FOR CLOSER RELATIONS WITH SPAIN

1. The Board of Extension of Studies, of Madrid, is prepared to receive in its laboratories and seminaries a certain number of American students, placing at their disposal books, materials for work, and the direction of competent professors. The following departments should be of special interest to such students: Spanish Philology and Literature, History of Spanish Art, Paleontology and Prehistoric studies. In some cases the departments of Geology, Botany, and Zoology will also be of interest. All these departments are dedicated to post-graduate work, furnishing to each student the means and direction for research work.

2. The Spanish universities, in which instruction is given for undergraduates, are open to foreigners who can obtain in them. degrees if they pass the required examinations. Students who have passed equivalent examinations in their own country may be excused from those of the university.

3. Some students from the United States can be received in the Residence Halls for students in Madrid where they will live with Spanish students and graduates, receiving board and lodging and the advantages of libraries, games and social life for from $35 to $40 per month. The Residence Hall provides games (football and tennis) and mountain sports.

4. The Board of Extension of Studies has organized in Madrid intensive teaching (three quarterly courses every year), in Spanish grammar, phonetics and literature for foreigners, in charge of specialists. During the summer it maintains a Holiday Course for Foreigners with classes in language and literature, lectures on Spanish life and history, and visits to museums and historical cities..

5. The departments of Philology, Literature, History, Paleontology, and Natural Sciences, of the Board of Extension of Studies, place themselves at the disposition of the universities of the United States in the matter of answering inquiries concerning Bibliography referring to Spanish problems and for the establishment of an exchange of publications.

6. The Board of Extension of Studies would like to receive in all cases, in a permanent form, the catalogues and bulletins of the

universities of the United States which it keeps at the disposition of Spanish families and professors. In its turn the Board would send to the universities of the United States its reports and its catalogues of publications and courses.

7. If any university of the United States so desires, an exchange of students could be arranged. An American student designated by his university could go to work one or more years in the Laboratories or Seminaries of the Board and in the classes of the University of Madrid, being exempt from all payment of fees and receiving gratuitously board and lodging in the students' Residence Hall. In exchange a Spanish student designated by the Board would have the same advantages in a university of the United States.

8. If any university of the United States so desires, the Board of Madrid could send a Spanish student (man or woman) who would give a certain number of hours of Spanish conversation weekly (either in class or in a "Casa española" similar to the "Maisons françaises" already organized) in exchange for board, lodging, and tuition fees, so as to be able to carry on his studies in some department of the university.

9. If the universities of the United States so desire, the Board of Extension of Studies can give to certain Spanish graduates special preparation in Spanish language and literature and in the use of the English language, so that they may be called as Assistants or Instructors in the teaching of Spanish in the United States. The number of these young people would in any case have to be very small. It would be advisable for them to spend at least one semester in a university of the United States before being definitely appointed. During this semester they could give a few classes in conversation and receive an initial provisional salary. The Board believes it advisable, for the welfare of the teaching in the universities of the United States as well as for the interests of Spain, that these young Assistants should remain in America only a certain number of years and should then return to Spain, being replaced by others.

10. If the universities of the United States so desire, Spanish professors and scientific men could come to the United States periodically to give courses in the Language and Literature, Phonetics, Art, Paleontology, History, social, political, and international problems of Spain. These courses would be given in the universi

ties, announced and included in their programs. The greater part of them would have to be given in Spanish. They might consist of series of lectures, followed by questions and discussions, occupying from one to three months. In this way several universities would be able to utilize the lectures successively.

If each university interested in this project will communicate to the Board what would be the subject matter, dates, duration, and conditions required, the Board will combine the various petitions and will be able to offer each year a schedule of courses and lectures.

11. The Board of Extension of Studies will continue to send to the United States scholars who it hopes will be received in the laboratories of the universities and scientific institutions. In order to keep in touch with their conduct and the result of their studies. the Board desires to communicate directly with the American professors.

12. The Board desires to invite some American professors to go to Madrid to direct, during a period of several months or a year, investigations and laboratory work in order to teach their methods, especially in sciences such as biology, psychology, physics, etc. For this purpose it will communicate directly with the respective universities, stating the type of work which it desires, the condition of the laboratory and the students, the date, the duration. and the economic conditions.

13. In some cases an exchange of professors could be arranged if it happens that the interests of the Board of Madrid and those of the American universities are reciprocal. Then each country. would send to the other its own professors, paying their salaries and expenses.

14. If the frequency and importance of the relations between Spain and the American universities should warrant it, the Board will establish in New York a committee composed of Spaniards and Americans and an office which will have for its purpose the furnishing of information concerning the intellectual and artistic. life of Spain, the preparation of courses and the exchanges with the United States as well as the direction of Spanish students in America.

15. If the attempts of the first few years were successful, some form of permanent coöperation and laboratory work could be devised, and the resulting influences going beyond the theoretical sphere would create relations between American and Spanish industries and interests.

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The Board is desirous of knowing the opinion of the universities of the United States and receiving whatever other suggestions they may consider opportune.

JOSÉ CASTILLEJO,

Delegate of the Spanish Ministry of Public Instruction.

Address in the United States:

Care of Professor F. de Onis,

Columbia University, New York City.

Address in Spain:

Junta para Ampliación de Estudios,

Moreto 1, Madrid.

TRANSLATION VS. ORAL PRACTICE: THE

STUDENTS' ATTITUDE

Statistics are frequently deceptive; students also are at times inclined to be so, especially when they feel that their answers to certain questions may in some way influence their standing with the instructor. Consequently the statistics given below, based on answers given by students, may or may not prove anything, but they may at least serve to present to us a phase of the students' point of view in regard to instruction in Spanish.

A manifest desire on the part of one of his elementary classes to do considerably more translating than had been the practice in the earlier part of the course aroused recently the writer's curiosity. He decided to find out, if possible, to what degree the students of Spanish felt a preference for translation as opposed to strictly oral work and, incidentally, to learn what purposes were influencing the students in their study of Spanish. Accordingly the following questionnaire was given to all first- and second-year classes:

1. Which do you prefer, translation or oral practice? 2. Do you wish only translation? Why?

3. Do you wish only oral drill? Why?

4. What feature of the Spanish work do you most need-translation, grammar (composition), or oral work?

5. What, briefly, are your reasons for studying Spanish? The questionnaire was not altogether satisfactory, but served fairly well to get the information most desired. One hundred sixtyone students (105 first-year, 56 second-year) turned in answers. the outset the students were urged to answer frankly and sincerely, pains being taken to assure them that their answers would not in any way affect their standing. In the following summary of the answers received no effort has been made to keep those of the second year separate from those of the first year, as the divergence of views seemed not great enough to warrant such a procedure.