THE LOCAL CHAPTERS NEW YORK CHAPTER.-One of the meetings of largest attendance was that of February 7, 1920, at the School of Mines, Columbia University. Distinguished representatives from almost every Spanish-American country assembled to hear the Spanish translation of "La elegía de Thomas Gray" by Señor José Castellot, ex-president of the Senate of Mexico and ex-ambassador extraordinary from Mexico to Norway. As a preface to the reading of his translation of Gray's Elegy Señor Castellot declared the immutability of worldly things, citing the classic aphorism, "There's nothing new under the sun." Through the courtesy of Señores Jaime Lago and Miguel de Zárraga, proprietors of La Tribuna, the audience was provided with copies of the Elegy and the Spanish translation. On March 6, Doctor Nicolás García Samudio, primer canciller of the Colombian Consulate in New York and prominent member of the Colombian Academy of History, addressed the chapter on "Literatura Colombiana." In attendance as guests of honor were the Consul General of Colombia, Don Francisco Escobar and General Gómez Mayoral, Colombian Minister of War. CHICAGO ACTIVITIES.—The Chicago Chapter held a most profitable session Saturday afternoon, February 7, 1920. A pleasing talk on "Puerto Rico" was given by Mrs. Maud C. Josaphare. As by a fairy wand, the speaker brought before her audience that island of tender blue skies and tropical verdure, peopled by new American citizens of staunch loyalty. The second speaker, Professor C. L. Parmenter of the University of Chicago, discussed "El Viaje de estudio por España el verano de 1920." Señorita Elena Landázuri, a student of Sociology in the University of Chicago, presented a valuable paper on "Méjico y los Estados Unidos." The injustice of prevailing laws as well as the development of the spirit of democracy among the common people are indicated by the frequency of revolutions. As a proof of democratic advancement in her native land, Señorita Landazuri called attention to the fact that since 1917 every industrial plant of importance in the Republic of Mexico has maintained a school for its employees. The speaker deeply deplored the unjust propaganda of a certain type of North American journalists regarding the Mexican question. The third regular meeting was held Saturday, April 3. The Rev. Padre Castor Ordoñez, C. M., Ph. D., delivered an eloquent lecture replete with commercial, economic, and cultural information, on “Un Viaje por la América española." As a means of fostering trade and good-will, Professor Ordoñez warmly advocates the establishment of banks under North American management in all the leading cities of South America, and the building up of our merchant-marine. The Rev. Father deprecates the use of the term "Latin-America" as unjust and inaccurate. Mr. Abel Cantú of Crane Technical High School in his speech on "La Riqueza natural de Méjico" demonstrated with the enthusiasm of an ardent nationalist that mineral wealth, oil wells agricultural wealth and climate combine to make of his patria, Méjico, one of the richest countries in the world. THE WASHINGTON CHAPTER.-An enthusiastic meeting was held Saturday, March 20, at the George Washington University under the presidency of Professor Henry Grattan Doyle. A most interesting address on "Lope de Vega" was given by Señor F. Pérez de Vega. Extracts read from the comedia of Lope added greatly to the value of the lecture. At the next meeting, April 10, Señor Ángel Vázquez will address the Chapter. THE LOS ANGELES CHAPTER.-The Educational Committee of the Los Angeles Chapter has planned a series of lectures taking the form of tours through Spanish-speaking countries, beginning this year with Spain. Professor Felipe Morales de Setién of the University of Southern California gave the first of a course of six lectures on "A Tour Through Spain" February 28 at the College of Law, Tajo Building. A course of reading supplementary to these lectures has been arranged for those who wish to make a more thorough study of the subjects discussed. The Los Angeles Chapter plans the establishment of a circulating Spanish library for its members, according to the following plan: PROYECTO: PARA EL ESTABLECIMIENTO DE UNA BIBLIOTECA PROFESIONAL PARA EL USO DE LOS MAESTROS DE ESPAÑOL. I. La Biblioteca será propiedad del Capítulo local de "The American Association of Teachers of Spanish," situado en Los Angeles, California. II. Su operación estará bajo la dirección inmediata de la Junta Ejecutiva de dicho Capítulo local. III. Cada miembro permanente del Capítulo podrá llegar a ser accionista y gozar de los privilegios de la Biblioteca al cumplir con las condiciones y reglamentos siguientes: (1) Para ingresar, donará a la Biblioteca algún libro nuevo entre los enumerados en la lista publicada para este fin por la Junta, o su valor en dinero, y además otro libro tomado de su biblioteca particular y aprobada por la Junta. (2) Cada accionista pagará diez centavos por el privilegio de sacar un libro de la biblioteca y tenerlo dos semanas en su posesión. En caso de retenerlo más tiempo, pagará a razón de cinco centavos por cada semana que lo tenga en su poder. (3) En caso de la pérdida de algún libro, la persona responsable devolverá su valor, o lo reemplazará con otro ejemplar del mismo. (4) La Biblioteca estará abierta un día de cada semana y será colocada en algún lugar céntrico de Los Angeles. (5) Los accionistas que quieran pedir libros por correo podrán hacerlo pagando el franqueo de ida y vuelta, bajo las mismas condiciones que los demás. (6) Si un miembro del Capítulo compra dos o más acciones en la Biblioteca, gozará del aumento correspondiente en sus derechos. IV. La Junta preparará una lista de cincuenta o más libros con sus precios, la cual se enviará a todos los miembros del Capítulo y las personas interesadas tendrán oportunidad de sugerir los títulos de otros libros que les interesen; pero ha de entenderse que será el objeto de la Biblioteca proporcionar a sus accionistas oportunidad para estudiar libros nuevos que no se encuentran en las bibliotecas públicas y que tienen una relación directa é íntima con nuestro trabajo profesional y que contribuirán su parte a estudios coordinados y progresivos, tanto de los individuos como de las clases que puedan organizarse más adelante. V. Se solicitará la cooperación voluntaria de los accionistas en el trabajo de la distribución de los libros y de la contabilidad, evitando así todo gasto innecesario. De esta manera las entradas podrán dedicarse exclusivamente a la compra de libros nuevos. VI. Si cinco accionistas indican su preferencia a favor de cualquier libro nuevo, será apuntado en una lista aparte. Los libros de dicha lista serán añadidos a la Biblioteca tan pronto como los fondos lo permitan. VII. Cartas circulares dando informes acerca de libros nuevos serán enviadas de cuando en cuando a los accionistas luego que se haya reunido un fondo suficiente para su compra, a fin de que todos puedan tener parte y voz en su escogimiento. NEW UTRECHT HIGH SCHOOL BROOKLYN, N. Y. GRACIA L. FERNÁNDEZ BRIEF ARTICLES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS TRAVEL IN SPANISH COUNTRIES The tentative plans which the Association had under way for the benefit of its members who might wish to travel in Porto Rico or Costa Rica have been abandoned. The Committee on Study and Travel has been informed by Commissioner Miller of Porto Rico that the University of Porto Rico has been compelled to withdraw its offer of courses, due to the fact that it has been impossible to secure any assurance from the steamship lines or from the Bureau of Insular Affairs that transportation could be provided to and from the Island for those who might wish to attend the proposed courses. As for Costa Rica, only three or four persons have manifested any interest in the plan advanced by the Costa Rican Government of giving courses in San José and Heredia for North American teachers of Spanish, and the Minister of Public Instruction has been informed that the project can not be carried out this summer. Most of our members who plan to study abroad are going to Spain. Many of these will sail on the Saxonia, of the Cunard Line, on June 19th or 22d. Our committee has turned over to Professor Joaquín Ortega of the Spanish Bureau of the Institute of International Education, 419 West 117th Street, New York all inquiries that have come in concerning study in Spain. Professor Ortega and Professor Onís are acting as the representatives of the Junta para Ampliación de Estudios, and this institute has helped by giving office room and clerical help to this newly established Spanish Bureau. Professor Parmenter of Chicago University and Professor Ortega of Wisconsin will accompany a party which, from all indications, will be a large one, to Madrid, there to study in the summer courses. LETTER-WRITING BETWEEN AMERICAN AND SPANISH PUPILS The National Bureau of International Educational Correspondence is authorized by the United States Government and the United States Bureau of Education, to promote educational letter-writing between the thousands of pupils in Spanish America and Spain who are studying English, and the similar number of American pupils who are studying Spanish. The Bureau is now obtaining from the teachers of English in the Spanish-American countries the names, addresses, and personal qualifications of thousands of their pupils whom they recommend for this educational correspondence. From the Bureau each teacher will receive for each of his pupils a carefully chosen Spanish correspondent of similar age, sex, and interests. Each pupil will write regular letters in English to his Spanish correspondent, who will reply in Spanish. Naturally there will be a wealth of enclosures, pictures, and clippings accompanying this correspondence. In the most advanced stage the Americans will write in Spanish and the Spanish pupils in English. Enrollment Sheets. For enrollment sheets apply to the National Bureau Educational Correspondence, Peabody College, Nashville, Tenn. Fees. The expenses of the Bureau are partly met by a permanent endowment which we hope will soon be increased, so that the services of the Bureau will be free to all. At present, however, it requests a 10-cent fee for each pupil enrolled. A LOS CERVANTISTAS El docto y distinguido cervantista y crítico español, Don Aurelio Báig Baños, desearía reunir la mayor parte de los trabajos cervantinos (artículos folletos y libros sobre Cervantes y sus obras), impresos en los Estados Unidos. El Sr. Báig Baños dará cuenta en periódicos o revistas de España, de los estudios cervantinos, de los cuales se le envíen dos ejemplares, que se hayan publicado o se publiquen “en esa gran nación que se distingue de una manera especial por su hispanofilia y erudición," palabras textuales de una carta suya a nuestro compañero, Don Homero Serís, de la Universidad de Illinois. Hé aquí la dirección del Sr. Báig Baños: Calle del General Margallo, 9 mod. pral. izq., Tetuán de Chamartín, Madrid. CENTENNIAL AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY Our Association has been invited to send a representative to the Centennial Celebration of the University of Indiana to be held the coming summer, and the Executive Council has appointed Professor E. C. Hills as our official representative. THE VELADA IN HOMAGE TO PÉREZ GALDÓS On Tuesday evening, April 13, 1920, memorial exercises in honor of Pérez Galdós were celebrated at the Horace Mann Auditorium at Columbia University under the auspices of the Unión Benéfica Española, the Hispanic Society of America, the American Association of Teachers of Spanish, and Columbia University. Professor Federico de Onís of Columbia University spoke feelingly of the significance of the occasion on which America expressed her homage to Spain. Galdós, he declared, is truly the most Spanish of all modern writers; in fact, all Spain of the nineteenth century is in his works, and above all, his conception of life and of the world are those of the Spanish race. It is a certain moral tolerance which we find throughout the works of Cervantes which makes possible the deep esthetic comprehension of Spanish realism. Such tolerance has its origin in exalted Spanish individualism. Among all the races, the Spanish holds the greatest respect for man. for man in his individual aspect. The characters that appear in the works of Galdós are justified by their very defects, and the only despised characters are those beings like Doña Perfecta and Pantoja, who have the weakness to work to convert others to goodness. An address by Dr. Esquivel Obregón on “Galdós y el medio social" was read by Professor de Onís. The program continued with "Páginas sobre Galdós" by Clarín, Azorín, Pérez de Ayala y Marquina, and an original poem, "Pérez Galdós: El Símbolo," by Dimitri Ivanovich. Mr. Lawrence A. Wilkins voiced the sympathy of the American people for Spanish culture. Mr. Wilkins then introduced the last speaker, Professor Hayward Keniston of Cornell University, who ably discussed "Galdós, Interpreter of Life.” TO GALDÓS With all your great ideals for human life, You called the Spanish music to your pen, You touched soft notes of Spanish melody And whispered thru the lips of one small girl A woman's prayer, more rich, more full and true Than those the angels breathe. Thru a child's tongue |
