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Show UNIVERSITY " NEWS LESS ROMANCE, MORE UNDERSTANDING. "Hitler has given us our great opportunity," said Dr. Herbert E. Bolton, outstanding living authority author-ity on southwestern American history, at the University of Utah Assembly last Friday. Dr. Bolton pointed out in a favorable light the effect of the present war upon the Western Hemisphere. "Europe will not have a chance to get into Latin America on a sound economic footing for at least 25 years after the war is ended. This fact provides the people of the United States with the chance to prove just how smart they really are." Our greatest need, the historian histor-ian declared, is people who are qualified to undertake inter-American enterprise with true understanding under-standing of the customs and culture cul-ture of the countries "South of the Border." People for this responsibility, re-sponsibility, he said, can only be trained through adequate study of Latin American languages, literature, culture, and history. Historians and economists have long taught that the day would come when America must find within herself the answer to her economic problems. Instructors taught, but few listened. "Now Hitler has spoken in a louder voice than professors can command, and we are witnessing an unprecedented awakening of interest in all things pertaining to our southern neighbors," the historian stated. "We have been shocked into a lively consciousness of the Latm Americas, and we begin to recognize re-cognize our own ignorance. They know much more about us than we know about them. They have shown themselves to be smarter than we are." Dr. Bolton, who is professor emeritus of history at the University Uni-versity of California at Berkley, pointed out a few fallacies about Spanish-American history that must be corrected in the minds of more Americans. The importance import-ance of English colonization has been over-emphasized, he observed, observ-ed, since three-fourths of Amer-y Amer-y ica was colonized by the Spani- ards. and their descendants still hold two-thirds of it. Columbus brought 2.000 colonists to America, Amer-ica, while the Mayflower brought onlv 100. "But they were apparently very prolific, judging from the number of their descendants, one of whom I am which," chuckled the elderly elder-ly scholar. Ending with a pica for understanding under-standing of the "Other America", as a bnsis for frietuilv relation' ship and economic cooperation. Pr. Bolton urged University of Utah students to interest themselves them-selves in the rich culture of Lni-in Lni-in America, a study which vtl: prove nrofit.-ible to our country as it will be pleasurable to oui people. |