The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1839-05-18
For the Columbia Democrat.
a ID1MIh0GUISo

| NHtoo H'-Only Tunk iull, Mauam'
S.-A trunk full ? Why, what use can
you have for so many books! Young la
dies at your age have seldom read beyond
the tenth chapter Of Nehemiah.
FL can boast of having read great
deal beyond that myself, and should be sor-
ry if l could not get trunk full of books
every six months.
S.-You must then, though so young,
be scholar; perhaps teacher of languages.
F.-No, Madam, | know no language
but my own.
S.-What! not Latin nor Greek!
F.-Not word Of either
S,-Why, do you not think them neces-
sary
FL do not consider myself proper
judge-but | should not suppose them ne
cessary.
ST. should like to hear your reasons.
F.-Why, Madam; am not competent to
give reasons that may satisfy lady of your
learning but the following are the reasons
with which satisfy myself. look on
language, Madam, merely as arbitrary
sounds of characters whereby we commu-
nicate our ideas to each other l already
possess a language which is capable Of con-
veyng more ideas than shall ever acquire.
S'-But you certainly differ from the
learned world, which is, you know, decided
ly in favor of the languages.
FL would not wish wantonly do diff
fer from the learned, especially when they
maintain opinions that seem founded upon
truth. But when this is not the case, have
ever thought it my duty since studied
Locke.
S,-Locke You studied Locke +!
F.-Yes, Madam, l studied Locke on
the understanding, three years ago, at thir-
teen.
S.-You amaze me, Madam You
study Locke on the understanding at thir-
teen.
No1 ulu'
spray, at what college did you study
Locke?
Fit was my misfortune never 10 be at
college, nor even grammar school, ex-
cept nine months when | was child.
S.-Where-whero did you get your ed
ucation, pray?
FAT home, Madam.
Sat home
F.--Yes, Madam, My parents were
poor; at eight they put me to school but
finding they could not spare money to keep
me there, they took me home again, where
| assisted my Ma during the day, and at
night | read by myself.
Sis 1t possible! Now pray tell me,
for | feel a stronger desire than ever to hear
your objections to the dead languages.
F.--Why, object to it principally on
account of the shortness of life. Taking
one with another we do not exceed forty
years. Plutarch, indeed, only puts it at
thirty-three. But say forty. OF this, ten
years are lost in childhood before any one
thinks of Latin grammar. This brings the
forty down to thirty. Now of such mo-
ment as this, to spend five or six years in
studying the dead languages, especially
when all the best books in those languages
are translated; and besides, we have already
more books on every subject than we short
lived creatures can ever acquire knowledge
of, seems very preposterous.
Swell, what will you do with their
great poets, Virgil and Homer, forIexample? ?
You would not think of translating Homer
out of his rich native Greek into our poor
homespun English, would you
F.-Why not, Madam
ST. should as soon think of transplant
ing pine apple from Jamaica to Boston.
F.-Well, Madam, skillful gardner,
with his hot house, can give us nearly as
fine pine apple as any in Jamaica. And
so Mr.. Pope, with his fine Imagination, has
given us Homer in English, with more of