Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-09-14

training, such cultivation, was wholesome and
admirable. any man, says Dugald Stewart,
wants to know the power and dignity of the
English language, let him read the works of
Robert Hall, dissenting English minister, one
of the most thorough classical scholars of his
day, The students at college used to say of
Mcintosh and Hall, when seen together,
there goes Plato and Socrates, Ifsyou take from
the writings aud speeches of Vim. Writ, one of
our great orators, all that he got from Virgil,
You would strip him bare: so Of others of our
orators Other things being equal, man can
never become as great Lawyer as the thorough
Latin Scholur can, nor as great physician as
the thorough Greek scholar can. Nine.tenthS
of the best theological writings are in the Latin.
Gods owns word is in the Greek and Hebrew.
And to these languages we are compelled
to refer when the text is in dispute. do not
see what is TO preserve our good old mother
English if the classics are neglected. There are
two books in our own language that are classc:
ssEhe Pilgrims Progress and 'Robison Crusoe."
have several times sat down in company with
these under my care and have endeayored 10
Improve upon one sentence even in each of
theseworks. We thought we had done so some
times but upon careful scrutiny we found we
had not. do not believe it is In the power of
man to improve them. One of the writers of
these two works was most thorough classical
lscholar-the otherpossessed prodigious genius
that sucked up his whole mother tongue The
best classics are the Word of God. will put
the story of Joseph against any narrative in
any Language. The oldest Epici is not that of
Homer, butthe book of Job. It's full,o sci
entific truths of beautiful imagery. If some of
his expressions were found in Aristotle they
would be caROnized by the philosophers. Take
the narrative of the raising ofII4azarus from the
dead as recorded IN the New Testament-co
| it be amended? I think not There are 10
oh
little girl could commit TO memory before break
fast that contain more true PRINCIPLES to put US
through this life than all the writings Of heath
en- philosophers or sages. Some of the classics
are much superior to others. IIeroditus, for n-
stance, is known as the father of prose. If 1
ever read Heroditus again, l will take pen
and copy out the origin of many of our familiar
phrases, for they are to be found there. Then
there is Thucydides-a model of style. He
describes the plaques of Athens in 4 or pages.
Detoe took volume to describe the plague of
London. Yet there is no comparison between
the two. Zenophon, like Heroditus, also CON
tainS the foundation for many of our sayings.
| OF the Latin classics Tactus was the John G.
Calhoun. He could say more in given hun
dred words than any body else in almost that
many pages. Livy was the Gibbon of his day.
| l have seen the heart of the school boy swell
over his account of the Horatii and Curatii. If
he had been living within 800 miles of this
place, have no doubt that he would have
been invited here to-day. II he was to spend a
winter ln'thlS country now, have no doubt he
would DC invited to deliver lectures in all the
cites, and the people would flock to hear him.
Ihe only thing they can do now is to read him.
Then, there, is old Horace. He has given us
the first rules for poetry in his 'Ars Poetica" -
" Mhen your minds get dull rub them up with
Horace and see !! 1t does not sharpen them.
Now have said pretty much all have to.
say on TINS occasion. lnregard to this Academy
ought perhaps to say word. In fitting up
this building you have done well. 1t is very
tne building and IS credit to the people of this
community. learn that you have 1t all paid for
with the exception Of balance Of two or three
thousand dollars Now, what remains for you
to 40, is to wlpe,out the balance aud to go to
work lnthe good cause in which you are enlist
co. this building had cost fifty, instead of
twelve thousand dollais you had dore infinitely
better to put itup than not to have done so. /
very mucn DOUBT whether ever SO good an in
veStnent OF money was made IN this conmuni-
ty before. l know Of only two cases in which
money could be equally well spent, and that is
when you go to the county Clerks office and
take oyta marriage license, and when you pay
the preacher fee for tying the knot. God has
blessed you all abundantly here and you arc
very able aud should be willing to do something
4 Tor yourselves and your children. You who are