Wabash express. [volume] (Terre-Haute, Vigo Co[unty], Ind.) 1841-186?, 1860-04-25


hight declaim Latia aud Greek we'll, but
re would much question his knowledge
{ the English. He might he very familiar
Tith the classic ages. but H. certainly
Vould not make him very useful mem
'sr Of this great Republic. Unless he
rould wake up he would dream out life,
xerled TO no purpose, and die, hoping to
ind resting place under the drippings of
he Parthsnon, or the shadow of the Col
scum. .al
Why is IL, let us ask in all csndor, that
80 many young men, pro 'essing what We
call thorough education" as soon as they /
leave the schools, and are driven to com /
mence life in earnest, are so incompetent to |
discharge the duties that are necessarily i'm.
posed upon themI Why, because they
have not been taught. that which they
ought to practice. TO make good and useful
citizens.
We reiterate, and say again, that an in
divdual may be very learned, and at the
same time very poorly educated. Men who
are thoroughly educated never fail in the
business affairs Of life. Their resources
are too great-their knowledge too uni
veissl-lheir ability TO engage in different
pursuits too complete, to fsil-that word is
DOT in their lexicons.
II is not our desire to be understood as
ha;pf, oDnoaod oToosfI.x a wa k.vo ha
fore said, to the study Of the classics, but
We are endeavoring TO show the disadvsn
tage young men labor under whe study
dead language, at the sacrifice Of their
own. We wish to say that our institutions
Of learning should discriminate more close
ly, and not have the same course Of in.
struction for all 1t might perhaps be
proper that the Latin and Greek should be
studied. 1t would be we'll for few who
light specially desire it, to study those
languages, enough, at least to protect Ho-
mer against Interpolation, and the works
Of the Apostles, Tacitus and Virgil, from
mistranslstions. One out OF every ten
thousand might be selected, whose special
duty it should be. to protect the reputation
of the old writers. We doubt, however. n
they would succeed in making any better
translations Of their works, than we al.
ready have.
But here we will say, and the history oil
the world will sustain US. that there never
has been great intellectual effort produ
ced-a great essay or book written, in any
other language than the authors yernac'
ular-the language laugh him by his roth
er. There may seem to be some one or wv {
exceptions to this assertion, but when care
fully examined it will be found. that all tn,
great works Of human wisdom, have beer
written in the language the author spok'
10 the ordinary transactions of life.
To place in the hands ..oi student
whether he is able to stay in College on
year or ten, a Latin and Greek gramma
aud have him to spend much time in thei
study, when there is so much, OF infniiel,
greater importance to learn, is in ourjudg
ment, to say the least Of tan iuconsider
ate blunder-a crying error-a huge mis-
=, take We admit there is some advantag
, ia knowing all about the classics, but Ger
taiply none in having a smattering O
them. Ii is, however, much better to stud.
even a dad language, than not to study a
all--than TO lounge away life in elegap
|, ease--in loafng splendor. But the prac
tical-that which will necessarily eugag
our attention when we come TO be men
should certainly be frat studied-mos
I thoroughly understood. The hands ough
to be educated as we'll as the head. The
are Just a. useful in the affairs Of human
life. and he who neglects the one, in orde
that he may improve the other, is like tn
foolish agriculturist, who enriches DOL
one portion of his farm, aud suffers th
other to become barren-producing only
luxuriant growth Of weeds, briars an
brambles.
This is peculiarly an age Of progress an'
OF thought, aud he who stands on the tract
aud cries, down breaks-hold--stop,
will most certainly have TO step aside, or b
will be forced from the road. aud laughe,
At by the passengers rs they dash by him
There IN no standing still now and lookin
back into the past for food for the mind
We must stand alone-out among III
steam cars that are screaming around Us
and the telegraph that is flashing above u
and hink--ihink boldly. powerfully. In
cesantly, beroically.
Sir Isaac Newton when asked, how h
ever made 80 many important discoveries
answered, IL oou,ioually thought abou
them" II IL thought. and thought alone
which enables us To give TO the worl,
something new. We must think for out
selves. act for ourselves--bs self reliant
ask no assistance, but 60 ahead There !
uo room in the nineteenth century. 70
drones The ear sweeps 10y, and II we ar
not up TO tine, We afe left,
Ia the Sciences NJ mag 20 one step high
or than the world has yet gone, or We no.
are Suspended above us. like might,
oet work are those mysterious wires owe
which the lie blood Of physical nAlut
fo~s ne does The vital fluid through our ar
ttries aud veins, bringing us together, ant
making ia one people. aud now promisin!
TO make the remotest ends Of the earth on
neigbbors. DO you see them; they ar
mute. yet speaking with tongue Of fire
Across the hills, over the valleys, thread
ing the forests and diving through III,
ocean. goes this subtle something-tbi,
spiritual essenec-ihis lightiog's Dash =
symboliesl Of the age. Il annihilates tim,
and space, and makes this iadeed pecu
liar people, wondroas age.
We must not. no. We ~.ll not stop here
but go upward and onward, from progress,
to progress. from discovery 10 discov
cry, until human nature hiss attained
liz last. full complete and perfect culmi
nation; until We stand higher up, approaei