, 1865-02-25


papers, showing that he WAS born in foreign
country, tqt had lost both legs since coming
here, and being an Euglishmaa *scut down
one half" he ~as therefore an Ames1c1nt We
have some American ideas in this country,
such as universal suffrage, steamers, the tele-
graph, the cotton gin, &c. We have failed to
learn that an Is Azne.ican idea is an Eng
lsh idea cut down one hail." or that " Ameri-
can ideas" have ''English types" greater
than themselves. Bnt perhaps tue language
employed by President Blanchard was a slip
Of tho pen, which We have no right 10 take
advantage OF. President Blanchard argues
that the classical educational system has ex-
listed without substantial change OF improve
mcnt for two hundred years. The Chinese
educational system has existed with still less
Improvement for two Thousand years. The
longer they have slept the more they need
waking up.
He asks what harm knowledge Of the
Greek New Testament by Stephen A. Douglas
would have done the country. We answer,
none whatever. II President Blanchard will
specify any particular In his political OF per-
sona1 life In which be erred bccause the vari
ous translaions Of the New Testament failed
to shed that light upon his path which the
sma' terinr glimpse Of the original acquired
in our classical course would have furnished
him. We will cheerfully publish the fact.
Mr.. Webster's argument ID not In favor of 4
knowledge Of " Latin and lireek, ]" but OF lite
nature, ancient and modern He does not
touch the question whether 1t Is best to spend
years in acquiring the means Of getting hold
Of tile ancient literature in the original, or
whether when obtained it is more or less val
uable than the knowledge Of literature and
Of the sciences which the same labor in other
directions would have acquired. Webster
claims that literature mot the knowledge Of
Lain and Greek, except as they may, after
other more promiaing fields art exhausted,
aSalst In the acquisition Of ltarature}-Eivcs
polish, improves the taste, Is ornamental
Therein he condemns even Nter1ture in Ns
largest sense, except IL the adjunct and orns-
mental finish, which are desirable after the
substantial and ussfnl requirements have
oecn obtained. In short, Webster, By his
taint and qualified praise, condemns making
Latin and Greek \ substitute for ueducation,
when they arc but unessentia1 means OF OBJ
tanning knowledge Of anclont Literature,
which Of itself IT. very subordinate element
In actual education. !!
It is argued that Hamilton, Madison and
,,.ss,.1 aan.ss ~ ~ nTaan- 49, a's ss1tea Is as
f,,.a r. +h.,o ,,ra ~ ns1o - =" @ ~ w.
~ T.hrv 4oot Il A. thev too.. "a 1,..s1ss 49,
hecanse II vas t.around ."ahna Inv wcrr ~
the way Of It. It happened 10 most youth OF
that age. Having taken it, they all substap-
tia1ly forgot 1t, aud probably but one or TWO
Of them. after entering on active life, could
ctu,i,cste safely = Greek verb, or even read
with auy pleag4te-a Latin author. Undoubt-
.edly they derived satisfaction from their
ra11y knowledge Of 1t. os they derived sat-
faction from other knowledge ofno particn.
lar ntaetica1 value. but recognized in society
a. a marx of cultivation. 4 comparison OF
names viii show that one.hAlf of our states-
men have been Ignorant Of Latin and Greek,
and of the remainder nine-tenths have been
mere smatterers IN the clAeslcs, not regard
Ing the kind Of Information they furnish IS
worth retaining. Yet nearly all these men
would have been greatly benefited b. q
auovledge Of the French and Gstanan, and
indes as foreign alplomatists their country's
intcreete suffered because Of their inexcusable
Ignorance Of the modern tongues. 4 notable
Instance 10 the point WAS furnished oy the
several agents sent BY the American colonies
in various capacities to Europe during the
Revo1ution-F1anklin, Deane,r Lee, Morris
and others-hll N whom, except Franklin,
had received classical education, yet all OF
them, except Franklin, were un1t. for their
business, BY reason ftheir Ignorance Of the
French.
That President Blanchard Is in error in
citing Franklin as IN advocate Of the classic
course In connection with the Uuive1kty of
Pennsylvania, which he aided in founding,
will appear by the following citation from
Parton's Life Of Franklin, P. 303, In which
Franklfn's Language on this point is given: !:
"As to their etndies' since they could not
learn everything useful and everything Or
ornamental fhey shonto Learn What was most
"ueciul and most ornamental: snch rs lair.
"swut hand -W11t1ne, af1th1neaics oook-Aeep~
"ines, the ruuments Of geometry and astron-
"omS, the Engilsh language geography, MS.
"toty, togac, aatofh! SCIENCE gooa morals
"and good manners" he d"e1t particularly
upon the importance Of thorough knowl-
edge OF INC Enghsn nnguage ano Engnsn
authors: but, ~ toe saa'e '1sno' ~ tn'eno.
"a Tor oastn'1y suou'a ne tau. a.lI c Lat,u ana y
6ieek; 'of Phsas' ~. 4a, usseA aua
ftencn ~, aan' sne c 41at.n aaa 'sus4 .".4 !
:, "n.ee.st'4ss' "se ' ... - ~ 1s,,ss 49, % ).
aAo -. 49, s,ss.-4
Na'n .a1", ~. u'oeA a.o ~ +tat hs.s ~ e,1sni
nnguaecs, ses 1on .han, ' .hon,d ~ ,.s 49, refnsed .
...,.e1. rna,,.h .,,ttmetfc ard other etudtes.
4.ta:-u sa =. b.. .s-o . I'm. M. n nrplcctod.n
,.1:. 4s'uh M ~ s,.s-oa ~ ,.-frtneaa of 1,atin
1'arA. maAe,l ~ .1a +h-se nrofes.ions of law.
a a:'1.<.r ~ nefsc;n. Thr nrtiele In the
rN.n:, msn,. -S;,h p-..zae,,+ R,,nrh,ra ,nder.
-. -. 60. nt.or,s,,,
Ahee ~ Is"' s,',n, so ~ a.ad aaa 1,~;ao Ian
the ofoet IL "aaeu 4ue "saa aAI ,.' ., -.
guagcs eAou1o W stoo'ed' I5anAAn "aon'
subverts the classic course. DC says <'o'o p
24G):
uwe ure tn1d that It Ia proper to begin
ue-st win fhe latin. and. having ACQUIRED
g .t.t - ~,,r-hc ,nort easv tn attain those
49,, ,.nar.rce wh,ch ~ derived from 1t
- a-s ~ ,at = ~. A. not heo;r vfth The f,rrek in
,.sas ..t.e o.-;,,, - .co,,,r. t,e LATIN ~ &. T
"uet - 4S-~srs.s sers. - - 49, rons,d.r. +,o,
"out" @no.e4ose I4.a.s III ~ 49,. ~s,sa.t;o. -,
o1 1nose WIZ eut'4 41u1n.o ~.1.,sD-. ~ n,s~as,s.s.
our youth te. s. 10 1fes.aeu' o,aeoa'a'
whsther-sance many OF tnose Hao oe6"
WITH the Latin, quit the same after spend
ing come years without having made any
"e,cat proficiency, and what they have
q learned becomes almost nseless, 60 that
<ea Feo es'as' 70 fn saa ~h sf fat p1so