Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-03-08
WEl9EslAT. HARCa 8. Isef.

4
80 GlassieS ~. ms oself .t.-ssi,ll t-il 90.
80 4 ,Wapuhlish thismofnag an article Prom
-sBs fSsR6Sfoz DssEy AdSsrtissF, which bkngs
slg95 SSSaisa srsst force, the old queston in
~, JrSssaEd q The relative value q The AMBIENT
80 rasdmodena languages asa means Of aisci-
dsHmpins and culture ThedrticleS Rhili not
-b.n eg5ssi,,g thestu3y Of Greek and Lstilfi Is
= - a powerful plea in behalf Of French and
GsFaian.s There Is 70 our notion, q vast
amount Of truth IN the report Of the Com
81 anaItses Of sssrs Of Harvard College
10 That thousands Of young men and women
erolsSpsud time comparatively useless9 In
,.,5rths, study. q ancient languages to the
after neglect Of the modern, ? lamenRbty
-. too+rue, Yesu srs given, on the plea
-,rfss.thaB mental discipline requires it 70 the
-i8ss ssady Of GbstFure grauannarsi 4hst might
% more wisely be devoted to the scqdidtiOu
;;{i..t-.lof q knoVledgeof the Language IN which
u y hsmsn snd women Of TO day eomnuni-
ID scate their ideas and synpathies, and do
bas The businsssof the world. Thousands of
% -, -persohs, whom early life have been in
e7sd5 Quoted into Al the mystsrieL Of roOtg and
-EzoIeaaanEionag and conjugatiOus and thP in
-ng1oih hamsFable exceptions 70 rules hsIe in
@ sll sAftsr hfs regretted that the same time had
4 e. not -bssn 1pent in acquiring knowledge
yI5w ofIHnguAgss no less adapted 10 mental dis
.svs cIPlIhs and vastly more useful in the PrAe-
se39 ticsl duties Of life. We are not to b un-
derstoOd IN thus expressing = common e1-
sgfr sberienos among men trained in the clas-
-zoq Tics In early life as .conaemning the study
80 Of the classics. TO do 50 would be to ptul-
Sjss ify ourselves and entirely ignore great
saibiAnda Obvious snysntsges. But what We
bad wish to assert Is that thousands of boys
esa and girls spend years in hGlting, stun
- - Bling study Of the dead languages without
.-11ngsver exhibiting any genius or inEpirttion
-aod in Their pursuit. and who in a few years
sgs forget ali about them save that
y slrss9fRsy have spent many d weary hours
.siasdnsi. drubbing their brains over an
lsi.sI uncongenial task who might, with vastly
% naore profit be trained in the natural SCI
sSga -I- sncsi and IN the study Of Germsn, French
.lasd or Italian. Many persons who have gone
Gc5u through the College curriculum of Greek
and Latin ere often unwilling 70 express
- =, themseiYes honestly on this subject, in con-
- sequence Of false pride and from an sp-
ga ipFsbenEion that in doing 30, they belittle
boos sud dhpsrsge their own achievements.
81 s2q They have therefore selfish iutereit in
81 oo psrpetaGting supsrstitious reverence for
.gniG1auguagss dead to all human nse q the
iosi present day. Many, alse, having no
- 80 knowledge Of the modern languages and
ia. ia consequently not knowing their great value
bad- q = mental discipline, especially the Ger
ea1 sornan, which has Aptly been termed the
ll modern Greek; not knowing, also the
so1 .Waalth of wondrous literature that dis
sss tinEuishes both France and Germany not
realizing the many practical business in
..., .terests which knowledge of the modern
tongues EubssrEss, and unwilling to confess
CT .atoyssrs comparatively rnisspent will rebel
.suiz.AEaInst the arguments and conclusions Of
l',l thee, srt;els We publish this morning. But
55;,, yet The report from fhe o.d and venerable
zau Harvard itself must have great weight in
.zai ths estimation Of every thinking msn and
~ woman. ar
all na9nIsn Au41 1 OOAs % " s--e
80 of Whist we say, and with knowledge Of
sad iifhe grounds for our dsciEon, we u1hesi-
d.od y4aangly shBrm thst if we were compelled,
- - in our study Of Languages other than the
s + KnglIsh, to choose between the desd Lam
.e-sodzusges and the living, we should accept the
l5=t latter and let the former go. If time and
~ - opportunity admit, study Of both would
5gmg be desirable but this is impossible 70 many
-o1q Z We commend the report to all interested
,1oati IN n1e0deaaonRl matters. -l1 -,
Loal .subtsrranean RaIIrOad in New York
'E5T E-la Z q 1 City, u ~.