New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-12-03

~ Low ~ remain foreign 20 the mind Of tle ,T
,;ttc 10 M. memory. but never hcorIol'SH " ,J
NE az, landing and tlouelisoi cse tIe! Ii,, i'm ~
dominate his mind, 20 tl't Nc j. onl crreut FOR
, mos An use ca.culaiiou IEe li.J Nalt'J ,i, c
,iycd on one occasion aa i. NI.I>', 49,, tn.unticou
i,i'rjau Iauacc. perhaps tho eiC"'ht n.'., tf ~
l',''"i I'LL and co.Wctor Cl the Hrst ralE but -'u
W itou f5urd tat hs only idro or iihl7d lug .o .
hes. IN lis Chico Was win reference ~ G+ Ln, IA
gentlemen then took ny me question .. ''c icr, lie
r,oTclt and tho knowledge aie there 10 - H ,s
admirable rs means f colliltIiiy'-iin5, f,r 81
b 8, not tic substitute, or G'lur| S,unoiDt tic
II does not DO instead Of II. il lNsN!Poses t f
knowledge Of the thing, and is uhy Es',n1
r.,rieofinc h. / win venture 10 read few lines IN
which thi, is put With 20 much force that e53au oy
weaken il l,y put lag IL my own language. ire qot
fior is from Pope ana was written $40 or 100 years ago.
ard only shows how mistakes nay ne p5VG nc yrs
The most vigorous language ava I "a. mol I and
ouing, and yet may remain utterly uhre0reSSeu anu
Since man from hest n.y. words 3 ku91n,
Words are man lroFirrc--s OF sc t,arh al0uci
When reason doubtful. he 'Ae Sawi1g, l,tei
Psa lin ,S i've o WAY ' lll' y.h TO c.
We never suarr it to stand too si,c
10 as, to guess. 70 know. "a they commence
A. fancy opens Toe qli,A snT ,i S o. sense
B mslT irs ei w.t. ana do1ss chain on ea,n
Corlne the thought t. exercise iat breath,
And Keep them in the pale OF words ul death"
Well them think IL j. quite evident that II poor ana
imperfect conception Of education that should iu " 10
the learning o. any languages whatsoever! R"l 9stCH
II Ionld he ibe Language We are most concerned with
and must be permitted to say tlat IN Tue s'iSuC W
language has prior claims TO Latin and Greek. MP
pausel do not disparago Latin and Greek Far IRON
first: ard think it melancholy to the igno[anee,
Of ho literature OF ourown language IN Whoh NO IN nj
pa.sps of our young mon are brought UP. lainpi
course is OF very great use. IL Is the only means "a ~
tanning considerable amount OF ioihSuOnh s tonrd
locked up iu that language, and Wmch Is L9t ~ po
elsewhere II has also noble literature 81 10 VmII' "
il is the key to the knowledge or many % to %erv
hig6 Importance; but we must alNays, IV n I
n DTi s tn' rs nodes for felicity Of expression. tic
Gr.,ks, know 10 Language but tLer own. Inc h I1
learned Two languages Latin md OICC bnt 3L iTiCd
ust enough Greek 10 make them ntelect uclr ltn aHu
their literature is incNprcssby lelor 70 WA. VI Wy
race that before them, and who Only knew orc ia
guage. But, allowing that we are 10 Ieen H "i 20
Greek, only see how we sct aDout IT, II IL ~ In Win
learn Latin and Greek; but II "a JOKE as cuhpdIC
leaning creek and Latin grammar. Ldhsery - ore
thing ana grammar aA1'hei anu r56so the Romans
were that they mad not TO learn LAIN GRAMMAR DgSasc
IL they had done SO my never %0 1 ,s icngne
300 years ago this, aud exposed u IN most Ioo
He pointed out how easy Wa 10 'i I'm ~ SO
with very little grammar 70 learn u Nv be he
tells how. without the lash and without csr he Dv
able to speak III snort Imi s' hVVt rb 40 Sud
answer the purpose IL sad you should discipline te
n,pt WI he q forced TO learn by heart but every
word ana syllable OF which nc Ioeets pel9ic ~ y,
tity in this matter. Laughter and cbc1s II seems 10
be thought TO be very ne to learn '9mc,nng Jfs
TIE larSiase', especially Che eeal;
al science. s.lsi y, ,tC s,,,T3i1; ,.5
10 be Tie most remote hou common use"
te idea OF the pedautc mind that nothing can be
uis il viii be utterly useless IN future e Laughter
For Instance, there is no doubt that Greek LANGUAGE
beautiful, what more refined, what more calculated
10 exercise the taste and all the faculties Of person tl
tho study Of French prose carried 20 such perfection as
is carried by NJ. Provost Parado saint Beuye or INC
great masters q that langnagoi We have nothing IKE
nEngh- nothing approaching that exquisite finish ana
20 lish and II wishes 20 exercise lis nina ia Ase
things he could not have better SUBJECT 70 e&ef9lso ~
g French would Sc that when lie goes TO Paris be would
over his bill without making himself laughing stock TO
every present. But all this must be put ASIDE ana he
must be put through the Greek language the very CHAR
acters Of which no To forget before ne years OF
age. Now. II depends on what You want to make men.
II you think that the great object OF the ednca0ho OF man
Kind Is TO make them sOpist pOotastcs, and school
you going the right way 20 WORK; but II te
object be 10 make them III Tor me Dushehs OF me- SUI
NIT in the words OF sydney Smith. that we have too much
be taught on very different system. 4heIe Is noIhis
more absurd than the attempt 20 unto things that nave
! cn general nr1nciples Ii II was made In
/ ths way. that number OF wise men met
stance the verb should always agree
naive ana that The verb should govern the aocusatye
d o o' and then the whole Ting had been made Ike
Euclid according 20 these rules ana nodded IN that way
what had been tied We could unte-the language hay
ing been put together IN that way, could DIaysc u
back into the rules But Language was not made IN tdl
wav Language grew, We know not how, like tree or
plant. II was not made on general iulcs therefore,
whom Won are trying resolve that INTO general ruh
which never formed ON general rlles you arc SOW
inc the sand and the result IT, that after the early years
OF ones life have been made miserable by being cramcd
with these rules you find that the exceptions arc Almost
as numerous tho rules, and you ney er know when is
the rule and which the exception Wen, then gentle,
men, there is another thing enter my pIOtest htuhs'
and that IS Latin verses lAppause DO NOT uhuk tle
OF mankind should be 10 try TO make as many young peo
pie possible poets or pOetasters Probably the wos
talent OF all the little talents man can have IN society u
that OF scrbbng daughters and yet years Of our
lives taken up In the attempt to teach us 10 wlte
presons stolen from different authors The very meaning
of which the borrower very often does not himself uh
mended for verses could not cOnstrue myself Loud
/ aughterl This, Of course. gives moet unfair pre-
crib because It Is thing absurd and repulsye that
Duiievo was ever known 10 acquire II late IN me-
known young men have been prevented from gain
ing honors for very great classical ability they
had never taught this knack Of strngng words To-
gether, called Latin versifcatloD. Cheers There
movement going on against IT, and do hope at any rate
we shall get rid Of that There is another thing tony
mind almost as absurd, and IL 10 the way learn lam
guage consider that man understands language
when he can read with iuency and good, plain,
straightforward author who writes dramatically and
sensibly. That lie very soon done, comparatively, IN
Latin and Greek that all that wanted Bnt that If
not half enough; there 10 torture IN that that very
take place that hOpelessy Grabbed where the anan-
the meaning Of the text something or other and then
must read perhaps two or three pages OF notes OF
in very bad Latin each stating his idea OF how IT ought
10 be reformed, and then must give Opn-
10 come con WI" again be %os3 be ea pd
on his own verses by an Oxford examiner. loud
quite certain he did not know the difference between the
Ominatve and accusave cases. and had heard OF
IT, laughter And yet the best years Of our lives
spent In these prOhess analyses Of works that pro-
duced by utterly unconscious OF the rules
deavOring TO elicit from them Well, gentlemen pOr-
coed to another thing which has always struck very
fOrciby and that is the immense time given 10 ancient
history DO not misunderstood me- Ancient history Is
very important mattera most beautiful study but II
important modern history and does
nearly much transactions Consider what IL
Ancient history has but two phrasesthe one Is
archy the other is municipality The notion OF large
community existing by virtue OF the principle Ofepresent
alton, OF popular xtended beyond the limits
Of single town, thing that entered into the
minds oil the ancents So that the best Yeas Of our lives