New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-05-31

guage,. the majority of which may be |
traced from the Greek and Latin, |
Nothing, perhaps, can show more
plainly the scholarship of man than
his pronunciation in speaking and his
photography in writing. As small as this
may appear, it is nevertheless a fact.
Ne man can justly be called a
scholar who can neither pronounce nor
spell correctly. 1t is true persons
may, by their dictionaries, learn to
pronounce very correctly. Put them
on the photography of the words and
they will fall through.
In order to ascertain the correct
photography of the many "big words"
often met with by the scholar, the
mere English scholar" as he is
called, must refer to his dictionary.
Not SO with him who has studied the
classics. Words which he may never
have seen before are easily traced to
their origin, and their meanings found
out. And it is the same in writing the
words. The classical scholar never
writes satisfaction for "satisfac-
tion," or "transmireene" for trans
marine"
But a knowledge of the classics
also enables the scholar to ascertain
the meanings of words without refer
ence to dictionary. In reading he
often comes in contact with words
that he may never have seen before.
He does not stop to take up his die
tionary to find the meaning of those
words. No sooner does his eye fall
upon them than he readily recognizes
them as being derived from such and
such word or words. The meaning
thus found out, also, is better
than any he can get from diction-
airy.
By knowing the derivation of the
word he is able to see its full force
and beauty. The dictionary tells
him it means so and so; his tracing it
to its origin tells him why and how it
means so and so. Greek and Latin
words when put into English lose all
of two-thirds Of their original force
and beauty.
The various small Latin phrases
particularly used in the English Ian
guage can not be understood and al
ways used correctly by him who has
not studied the language. 1t is true
they may often be written correctly,
but seldom if ever pronounced cor
rectly by the mere English scholar.
He uses them principally because they
pass for " big words" in English. But
he can not see their force and beauty.
Why they mean this or that he can
not tell. These, however, are mere
minor points, holding no comparison,
so to speak, with the greater benefits
to be derived from knowledge of the
classics.
Meeting a gentleman yesterday he
inquired of me the meaning and deri-
walton of the word anatomy" but
before 1 could begin to tell he contin-
ued by saying that he knew that ''anan
in Greek meant to "cut," and that he
thought "tomy" must mean '.up," and
that he had concluded the word
meant to '"cut up The fact was
that he had never studied Greek, but
he wished to have me think that he
had. He evidently took the meaning
of the word from a dictionary, which
told him it meant to ''cut up from two
Greek words, etc.
Another gentleman in my presence
looking as the words Memorabilia of
XenOphOn,' taking them to be Latin
words and wishing to "show off, read
them, 'To the memory of Napoleon.
If these two gentlemen had even a
partial acquaintance with the Greek
and Latin they could never have made
such glaring blunders. Best not to
attempt to analyze or translate words
unless we have some good reason TO
believe we are able to do so.
Again, knowledge of the classics
enables one to speak more fuently
and write more intelligibly. That is,
the classical man say say whatever he
has to say in a much more fluent man
ner, not having to stop always to think
what to say, Words seem naturally
to come to him. In writing it is the
same thing. Is it not fact that near
ly all the great pulpit orators, political
! speakers, and writer's that ever lived
within the last FIVE centuries or
more, and even previously, were
thoroughly classical scholars He
who has read their lives will answer
yes, The greatest orators, poets, and
| philosophers that ever lived are in
debted to the classics chiefly for what
they may have done. If it were pos
sible for you to question them in ref
erence to their abilities they would tell
you that it was their knowledge of the
classics that made them what they are.
Thinking, Mr.. Editor, that / have
already encroached too much upon
your space, l must abruptly close.
Yours respectfully,
/ FREDERICK X. HYDE.