Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1871-05-25

how absurd, says Sidney Smith ''to
educate young men up TO the age of
eighteen and twenty "a if they were all
To DO clergvmen or professors. and then
place them in counting-rooms, offices,
aud stores, where arithmetic and pen
manship would be Of more practical use
than a library of dead classics
This Is common sense, and common
sense being the great forte OF the Aneri-
can people, let them look to these word,
OF wisdom from the wittiest OF divines
aud the divinest of wits.
We want practical know ledge, not
philosophical dreams: we want the use
ful. not the ornamental; we want the
sunlight OF the present. not the dust of
the past MORE ENGLISH aud less Latin
and Greek. One of the most accom-.
plished scholars of this, or anv age.
Mscaulay. has said: The value of the
great productions of Athenian and
Roman genius has been constantly fall
ing. They were the most intellectual
OF all our ancestors; they are second
airy part OF our treasures. A modern
reader can do without Edipus and
Media while he possesses 'OtheIlo' and
Hamlet The books that have been
written in TIE languages OF western
Europe during the last two hundi ed and
hity years are of greater value than all
the books which At the beginning of that
period, were extant in the world" This
language Is extraordinary, aud should
be convincing, coming from one so
thoroughly conversant with the classics
a. Macaulay was. The slavish admiration
and Imitation ot the ancient authors are
unworthy OF men whose birthrIght is
the geaius sf Shakespeare, Byron, Irv-
ing, and Poe.
We, who have so gloriously revolu-
uonized the social and political world,
and taught tho efietc monarchies of
Europe to respect, if not To love, the
young giant OF the West we, who en-
ioy the splendid scientific success OF the
nineteenth centSry,-who can rush
across thus vast and magnificent cont-
nent In SIX days, and talk with our
friends in San Francisco as if they were
next door ncighbors, should proudly
sever the traditional tratnmel- OF educa-
ton which have bonnd u, too long. The
perfect purity with which the Greeks
wrote their own beautiful language wa,
attributed by themselves to the fact OF
their not studying any other. Ifthey
became learned, saws q celebrated wri
ter, 1T was by studying what they thcm-
selves had produced
Bacon, whose intellect was the glorv
and whose morals were the shame, of
his country, after "a residence of three
years at Cambridge, left that celebrated
university, carrying with him pro-
found contempt for the course OF studies
pursued there \ college education is
In sf
illustrious example OF Shakespeare, who
Is known To have received onlv most
limited education, but whose glorious
genius has raised him to height which
none may hope To reach while Addison,
q finished classical scholar. y mau pro-
foundiy versed in the learning of the
schools, whose fine natural talents were
80 trammeiled by "a superstitious yen-r-
alton Tor, and constant study OF the
classics, that he was vcr> ordinary
poet. Many of the poets, whose rare
and beautiful gifts have adorned Eng
li,h literature, never passed dav AT
college. Amongst others, besides
Shakespeare we recall the distinguished
names of Pope, Gay, Thompson. Chat
terton, Rogers. and Eurns, and amongst
eminent prose writers: DE Foe. Rich
ardson, Franklin, Lamb, Douglas,
Jerrold, Dickens, and our own elegant
Irving. Some of these men are the mas
terspirits OF English literaturc,-mcn
who have instructed aud delighted the
world by their wit. genius, and song.
The American nation is the most
magnificent representative OF this most
magnificent age. II Ne are true to our
mission our career will be the most
glorious the world has ever known.
The glory that was Greece
And the grandeur that was Rome"
will grow dim before the proud triumph
Ant march OF free America. But we
must sweep the cobwebs from our
schools; we must throw aside the dusty
tones of dead age We must not 20
back nineteen hundred years for our
school-books we boldly declared and
bravely maintained our political indie
pen,lencc; let Us with the same bold
ness declare. and with the same bravery
maintain, our inte llectual independence.
The Golden Age.