New-York tribune., 1871-07-27
PHILOLOGY.
THE CONVENTION AT WORK.

|
ITS PERsoNNEL-uOw TO STUDY FOREIGN LAM
GUAGEs-PRoF. HADLEY ON GREEK
CHARLES AsTOR BRISTED ON DEGENERATED
FORMs-ART RECEPTION.
NEw-HAvEN, July 26-The machinery OF
discussion into working ORDER after Chancellor
Crosbys address, the merits Of Prof Comforts paper
Before taking flight into the arguments, however, II VIII
he profitable to photograph few OF the noted scholars
who carry on the machinery of learning and letters IN
the Convention In learning rs In letters, New-Engand
holds well to the 'front.' deputng men like Goodwin,
Hadley, famed In Greek, Whitney In sanscrit, Thacher
In Latin Trunbu and Anderson in Indian and others
less known but scarcely lees proficient as specialists and
investigators corps, comprising Porter Higginson
Day Chambers Arnold Brigham, and the eminent Prof.
Child From tho country at large there Is a splendid
delegation Of college and speclasts-among them
Drs Kendrick, Samson president Of Columbia COlegel,
Huldcmann (great in science and master OF vast and
varied nformationl Charles A. Brsted, Hyde, Packard
Evans seweD schegel Tyler, and Catten not far from
| 200 in al.
Most Of these men arc Presidents or Professors in the
prominent educational institutions Of the country, They
bring TO those interesting discussions the results OF al
most incredible research and. in tho majority OF the
papers present the varied absruseness OF Ingustcs
with o simplicity and comprehensiveness which MAKE
| them Ineligible even 70 novice, Prof. whitney, Ake
President Crosby, ia Baconian full mani" he reads
| exhaustlyely, writes readily" and speaks WIN
|
10 the defense of tho Greek tongue with all the
ardor of the ancents with whom he is perfectly familiar
and Is listened to with respectful interest BY the whole
scholarly assemblsge The nervous interludes OF DE-
| samson.are few but impressive lie II was VINO COM
planned yesterday that he could not take his Iestamen
without being shocked by the barbarsm OF transatos
who, as he illustrated, put forth that work
with sentence like this in the Sermon on
! the Mount "You heard it said In olden tInes'
| etc" "Ths example, with numerous others
fully as bad" said the Doctor, warmly, indicate tat
rtber 70 nstfy its exstence7 Harvard must be we'll
spring of perpetual youth and usefulness lts reR @
Sce of that mother Of scholars. Prof Hadey,
Immersed In Greek has not lost the grace OF ms In0tner
tongue andreads his papers the most attentive listens
ers OF the session. Hggnson and Brsted are the sAr
nishers in the general pan and as such are expected
10 the ground for the advance OF the soud cOiun
! which they do with great spirit and VlYaclty'
HOW TO STUDY FOREIGN LANGUAGES.
Prof Comfort followed the Presidents address last
night with very practical paper on the proper way Vi
| taking up the ancient and modern languages The
Professor began by explaining that in the discussion OF
the position which the study Of language should occupy
| in liberal education, two views arc advocated
by educators and institutions OF earnng-one soKng
djt,ons and the other desiring to exclude Latin and
Greek entirely, replacing them by French ana ugrLndn
avoiding the issue and attempting two parallel courses
of ancient and modern languages E9cn OF tnese a
Instead of these let us Imagine large Guy a Tnea
by fully organized postcOlegiate University In the
primary schools, the study OF one living language s ep
tWeftS YEAR and continued until the completion Of the
academic course Upon entering eolege, inc student
familiar topics understand simple spoken discourse.
and to read ordinary prose with nueney. Two Xarss
before entering college second living language Should
These two living languages will take place Of Latin
and Creek In the studies required for admission to col
lege During the whole OF the Freshman year these
SANE psTne one or more terms OF the sophomore year
the history OF these languages and their relation 10
During the remainder Of the college course one branch
of study time will be pursued from textbooks in one
in the fast of the sophomore year that of Greek
term later both Will be continued t the END OF me
ess0nal schools ke the School of Phiology just essb
post-coegate universities, will be given the high lin
uistlc which is so much needed In America Phologl-
cal Associations like our own, VIII discuss m0oted I'm.
grstic problems, and secure the advancement OF
the science Of language in America, IN degree
This is substantially the scheme advocated; and
gung for it, Prof Comfort contends that the student
OF living tongues, that is expression OF his own
civilization, whose forms, though new VIII, when com
mtted u memory, mean something To MIN. This can
not be Hhieved IN language which has ceased TO be
a. civilization essentially different from own, and
lower than our own; one language alone shonlu Oe
studied until the student has acquired good degree OF
proficiency in II before beginning another angage Tie
natural order Is to commence with the easier and the
language, and TO proceed 10 the more remote ana
The grave assembly strangely animated about
this apparently speculation and half hour
warm fusiiade OF argument and sarcasm Iol-
lowed modified by the oily Wsdo % OF some 81 s more sn
the judgment is OF prime Importance To- the world at
large that young people sp1H oe nadnrS or dead an
guage. 1t has been held by educators that as
Latin Is the bou Gas rs learned o & sfrn a fSaGS caSdaC
on which TO rear a more general supersnucture OF
modern tongues an nj & d Sy s
that attaining Latin the student an easy stairway
Richard T is the bannister which may slide down
on II he has first climbed the stairway OF an unknown
tongue" The subject dismissed temporarily after
remarks from M Charles AstOr Brsted and PEOfs. Ar
mold, Ebenezer, and schlegeL
THE SECOND DAY.
The morning given up to Prof Hadley and
Mr. Charles Briseds papers, and the discussion
attending them Prof Hadley presentsth most learned
and valuable papers contributed to the Association and
his short research the Greek and Latin accents is
accepted of standard authority The modern Greek
aud Romance languages having lost the system Vowe
quantities belonging TO the ancient Greek and
Latin, he questioned whether the same is true OF
English as compared with AngloSaxon lie adnstted
that have nearly lost the feeling OF length by position
(where short vowel stands before two cons0nans Tor
though M % We no lse DnF R 81 a G SnG XII e equal IN Quantity
each other But In vowel sounds relation OF l0hS
on the one hand and those in fH Jd leH dali daily dull
on the other. II then the present English has long
far do these quantities with those OF the same
words earlier periods of the language In pursuing
this paury valuable help rs TO be derived ron the
Ormulum, series Of metrical h0mllles composed
bv the monk Orm, in the Thirteenth Century In the
only known Ms, written perhaps by the au-
thors hand, cOnsOnant Is regularly dOupeu "heh
IN follows short vowel thus IL, after, hundred are
written H. after, hundredd We can see then what
vowels sounded short, and what long Oy the wef
OF this work and by comparison with the present pro
nnncation we the nature and extent OF the
changes which have taken place since that time. Such
n shows that in the great majority OF cases
the syiabes which then had long or short yowe nave
the same quantity now and that the exceptional cases
where the quantity has changed can mostly he referred
10 certain euphonic influences and tendencies Ihus
vowels have become long the thirteenth century
OF folio wing cons0nant