, 1872-11-24
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND THE CLASSICS.

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND THE CLASSICS.
BIZ PROF. WILLIAM MATHEWS, OF TIE UNIVERSITY
or CHICAGO:
Among the arguments urged in behalf OF the
study Of Greek and Latin in our colleges, one OF
the coramonest is the supposed absolute necessity
Of a knowledge OF those tongues to one who
would speak and write his own language effect
lively. The English language, We are told, Is 0
composite one, Of whose words thirty per cent
are OF Roman origin, and nearly five per cent OF
Greek; and is it not an immense help, ne are
asked, to full and accurate knowledge Of the
Of the words We use, to know their en-
tire history, including their origin? Is not the
many-sidsd Goethe an authority On this
subject worthy Of respect, and does
he not tell Us that ''He who is acquainted with
no foreign tongue knows nothing Of his own "?
In answering these questions in the negative,
we do not mean to question the value or pro-
found interest OF philosophical studies, or to
express any opinion concerning their utility as
means Of mental discipline. The value Of such
studies to 8 teacher or scholar is one thing;
their value to q Wrieer or public speaker is
another rs 3 means Of encyclopaedia culture
Of. that thorough intellectual equipment, which
is so lmperious1y demanded in our day, 4 knowl-
edge OF foreign. and especially classical, ltera-
ture is Indispensable; for, as another has eaid,
the records OF knowledge and thought
nre many y-tongued, md those records
are sure to be more OF less falBi-
fed by even the happiest hans1ations. The
fascination, the witchery Of genealogical studies,
ne do not mean to dispute. Richter has finely
said that every language is 3 dictionary of faded
metaphors; and the moment in life when one
first discovers that words are living not dead
things-that, as Emerson says, "the deadest
word WAS once brilliant picture THAT Ian
guage is not only fossil poetry but fossil ethics
and fossil history-marks an epoch Like the
dropping Of scales from ones eyes, Like the &C.
quisition Of sixth seuse, or the Introduction
into new world. The question is not about
the general educational value OF classical studies,
but whether they are indispensable to him who
would write or speak English with force,
elegance, and accuracy. We think they are not.
In the first place, re deny that mowedge Of
the etYmologies Of words,-of their meaninSa q
hundred or five hundred yearH ago,-is essential
to their proper use nov. How am aided in the
uBe of the word "villain" by knowing that it
once meant peasant,-in the Use Of knave by
knowing thatit meant boy,-in the use Of brat, :"
'sbeldam," and "pedant," BY knowing that they
meant, respectively, child, fine lady, and tutor
in the use Of *dunce" by knowing that it WAS
originally the name Of one Of the keenest and
noat subtle-witted of the schoolmen? Am
more or less likely to use "ringleader" correctly
to-day, from learning that Christ is correctly
spoken Of By an old divine as s'the ringleader
- t. ~ Ann
interest to all, and OF big value to the scholar
but how is the knowledge Of them necessary that
one may speak or write wel1P The histories Of
words may throw Light upon national manners
and habits OF thought; the language Of q peo-
pie may serve as moral barometer; to mark by
it's changes the rise and fall Of it's life; and the
use OF e7en single word may afford Us deeper
insight into its real condition, it's in1noss char
acter, than volumes written expressly to inpart
that insight. But what has all this infornation,
| however curious or instructive, to do With the
present signifcations Of words2
| The question With the man who addresses his
felIow-man by tongue or pen to-day, is not
! what ought to be, or formerly WAS, the meaning
Of 3 word, but, Whist is it noao? Indeed, it may
be doubted whether reference to the old, obao-
| lete 1neauings,- the roots and denvations,-of
! T1,n4~T Nv
"ofaS' ooes not' aa Atenoasnop "n1y Ane. 49,
tenos' tena 10 coniuslon, Ano p.o'o a"a'l ~. l,,s
hlndrance Ihan netp 10 1no co'iee1 use =. ~
| tongue Wotas no' oaty' 1ol tuo uoss paa1
ride very slheSly 81 ancnor on tneu e.ymo.otsa'
borne, aa they are ntnee anu 1ni'neE " 'ue
sn41t1ns IoeS an" cu410oAn ~ "o"oe: Wv 49,
often break away from tnelr noolluea Also
gethef. Inc Ano"1eoee OF q "an q anseccoen1s
may help ns eome1lmes 'o e91ihAso LIS pteo,
ent seH; nat the kno"4eoee ot "na'
a word meant three or twenty centuries
ago may only maleaa Us as TO Il!
meaning now H5postasls, Sooseance' al'
understanding are "oros tnat esS"o!oslcaD'
have precisely tha same sign1heaaon; Jet na9'
they, as they sre now used, the least s1tnuarlts
Of meaning? Will it be aald that "ofos oecom
more vivid and plcturesque-that We get nfo'
er and more vigorous grasp Of their meaning
when, as Colerldge ADVISES, ne present 10 on
minds the visual images that form their pf1mar
meanings7 The reply is, that long use oeaaen
us to the susceptibility OF sach images ana
not one case IN thousand probably are me
noticed. how many eouese gt@ooales llunh
1n'seT' as beng ety1noiog1cany . nnsefaoae