The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-02-27
For the Anderson Intclligencer.

81
For the anderson InteIIgencer.
The Importance OF Latin and Greek.
The Greek and Latin languages are not only
so thoroughly interwoven into the structure OF
our present English, and especially into the
itechnicology of its scientific departments, as
to be indispensable elements of preparatory
education, but also regarded as mental discip-
liners, they are scarcely less important; for the
primary object of all preparatory educationis
the training and discipline of the mental pow
ers 1t is teaching to THINK, rather than
filling the mind with thinkable matter. The
mind does hold knowledge as a bushel tub
holds grain, but holds it by the links of classi-
fed and associated thought. An educated man
has no more knowledge IN his mind than any
other man but be sits at the centre of many
lines of rsdiating thought, and can run out
upon,them with more promptness and facility.
He has velocity rather than capacity. The
mind is a amt, and its knowledge is its versa
tility in arpropriating and utilizing everything
with which it comes in contact. Memory is a
mode Of action, and not separate organ, as
the hand or foot is Of the body. 1t is the mind
ITSELF running on the track OF its past expert
ences The mind commences with any thought,
whatever it may be, and runs out from it as
centre, with inconceivable velocity, in all di-
rections. To increase this power of linking
thought to thought, this wonderful versatility
of active thinking, by which the mind makes
its own bridges of associated ideas as 1t goes is
the primary object of all education.
1t has done great and irreparable injury to
human learning that ever the figure of the
minds capacity-like that of a box or barrel
has been insisted upon. It has retarded the
progress of preparatory education immensely,
by inducing an effort to fill the mind with
heterogeneous matter unclassifed. Hence the
the common saying-"he has forgotten almost
all he ever knew" To forget was unavoidable.
The mind vas not taught to run over track
of associated thought, or along blazed vista
through the forest, and therefore could not
easily find The way it went before, which is the
power of memory. If, everything 10 takento
child, he will remainla weakling; but if he is
induced to run out and get for himself, his
power of getting will be greatly increased.
Preparatory education Is % stimulating force,
rather than q supply Of matter brought to
hand; and the progress Of boy is known, not
iso. much By what he has gathered, as by the
speed of his thinking. e., associasing thought
The disciplinary power ofthe ancient loo
.guages, (Which is thing wholly distinct fsom
their Literary lore, consists in their, very rich
and very extensive field of interpretaiive
thought. Just as an arithmetical problem
puts the mind to active search in all directions
to find thc. track of its solution, so a Latin
sentence stimulates the mind to active search
for the track in which the author has run.
Sentence after sentence thus constitutes high
" stimulat:ye chase land as each thought or
truth or fact is thus oyertaken in pursuit, the
prize itself is not worth so much as the pleas
ing and improving pursuit. The power of in
depreciation enters into all studies, all busi-
ness, all modes of communicating thought. 1t
is to find tie labyrinthine course in which the
human mind is wont to run. 1t is to trace
man-whesher Greek, Roman, American, Turk
or Tartar--to his habits and habitudes, and
know all his haunts and nature. The laws by
which human language is made to reveal the
thoughts and feelings of men are infallible and
of universal application. In cultivating the
power of Interpretation, the Greek and Latin
languages stand pre-eminent.
SOUTH CAROLINA RAILRoAD.-The annual
convention of the stockholders of the South
Carolina Railroad will be held in April, and