, 1874-02-07

~
eented and liltoly to boz In Congross this present
year Of financial planB, besides securing D. lnrgo
prospective clearing out OF jails md roniton-
ttarloH. JANE GREY sw1s5uELM.
THE STUDY OF THE MODERN LANGUAGES.
nY rnor. WILLIAM MATTHEW'S OF THE UNIVERSITY
or CHICAGO.
Tint tho study Of foreign languages Is D nccos-
aary part Of liberal education, is proposition
which few Intelligent porsons will at this day
dispute. Tho records Of thought md knowl-
odgo arc many-tonguod; and, therefore, rs
moana OF encyclopedia culture, of that Thorough
intellectual equipment which is 80 imporionsly
demanded OF avery scholar, and even thinker, ut
the present day,-n knowledge OF foreign liter
aturo, both anciout aud modern,
:..- IL ApeoIuTE1Y INDISPENSABLE.
Familiarity with foreign languages fiberalizeB
tho mind III tho same way % foreign travol.
Tho Emperor Charles Y. once satd that to loarn
new language was to mcguire new soul. Tho
man who il ia miliar only with the writer's OF LIS
native tongue is in danger Of confounding whit
is accidental with what is essential, and of sup
posing tint mannors and customs, tastes and
habits OF thought, Which belong only to Ills own
ago mud country, aro insoparab'e from tho nature
Of man. Acquainting himself with foreign litor-
at,,rcs hc finds that opinions which lch had thought
to DO universal, and feelings which lo had sup
posed inetinctivo, have boen unknown to millions.
Flo thus loses thae
CHINESE CAST OF MIND,
that contempt for everything outsi1o Of his own,
narrow circle, which was 3 foo to all Holf-
knowledge and to all golf~improyemont.' Flo
doubts wherc ho formerly dogmatized; lo
to1erates where he formerly oxecratcd. Quali-
flying tho sentimente of tile writer's Of hiB OWN
ago aud country with the thoughts and aenti-
ments Of writer's in other ngos and other .coun"
tries, lo ceaaes to bow slavishy to the authority
Of thoao vino broatho the aanlo atmosphere with
himself, and with whose idiosyncracies he is
en- rapport Ho declines honcoforth to accapt
their opinions, to mnko their tastes hta tastes,
and their proiudices his prejudices; and thus
avods that mental slavery which is baser than
tho slnvory Of tho body.
While re thus appreciate the value of lin
gslistic studies to tho few who have tho timo and
money for thorough culture, wo' yet doubt
wlethor tho study Of foreign languages, to tho
oxtcnt that faBhion now a1actB, is
WISE Or PROFITABLE.
Tint an Englishman, Fronchman, or Gorznan,
oven though buainoss-1na1', should deem
knowledge Of them not only useful, but oven
.nsa u'as l.. ...,, l,ouua nr anv ,,oto
=: H. , 49, 7oa. not .o,I cooda tn c,ormanv
T.o..o E,v;t7or,ond swodcn or nusain
.f"noo' e"''~o'o' ..,ns .-',,t 1,oro 49,
,,,anos ~ cn,i7,,ct ita foyoicn correspondence,
au3s' ~ tno.1od1o ~ forolnn Tongues ie. thoro-
Toro nm ~ tho bont recommendations with
which o Young man seeking n olcrkahip can be
" .a t,n,n .,,no ,o +r,,o NJ acrmnnv md
Er,nca. h,,t
WHO WILL rnEraND
that u,,c,, il TIM faet III thiB country2 II, in
sto,d of all spoakfte q common tongue, tue
Eastern. Northern, Southern, Western, and Mid
d,o gtotoa Of our country spoke rs many lan.
cuares. tho liueual necessities Of our merchants
md manufacturers would DO similar to those of
tl,o great businoss-lo,1sos OF Europe - but, as
+,,a focts nra, no such necessities ex-
;at T. ID trno va hayo n few houses that
a, hu.;ncsa with Fnrope: and 1t Is true
aleo TINT. in few Of our largest cities, thoro
ora rncnv forciguors who cannot speak English
but ovorv,vhcro olse. linguistic knowledge is Of
,;tt1o rroct,cal use, =,
Tho oun.t;on ia not wha.hor a knowledge OF
1,ronc,, md German il desirable 7,cr Sc, but
,,,otlor :, Ia not too doar)y purchased. Is it
,voyt,, to hoa,rv tax which our youth nav for It !?
0o,rot tho wcarv days. weeks. months and
ovo, rcora ,y1,icI, arc srort in acquiring: what,
ortor o1l ~ nauo,lv hut the rncrost smattoriug Of
thono tongues. be
MORE pnor1rAp1y spESr
| unon English literature and tic sciences? There
ia hardly anvsubjcct upon which 80 much illusion
rrovai,a ~ uoon tl,e eunposed case With which a
| madam lancuage can bo mastorel, We hear it
t1nilv romarjted Tint French and Italian ara very
eosv. md that uorman. though, presenting some
difficulties. ia by no 1neans hard to acquire. Now
tho truth 10 which soonor or lator, every stt,-
dont IL forced to opon his Dyes, is, that tho ac-
ouisition Of INV lauguago, ns MIR. Lincoln aail
Of tho crushing of tho 1,obellion, is +" "a big
iob.n Tho mastering Of foreign tongue, even
t5,o eas,cst ia tho work. not Of day, but Of
veors and yoars Of
srrny, unnEx1rr1so TOLL,
Mr. 11.,orton' thu author of " The Intel-
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