The Russellville Democrat., 1878-03-14


 by the aid of which lie trayerses the ocean to visit the country where German is spoken.
 To teach a language practically is therefore very different labor from teaching philology or the philosophy of language or grammar in it's higher and scientific sense. It is to make the pupil acquainted with the alpha bet, read and speak with him short sentences snch as he knows from his daily lessons, avoiding the ary and difficult lessons of spelling and trans lating at first; the sentences in the newest textbooks are so arranged as to form material for conversation, as for instance in 'sWoodbury's Con- plete German and "FasqueI's French Course which books are arranged similar to Ollendorf's s method. The list of words, proceed ing each reading lesson should of course be committed to memory. After the pupil can read fuently, grammar may be commenced to- gether with the translations into the language to be learned, the ac- quisition of which may be compared to the maneuvcring of an army. The individual words are the indi vidual soldiers, or rather the recruits, the simple sentences are the sepa- rate companies, and compound sen tences the organized battallions and regiments. The commander-ln chief is the learner, who is to muster those men into service, drill and organize them through the aid of proper in- .termedfates and maneuver them in masses with views which are entire ly his own. The correct spelling will be observed by the teacher in the translation exercises. So far the advancement may be of those pupils who study the German or French three or six months, as 1t IS frequently the case, and 1t is great deal accomplished and to the satis- faction of the teacher, if the pupil understands that part thoroughly, that is in the grammar extending only to the end of the first part Tn Woodbury or Fasquel, (reading les sons and etymology) which Will ena- bic tho learner to use the language in his business transactions and travels; this, however, is not the right course to pursue for those who want to be philologists of the language, for hardly any species of knowledge is 80 common as a smat- tering of French, German or latin, while nothing is more rare than thorough knowledge of any of these tongues.
 In finishing the illustration, it may be said that those scholars de string to obtain thorough knowl- edge of the language, for instance, in class of three grades, the sec ond grade should continue in the second part of the grammar, thus learning the syntax and construction and idioms together with the use of one or two eclectic readers; then we may introduce in French, Voltaire, Rosseau, and Dumas Monte-cristo, and in German, Goethe's Egmont. Faust, and Schillcrs Wallenstein, Dol Carlo and Wilhelm Tell, Love and Intrigue, etc.
 As the study of latin and Greek in the high schools and colleges is as important as that of German and French, the beginner should know if he has determined to finish the course of latin or Greek, which will be longer than two years, or he better employ his time in learning living language, or increase his knowledge in the same; he should proceed the same way as illustrated Tn the course of modern languages, (as) with omission of the conversation exer- cises: here he wants to be only a philologist, to pave his way to the treasuries of Greek and Roman lit erature, therefore may Caesar, Cic- ero or Homer introduced at the be ginning of the grammar.
 A knowledge of the Greek, which is the most cultivated language in the world, and also of the latin will the scholar make more phi.ologist than a linguist. The pleasure of understanding the writings of the ancient Greek saees aud Roman orators will be a sufficient compen- sation for the work of study. Who should have read and understood the writings of the Greek philoso- phers without perceiying their great contribution to the culture and nor ality of mankind. This may be said with the French and German, the knowledge of literature of taese Ian guages being great treasure to any one, comprising the beantifu! ccra tions in all branches of human knowledge. Who should have read Schillers' "Greatness of the Uni verse;" which will make one in few lines more acquainted with the laws of the same, than any work on as tronomy? What scholar has reciteJ and memorized his three words of faith, God, Freedom and Virtue, and the quotations oi Goethe: Moth ing Tn the world is more beautiful than the inclination, guided by req son and conscience" "The element of good manners is the association