The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-04-13

They but repeat In an inferior shape what Ia best
given In tho fundamental or knowledge giving
sciences.
The modes OF teaching science are M OK
tonsive and various IA the field ITSELF They in
volve in the highest degree all the devices for
the perspicuous communication OF knowledge
as well as the more special contrivances for inn
parting gonerazcd or abstract notions and
truths. The teacher Is usually supposed 10
have before him an exposition already shaped
but no may. OF course modify the preexisting
expostory work. and be n book unto himself
with reference to the group OF experimental
sciences. including physics. chemistry. and
biology. II Is now frequently urged that the
teachings should be practical in the strictest
sense. Prof. Huxley for instance has affirmed
that ZOOLOGY cannot BIO learned with any degree
Of sufIdcncy unless the student himself prac-
tsed dissection. Whether the power and habit
OF experimental manipulation should be nc
quired for its own sake depends In Dr. Bain's
opinion on what further use Is likely to be
made Of IT, He contends that very valuable in
struction may be impaired by a course that
shows oil nccdful experiments without any nc
tual participation on the part OF the pupils
themselves. Indeed. to make an experiment
succeed may require delicate precautions and
long practice. and this mere manual skill that
cxacts so much time and attention can scarcely
DO pronounced part OF scientific information.
and might DO bought too dearly at the cost OF
marring some other department of science.
More especially II training In tho higher intel
ectual operations Of the mind is the object In
view would 1t be disproportion to give up u
largo share OF time TO practical working.
The learning Of language has value ac-
cording to the use that we are to make Of IT, So
much Is true. II il be not all the truth. IT we
4. n
write Italian. we must be taught those Ian
guages. SO Greek being the treasure-house Of
thought and technical perfection. had to be
learned by every cultivated Roman. and 80
Latin being tho literary medium OF tho middle
ages had then TO DO known to every scholar.
But whore there Is very little practical use,
IL any. as Is the case with the majority
OF those that learn Latin and Greek at
school and college. is there any other
reason for undergoing tho labor? Hero we
are brought 10 tho question Of tho day. tho
vcxed problem as 10 the utility OF the dead
languages. which receives full and separate
discussion In DR.. Balns work. An attempt IL
made to settle the question by taking up In
order all the arguments advanced at ono time
or another by the more or less thorough going
advocates OF the classics. AS regards the inior-
nation affirmed to be still locked w in Greek
and Latin authors. it is universally allowed that
there is not fact or principle In tbs whole COM
pass Of physical science. OF in the arts and prac-
tice OF life that 10 not fully expressed in every
civilized modern language. Neither can II
DO pretended that tho ancient literaturcs
arc the exclusive repositories Of tho his
torical and social facts Of the ancient world.
for all this IA cmlnently translatable, and has
been abundautly reproduced in tho modern
tongues. 1t is said that in Plato and in Arts
~. a.
not to be plucked from their original setting.
but in DR.. Bains view 1t may DO confidently
affirmed that the doctrinal positions and subtle
distinctions Of Greek philosophy are at this
moment bettor understood through translators
and commentators writing in living tongues
than they could have been to Person or 10 Parr.
Even the inner or subjective lite Of the Greeks
and Romans into which scholars are credited
with an osotcrlc insight must. he thinks be do
duced and interpreted from the outer life and
that can be represented In any language. What
ever sets we'll before us the usages, modes Of
acting and thinking. institutions. and histori-
cal incidents OF any people. will enable us to
comprehend their spiritual posture and temper
as we'll as can be done in surveying them
from q distance. AS to the utility Of the
dead languages in the professions 1t Is
obvious that nothing can be gained from them
In medicine while the lawyer finds the Roman
Jurisprudence adequately represented In Eng
lish versions Of digest and commentary. The
plea for classics 10 the clergy. on the other hand
may we'll seem strong though even here there
are qualifying circumstances. II Is the bust
ness Of clergyman 10 understand the Bible.
which involves Hebrew and Hellenistie Greek.
while he must know Latin to read some Of the
Patristic writer's. the scholastic theology. and
the learned polemics Of the Reformation. We
] mi baar n mind logavar that no looE IN
been so abundantly commented on as has tho
Bible. Every light that scholarship strike out
has been made 10 shine through the vernacular
tongues and the study Of the original languages
mast be prosecuted TO pitch Of first rate schol
arship before anything can be gained in addi-
ton to what everybody may know without it,
| DR.. Balm recommends course rs regards the
clergy. which. by the way, in practice is sub
stantially pursued. namely. TO encourage a
small number Of scholars 10 prosecute the study
Of the original languages OF the Bible, and all
the allied learning. and 10 dispense with these
tongues as regards the mass Of the profession
Another argument which our author deems
| TO be pushed too far. concerns tho art treasures
of Greek and Roman literature. claimed to be-
! inaccessible except through their native media
He does not hesitate TO deny that the artistic
effects which are incommuDicable are the
\
| for literary culture. We're it SO. no says.
what would become OF our English Bible /?
No doubt melody is an intractabe quail.
! ~. Of which little or no idea can be
conveyed by translation. But the delicate asso-
Citations with words may be expounded through
our own language. as indeed they regularly are
schools and colleges to the pupil who is study
| ing the original. And in the case OF all dead
languages much Of this subtle essence must
haye vanished beyond recovery. Learning
Greek does not put us in the same position to
Homer and Sophocles that learning German
| does 10 Goethe In a word all that a scholar
can know he may And means OF impartng to
one who is not "a scholar. lie may not be nble
! to kindo in another all the delight that he may
feel but tho subtle. incommunicabls aroma Of
! classical poetry is one Of the Injuries Of schol-
| arship Even the mass Of students cannot reach
| it, and it may be bought too dear. Dr. Balm
does not omit to glance AT the claim set up with
so much adroitness and vigor by Sir VIII
liam Hamilton in his controversy with Dr.
| Whewell, although our author does not
name those disputants. As for the burden
imposed on the memory by the study Of dead
languages Or. BAN thinks the proper term