The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-06-02
LAIN MI GRERK.
"AFe They OfEsSsnIInI service 10 English
WFIIeFs4"


Cincinnati Gazette,
Without a "libsral education, "Can one
write the best English2 The Boston Id
.TtiIr maintains the negative, Here Il
an essential for those schools Of journal
ism that We read about, Says the Boston
paper:
"Given a good subject and q competent
mind, it Is doubtful II it could be written
out 10 the highest advantage, with true
propriety and in perfect taste, unless the
writer has been trained on the simple anc
peerless models Of the Latin and Greek
classics,"
This allegation shows that the alligator
il up in the c~lassiCs, and it puts INTO the
category Of the Philistiues all that deny.
But II the study OF Latin and Greek gave
logical sense, 1t would perceive that this
assertion Eefutes itself; for II the peerless
models had any virtue, 1t would be devel-
opsd In English literature, The assertion
that the sucking writer must 50 behind
this To the Latin and Greek forms is the
same as to say they have made noimpress
on the English writers OF these centuries.
Thus does this pOmpous saying deny It.
self. Dogbsrry was wiser when he said,
ITO write comes by nature" Like poets,
Eorators and generals, writers are born.
First catch your hsre-hTst be born
right, Then all training Ia good that helps,
But Just what kind Of training helps Is
what the school men have not found out,
Education hath this slight impeTiection,
that no certain result can be predicted.
So much OF writing comes by nature that
no man can tell what Latin and creek
have'done for him, or whether he would
not have put In his time better In English
Literature. Surely he would II the Latin
and Greek classics had formed the best
English, for in this he could 30 directly to
the treasures that centuries OF following
Of the peerless models have gathered,
Plenty OF college men are In journalism
In this country, but there are lew writers
who have q competent mind" TO choose
"a good subject" and write 1t tout to the
highest advantage, with true pTopFletY
and in perfect taste" or indeed who can
write anything worthy OF distinction. u
performance were any test Of this distum,
we might cite our American classic. Our
greatest subject was the proposed national
constitution, II wRs written out 70 me
highest advantage by competent minds"
in the Federalist papers. They are re;
garded @ models Of Cogent reasoning and
perspiCuous and elegant style. How much
Latin and Greek could Hamilton have had,
who wrote the most and best OF these pa
pers; who was q West India counting
house how from twelve to fifteen, q sol
der Of nineteen; who wrote q remark
able literary paper at fifteen, and dlstin'
guiahed himself at seventeen and eighteen
as q writer on the questions between
Great Britain and the Colonies? A mil
lion might go through the classic models
without producing ont such genius,
Men OF inherent capacity do survive
Latin and Greek. Whether better or
worse for 1t is what nobody can find out,
Many who have made highest attainments
in these studies and have become emin'
emit, have denied their Valne. On the
other hand, q multitude continually sthrm
their value, In whose performance no one
can see 1t. II gives some ideas OF the
powers OF words-ot etymologYi but how
much no one can tell, for In reality, usage
not origin, governs. To allow that 1t Rivel
more than the came study in English
would allow that the classic models have
had no influence on English literature. II
Il has the effect OF true propriety and
perfect TASTE" 1t must be in the arrange
nent OF the words In sentences. II the
writer were actually to form these upon
the peerless models, he would be like the
soldier Of to-day In the armor OF the Greek
warrior,