West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1881-04-02
SCno0LSIN oED RoME.
aoW Ehcy Taught Grammar, FIor-
gcd the nOys, and Paid the Teach
New York Times. !

! New York Times.
Prof. r. +, Leighton, Ph. D., read n
! paper on "rho System of Education In
/ Ancien, Rome before the Long leland
Historical Society Wednesday evening.
Henry G. Murphy presided, and the SO
cio,y's new aud elegant hall was crowded
10y select and apprcciulivc audience of
both eeNes empracipg many Of the hes,
known people Of Brookln. Great atter
tion, The reader seys, was paid among. the
Romans TO t&e study Of grammar. aud of
the correct modes of expression. In so
oiety pure grammar waa subject of
fashionable conversation. Crates. the
Greek professor, instituted the fret course
OF leclurcs ON the subject Luclius, i'm
tho ninth book of hls Shtires, inaugurated
the fret spelling reform. Dionpsius
ThraS wrote the frat elementary gram
mar After the Panic war, the Greek
culture became 90 fashionable that bv
many II was prcporrcd TO tho mother
tongue. Greek wac the language Of dl-
plomacy, art, science, poetry and philoR-
ophy. AT seven yes,s of age the Roman
boys studied Greek and Latin grammar
together. The sons Of centurione went TO
school nj o A. ri, with their sachels and
counting tables sluug over their shoulders,
and studicd I'm school rooms on tho
ground floor, where they were 30 well and
thoroughly n'ggcd that theu howls
aroused the nciRhbors at every unseason-
able "ours. Martial and other sa,arls,s
spoke OF thClr cries and burdorlngs 90
one OF tho chief nusances OF the early
morning hours, almost as great peat 10
late rlscrs AZ our street cries, In fact.
The masttrs were great discplinarians.
and esteemed corporal punishment one OF
The chief means of inducing that pre-
cious boon, knowledge into dull heads.
IL boy pronouncos single syllable
wrong he was beaten black and blue, and
hla body so covered with weae and wclta
that IL resemblod patchwork coverlet,
or coat of many colors. The ancients
believed that hoys wcro naturally vicious,
and required tanning. SO great teacher
80 Plato laid down tho axiom that "A boy
was tho most Of forocious animalp."
Suintilisn, protested against undue fog
cling. Pictures found in Hcrculaneum
showed that the English system Of fog
ging was likewise In vogue also that In
some schools, both sexes were taught to-
gcther although tho education OF girls
was comparatively neglected. In tho
highest social circles girls were taught
music and dancing, and other fashionable
branches, as nowadays. School books
were % chead rs with us nfty years ago.
textbook OF 700 yerses, could DO had
IN three separate editions, for eighty,
thirty. and even rs low as eight cents.
Tuition was very cheap, less than cent
day The boys had holidays Ia March
and December, and long vacation In the
summer, from June % TO Octoper 10, a
great part Of which was spent with their
parents at Roman Newport aud Coney
Islands. AT fourteen thoy were put IN
high Bchoels, where they studied rhetoric,
poetry and belleelettres generally, their
previous efforts having been coDvIned 10
reading, writing and grammar and verses.
The younger children were taught their
letters and numerals by means Of smell
ivory blocks, as at the present day. The
pay Oi a teacher was $50 year-about
lOO times less than that OF ballet dan
Ger.