The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-22
THE DEAD LANGUAGE FETCH.

THE DEAD LANGUAGE FETCH.
Despite all attempts to harmonic the dead
languages with natural science the antago-
nism of these educational elements is more
decisive to-day than ever before. The quar-
rel breaks out all along the line. Last win
ter an Indiana Democratic Legislature took
its first lessons in Greek from clique of in
subordinate college undergraduates who
were determined to run Purdue University.
A year ago Matthew Arnold came forward
as the champion of literatufe in his Cam
bridge University address, taking up the
gauntlet thrown down by Professor Huxley.
Mr.. Arnold said: "In our cul-
ture, the aim being to know
ourselves and the world, we have, as
the means to this end, to know the best
that has been thought and said in the world.
Europe is to be regarded as now being, for
intellectual and spiritual purpos es one great
confederation bound to joint action and
working to a common result, and whose
members have for their common outfit a
knowledge of Greek, Roman and Eastern an
ito uity, and of one another. That modern
nation will, in the intellectual and spiritual
sphere, make most progress which most
thoroughly carries out this programme"
All of which was promptly negatived by
Professor Huxley, who points to what sci
ence has done as evidence of what we may
expect of it in ameliorating mans condition
in the conflict with force and matter and
also to the soundness comprehensiveness
and thoroughness of the training which
is given in colleges by chemistry,
physics, botany and zoology, in
the preparation of men for the
duties of life In our own Cambridge, Mr..
Charles Francis Adams comes before the
Harvard chapter of the fraternity of the Phi
Beta Kappa, and tells them that Greek and
Latin as pursued in our higher institutions
is nothing less or more than college
fetich." He says: "How did Harvard Col
| lege prepare me and my ninetytwo class
mates of the year 1856 for our work in life
where the hard logic of facts teaches lis that
WuaI is WOTbu QOlHS at ali 10 WOTbu uOlUS
WE'LL that superficiality is dangerous and con-
temptible, as it invites defeat; that one should
| prepare for his specific work in life?" Mr..
| Adams says that in answering this ques-
| ton it is not easy to preserve ones gravity.
Harvard College fitted them for this active,
! busting, hard-hitting, many-tongued world,
which cares little for authority and little for
the past, but is full of living thoughts and
living issues. 1.-THE poor old college prepared
us to play our parts in this world by COM
| polling us, directly and indirectly, to devote
the best part of our school lives to acquir-
ing confessedly superficial knowledge of
two dead languages"
Mr.. Adams says that the grammatical
study of the dead languages was and still is
the basis of liberal education that the
teaching was examining; that in pursuing
Greek and Latin they ignored their mother
tongue, and so were thorough in neither En-
! glish Greek nor Latin languages or literature.
Moreover as Greek and Latin were the fun
damentais, and were studied not as means
but as an end, and that end to get into and
through college, there was no real
living basis 10 Harvard education
thirty years ago; the superstruc-
ture rested on an empty formula.
The whole standard was lowered; everything
was taught as Greek and Latin were taught
A limp superficiality was all peryasive.
Learning by heart the Greek grammar did
me harm; it did me great deal of harm.
While 1 was doing it the observing and re-
Elective powers lay dormant; indeed, they
were Systematically suppressed"
Mr. Adams brings no new charge against
the methods and studies dominant in Har-
ward in his day, but which have now given
way largely to scientific methods and subjects
in elective courses. He only repeats Mr..
Emerson. and scores of Others, who were
trained in our Eastern colleges by the old
method. Says Mr.. Emerson:
"The ancient languages, with great beauty
OF structure, contain wonderful remains of