The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-07-28
THE STUDY OF LANGUAGE
Boston Iranscrin,

e-sS'oh' AhS doSsuou oI possible or Gs- slraole changes in the curriculum ,i universities 10 sui; Mir. Adamss revol
 aonay theories may be left to those Ia
 charge of the institutions. Bu, a DOT,
 Tor me consideration ot the public Is he
 possibility O; introducing the study ol
 .ea=; two foreign languages a, ve.7
 cary period ia the life of a child, say
 the age of siN. or as soon as he IS o3 enough 10 enter school. In all O..
 teaching of foreign languages we have made two great blunders. First. in adhe
 ins 10 the notion that the ability to reaa
 write and speak French or German W merely an ornamen, of life, and. there fore. rnigh, safely be lef, until the Ia.s, school days of the youth. Secoai. n
 Ieaans the language in its relation ta
 English, iha, IS. always associa,iag t-e foreign word or phrase with is Enyitsa equivalent. The a5surdi,y of ;his late, procedure must be manltes; 10 whoeve
 nas passed through course Of stud, Iu an exact science. when all the terms ela- ployed have their exact signifca:ion, aat are teamed without the slightest asteaaD, a. definition in the common veruacuIll
 This b,under anieGates Chaucer, 10 whose Nome Frenche oi Paris was unknown. but who spoke il in the scale of Stra;ford- -a,:s- oowe. One can easily believe judging from modern incident. that the arl,abIe aad accomplished pro,esse had like o2r modern youth, learned her Frenche in finishing school of the period. after c>ul- p'e,lns her other studies. ard a.dei ay grammar and glossary. ra,he, :hia.. by conversation connued 10 the po..se tongue "..h teachers ou. of Paris. These o.cn- deTs. coming from our mother laa4, have acqulTed a rrln d roo; here ,ha. eraGiet- son WI, be very difficult.
 bat what other way shal. we se. | work: Iae question las Seen asked by mary Wha have tree.y admitted te de sli4s.ii.y oi 4 change. ia the tirst uHs z. iheE. look a5eus you. and see the H,..lei ocs pefs as .: .oreigg 5A.h. ol: no. pt especially liberal edaCa:ioI. who ta.N 5.to.y ose 0. two saGsaases bes.e.es ;hat c: .Ee laaG of ,he.c Dlria Young tiei- f.:=s.ls. yoa.as IF fact. Nj ho can wr..e aa,i soeaS. easily. in English and Fgeasa sometimes eRen in liaaaa. are 9g n means rare. Ami portions oi ,ais 4ao- ansQA.. perhap; poiy-linslai. iae..ity have been III as;ered a: aa age oeyoaa the ac.-t! memory of the indiviiaa IL. men there De a real desire ,o learn how ;r.s .aleut is acquired. Germany ls ao, so ta- away, nor passage tickets so high iEa: tune ani money may no. De ariordei D send oH sharp-eyed and ae.,e-eared persons on voyage oi discovery.
 These statements ani arguments are Dlade win view only to ;he material benehss ot a general knowledge of the orei5n languages most largely spoken m ;h.s country. Every year adds to our population persons ot German or French oir:a. with some of whom every man ot business Is likely so be brought, ,n;o daily contact. Beginning al New York and following any course excep; n eastward one the necessity of announcing ln shop oE bank ,ha; the proprietor keeps hl, own linsuist grows more marked Is nearly every large city of the newer growth $ reached. We see how rrniy the new citizens hold to ;her native speech in the steady increase of patron age of newspapers printed n their familiar language. as -el. as in the gradual ,n- provemen, of the literary style of these sheets. Another indication is the in ereasing importation of every variety of literature Tn continental tongues. making due allowance for the growth of knoxl- edge ot these languages among people whose native speech Is English.
 One or ,uo disclaimers in MT. Adams speech demand consideration. He ap- pears wiling to admit ,ha. Latin may be probably studied for awhile even by the youth who has practical aims in view. because of the liberal use of that ancient language m the formation of terms in arfla ps,. .L terms already exist. are univer sally recog- there will be specialists enough to furnish more when they are wanted. why waste m a mere etymological pursuit the time ,ha, nigh, be devoted to mastering the rudimenss of science if no, to acquiring m accurate knswledge Of French and German: He excepts law as a science which can oe thoroughly pursued in any one living language. With all due defer ence to the shades of Coke and Black stone. with as much respect for old saws and modern instances of English origin as they deserve. it may be submitted tha, the study Of legal theones and practices. as they are taugh, and carried out on the continent, canno, no longer be neglected. We have from time to tune taken a hint or two from France. and Tn the range of statutes, from tAe imperial ukase .o the police ordinance. there is much 10 be gathered in Europe with view 10 aiao,a- ,Ion to this country.
 One more poin, in this matter of edu- eaton for all to consider |, would be interesting 10 know the percentage of students graduated from American col .eses, hav.ns. assuTlably. knowledze of Lasin. would have been able to carry on an inprompsu conversation in that lan- guage. such debate as that held in the las. Ecumenical Council at Rome. where the heads of the factions hurled episrams a: each other, and all the resources and tr'eSs of rhetoric were employed by the disputan.s. 1, may be questioned if one of hundred would show evidence ofanv such ability. even when fresh from the hand Of his tutor. As for Greek. for which Mfr. Adams appears to have an