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

but, by wonderful drowsiuess of usage
they had exacted the study of all men. Once
(say two centuries ago. Latin and Greek had
a strict relation to all the science and cul-
ture there was in Europe, and mathematics
had momentary importance at some era of
ectivity in physical science. These things be-
came stereotyped as education, as the man
ner of men is. But the good spirit never
cared for the colleges, and though all men
and boys were now drilled in Latin, Greek
and mathematics it had quite left these
shells high and dry on the beach, and was
now creating and feeding other matters at
other ends of the world. But in hundred
high schools and colleges this warfare against
common sense still goes on. Four or six or
ten years the pupil is parsing Greek and
Latin, and as soon as he leaves the university,
as 1t is ludicrouSly styled, he shuts those
books for the last time. Some thousands of
young men are graduated at our colleges in
this country every year, and the persons who
at forty years still read Greek can all be
counted on your hand. l never met with ten.
Four or five persons 1 have seen who read
Plato. But is not this absurd, that the whole
liberal talent of this country should be di-
rected in its best years on studies which lead
to nothing2'
The official answer to Mr.. Adams comes
from President Porter, in the September
Princeton Review, in an article entitled "a
college FETCH" The old stock arguments for
classical training are presented, holding to
the perfection of the Greek language as an
instrument for the perpetual training of
the mind of the later generations" and
that the ancient languages, in their
structure, their thoughts, and the
imagery which their literature embodes,
are better fitted than any modern languages
can be for the single Office of training the
intellect, the feelings and the taste, and that
in every one of these advantages the Greek
is prominently superior to the Latin" He
concludes that "the old classical training is
the best preparation for the intellectual
work of modern life, and the best antidote
for its injurious Influences President Por-
ter's argument is that Mr.. Adams does not
know what he is talking about,
and has received benefits from his
study of . Greek grammar which this
same study has not made him sufficiently
Prof Josiah P Cooke, takes up the argument
in the November Popular Science Monthly,
stating that I'VE live in the present, not in
the past, and half century has wholly
changed the relations of human knowledge
Regard the change as you may, 'the natural
sciences have become the chief factor of our
modern civilization" The natural sciences
have given rise to new professions, as of
chemist mining engineer and electrician,
(which are just as learned as the older pro-
fessions, and are so recognized by every uni
versity." Prof. Cooke regrets that the clas
steal schools which prepare for Harvard have
had any natural science work forced upon
them, as it is done by examining, and has
proved to be wretched failure.
As science is cosmopolitan, the thoroughly
educated man must, says Prof. Cooke, COM
mand at least French and German and a
limited amount of Latin. He also calls at
tention to the fact that the old profession of
medicine, which, when it was ruled by au-
thoritY or tradition was rightly classed with
the literary professions, has come to rest on
a purely sclentlnc OASIS.
Canon Farrar, author and philologist. said
before the Royal Institute that classical edu-
cation is deplorable failure, neglecting all
the powers of some minds and some of the
powers of all minds. Prof. Blackie, of Edin-
burgh says: 1.-THE present method of clas-
steal education as a general system of train
ing English gentlemen is superstition,
blunder and failure" President Bar nard,
of Columbia College, is equally severe stat
ing the knowledge of Latin and Greek is
superficial, is associated with notions of
painful labor, and that he has seen 40 grad
yates that could read classic works with the
fuency of their native tongue
Classical education is not troubling Indiana
very much at present. A half dozen profes-
sors of Greek, score or so of Latin, and
perhaps hundred in colleges and second
airy schools who are teaching French and
German, are all we have We do not know
that Hebrew or Sanscrit is studied outside
of the divinity departments of our colleges,
and are not aware that we have any classes
IN Persian or other South Asiatic tongues
But that weeks, months and years are spent
on the study of Greek, Latin. French and
German in our public schools and colleges
by those who have no well-defned end or
work in view, in which they will make this
knowledge subservient, we are we'll aware.
Moreover, we are confident that among our
high-school and college graduates amount
ing in this State to upward of a thou
sand young men and women annually,
rs per cent. of them have spent more time
on either Latin, Creek French or German
than on chemistry or physics and twice as